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Articles by Bart Barber
FIRST-PERSON: A funeral sermon is just a sermon
If you have been preaching long enough to have become comfortable with the rhythms of producing weekly expository sermons, you do not have to acquire some different skill set to be able to preach a good funeral sermon. If you have reached the point that you can pull together a good sermon from most places in the Bible, then you can write a good expository funeral sermon from more places in the Bible than you might realize.
Bart Barber has only been the Southern Baptist Convention president for a few weeks, but already he has seen and commented on the historic Supreme Court ruling about abortion and fielded various questions about SBC life. An important topic he recently took on, especially in light of controversies among Southern Baptists, was religious liberty.
FIRST-PERSON: An encouraging day for Southern Baptists
It’s morning again in the Southern Baptist Convention. Today, in their communities across the country, members of Southern Baptist Churches will lead at least 622 people to faith in Christ and will celebrate their conversions by baptizing them. Four million people will plan their attendance this weekend at an in-person worship gathering at a Southern Baptist church. Of those, 2.5 million will also plan to attend Sunday School or another small-group Bible study.
Southern Baptist baptisms and attendance grow, membership decline slows
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (BP) – Baptisms, worship service attendance and small group participation all grew in 2023 among congregations affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, while the recent decline in total membership among congregations slowed. The Annual Church Profile (ACP) compiled by Lifeway Christian Resources in cooperation with Baptist state conventions details the annual numerical changes for the Southern Baptist Convention.
FIRST-PERSON: An encouraging day for Southern Baptists
Metadata: Series: First PersonTopic(s): Evangelism, SBC NewsFormat(s): Text Articles Share this post: It’s morning again in the Southern Baptist Convention. Today, in their communities across the country, members of Southern Baptist Churches will lead at least 622 people to faith in Christ and will celebrate their conversions by baptizing them. Four million people will plan their attendance this weekend at an in-person worship gathering at a Southern Baptist church.
What pastors actually think about when they preach
Metadata: Share this post: People often apologize to me for something that happened in a church service. I’ve heard lots of great apologies. “I’m sorry I fell asleep.” “I’m sorry I had to rush out.” “I’m sorry my kid lit his hair on fire.” I love church—both the people of God and the worship services. I love the oddities that can happen during a church service. I’ve had fire alarms go off during a Father’s Day sermon (thanks to an intern who attempted to make scones in the kitchen).
How to get ahead on sermon planning for the New Year
Metadata: Share this post: The pressure of sermon planning never lets up for pastors. Some weeks have more margin than others, and some texts are more fun to preach than others, yet Sunday is coming regardless. According to a 2012 Lifeway Research study, close to 7 in 10 Southern Baptist pastors spend at least eight hours a week on sermon preparation, with 21% saying they spend more than 15 hours.
Pope approves blessings for same-sex couples that must not resemble marriage
Metadata: Topic(s): Culture, ERLCFormat(s): Text Articles Share this post: ROME (AP) — Pope Francis formally approved letting Catholic priests bless same-sex couples, the Vatican announced Monday, a radical shift in policy that aimed at making the church more inclusive while maintaining its ban on gay marriage. The document from the Vatican’s doctrine office elaborates on a letter Francis sent to two conservative cardinals that was published in October.
December sermons can be based throughout Scripture, remain connected to Christmas
NASHVILLE (BP) — Tyler Armstrong’s sermon series this month started off with a different take on some treasured carols. “Hark! The herald angels sing; a dragon waits to devour the king,” he said from the pulpit of Woodward Avenue Baptist Church in Muscle Shoals, Ala., on Dec. 3. Not finished, he added another.
FIRST-PERSON: Six-month update | Baptist Press
Metadata: Series: First PersonEvent(s): 2024 SBC Annual MeetingTopic(s): SBC NewsFormat(s): Text Articles Share this post: Six months have passed since we gathered in New Orleans for the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. At this halfway point between New Orleans and Indianapolis, here is an update on the activities of the Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention will gather in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 11-12, 2024. I have selected a theme for that meeting.
Statement Regarding the Convention's Amicus Brief
Good morning: Last week a reporter published a story about an amicus curia brief that the Southern Baptist Convention joined in a Kentucky sexual abuse case. Many of you have wanted me to make a statement about this brief. I should have said something long before today. I am so glad that I didn’t. You see, if I had given you a hot take…if I had commented immediately, I would have said, “What are you talking about?
Barber reelected SBC President
NEW ORLEANS, La. (BP) – Texas pastor Bart Barber was reelected to a second term as president of the SBC on Tuesday, June 13, at the 2023 SBC Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Out of 11,014 messenger votes, Barber received 7,531 votes (68.38 percent) while Georgia pastor Mike Stone received 3,458 (31.40) percent. There were 25 ballots disallowed. Barber was nominated by Jarrett Stephens, senior pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. Stone was nominated by Florida pastor Willy Rice.
