by Bret Capranica | Sep 4, 2009 | MiniPost
In the new fad of pushing the “cool” factor in church life, Thom Rainer addresses whether Sunday School can survive. Sunday School and the Cool Factor –...
by Bret Capranica | Aug 26, 2009 | Featured Articles, Pastoral Ministry, Southern Baptist Issues
Much has been said and written about the recent Great Commission Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention. Some of the key leaders of our denomination have prayed for, planned for, spoken to, written about, advocated, and lobbied for this present movement. I respect and trust many of the men who have so far provided GCR leadership. I have no doubt in my mind that without some significant changes in approaches and emphasis, the SBC is in for some difficult days ahead; some suggest extinction. I am no influential voice within the SBC. I am an ordinary SBC pastor. My church is not significant and we have many weak areas of ministry. My thoughts are limited. Obviously, I have not been in any back room discussions or present for any significant open discussions about the details of where the GCR plans to take us. But, like any and every Southern Baptist, I have a few thoughts. For the sake of my own conscience, to stimulate my own thinking a bit more, and to conduct this discussion within my own circles, I offer the following thoughts. What Concerns Me About the Future of the SBC. Character. I met Adrian Rodgers once. He was gracious to conduct an informal question and answer session while at The Master’s Seminary in the late 90’s. I had an opportunity to ask a question of the one who was the first president of the Conservative Resurgence and the first SBC president I sat under (1988). I asked Dr. Rodgers, “What do you see as the most pressing issue facing the future of the SBC?” He didn’t even pause to consider it. He quickly...
by Bret Capranica | Mar 18, 2009 | Miscellaneous, Pastoral Ministry
Well, at least the recent package they sent to me advertising Sunday School stuff does. I suppose their target group is people who like instant feminized Hazelnut coffee. Their marketing scheme is built around a cup of coffee and they included a little card that is supposed to smell like the aroma of coffee. It simply makes me want to hurl. Since opening the package in my office, I’ve washed my hands multiple times and showered a few times, and took my trash out. I can’t get the smell off my hands. I cannot get the smell out of my office. Needless to say, I am NOT more likely to purchase their latest Sunday School offerings. I don’t want our Sunday School classes to smell like this. Now, maybe if they had used a Starbucks Italian Roast . ....