Pursuing a Culture of Life
Resources Light Magazine is a semiannual publication of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. Subscribe now for Light Magazine. You will receive two print issues a year for $10. Light is our biannual magazine that takes an in-depth look at cultural and moral concerns. We apply God’s Word and Baptist convictions in a way that will help shape your voice in the public square. Subscribe today and get information that will provide clarity around the public policy issues that matter to you.
First-Person: The best and worst Christmas I’ve ever had
iStock photo The following is a partial transcript of comments made by SBC President Bart Barber when he was interviewed by radio host Erick Erickson. Used by permission. FARMERSVILLE, Texas – Changes in life can be very destabilizing to Christmas tradition. But they can also help us to understand, maybe better than the people who aren’t going through difficult times, about the true meaning and significance of the gospel of Jesus Christ as it applies to Christmas.
A Statement on Johnny Hunt's "Restoration"
For Immediate Release In 2021, the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting adopted a resolution “On Abuse and Pastoral Qualifications.” I was a member of that committee. I contributed significantly to the content of this resolution. It reads, in part, “any person who has committed sexual abuse is permanently disqualified from holding the office of pastor.” This is the sentiment of the Southern Baptist Convention.
3 reasons Baptists should hold to religious liberty for all
In recent days, a growing number of Christians are pushing back against the Baptist principle of religious liberty of all people. Some of these believers are themselves Baptists with honest concerns. There are two common, sometimes overlapping reasons for this discomfort with religious freedom. Some argue that to defend the freedom of those who embrace false religions is to inadvertently endorse those religions.
FIRST-PERSON: Bart Barber, new SBC president, in his own words
ANAHEIM, Calif. (BP) — Yesterday was an historic day for the Southern Baptist Convention. One year ago, Convention messengers created the Sexual Abuse Task Force and demanded that the investigation be thorough, unflinching and unredacted. For a year, this process has been unfolding, and although there have been many twists and turns, our convention’s polity has worked in the end. The messengers wanted to see the facts. We have seen the facts, and we have mourned them.
Denhollander, Benkert, Pittman offer trauma-informed ministry training
ANAHEIM (BP) – Three individuals closely tied to the recent Southern Baptist Convention Sexual Abuse Task Force report provided trauma-informed ministry training to nearly 60 people on June 14, immediately following the SBC’s afternoon business session. The term “trauma informed” simply means accounting for the existence and impact of trauma in caring for others.
Ascol at CBN breakfast: ‘enemies of God all throughout our culture’
ANAHEIM (BP) – Florida pastor Tom Ascol reiterated his stance that a lack of a fear of God plagues churches and the Southern Baptist Convention as the featured speaker June 14 at a breakfast on behalf of the Conservative Baptist Network. Lee Brand, then-SBC first vice president, welcomed attendees before introducing Charlie Kirk, conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA.
Committee on Committes report released
ANAHEIM, Calif. (BP) – The 2022 Committee on Committees has released its report. Appointed by the SBC president, the Committee on Committees nominates the Committee on Nominations and any special committees that are authorized during Convention sessions.
FIRST-PERSON: Bart Barber's opening comments in the presidential press conference
ANAHEIM, Calif. (BP) — Yesterday was an historic day for the Southern Baptist Convention. One year ago, Convention messengers created the Sexual Abuse Task Force and demanded that the investigation be thorough, unflinching and unredacted. For a year, this process has been unfolding, and although there have been many twists and turns, our convention’s polity has worked in the end. The messengers wanted to see the facts. We have seen the facts, and we have mourned them.
Good news emphasized, while lostness remains central to IMB report
ANAHEIM, Calif. (BP) – International Mission Board President Paul Chitwood began IMB’s report to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting with recent good news from the mission field. He recounted a message he received the previous night from a pastor whose daughter serves overseas. Chitwood shared that three Muslim women had accepted Christ as Savior. These salvations were the first the IMB missionary team had seen among this people group.
Lifeway breakfast provides tools for addressing anxiety
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Whether current events have Southern Baptists on edge or on the edge of their seats, one thing is clear – many church leaders are wrestling with anxiety on a regular basis. Dealing with angst was the topic of an episode of “The Glass House” podcast recorded live at a breakfast hosted by Lifeway Christian Resources at the 2022 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting Tuesday (June 14).
Response to the Sexual Abuse Task Force Report
Bart Barber May 25, 2022 For Immediate Release I have now read the complete text and the appendices of the May 15, 2022, document from Guidepost Solutions entitled, “Report of the Independent Investigation: The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee’s Response to Sexual Abuse Allegations and an Audit of the Procedures and Actions of the Credentials Committee.” The record represented in this report is clear. Men and women, boys and girls, have been abused in Southern Baptist churches.
FIRST-PERSON: Theological liberalism in the SBC?
LANCASTER, S.C. (BP) – I attended a liberal religious college. Though a fourth-generation Southern Baptist and grandson of a Southern Baptist pastor, a scholarship and my best friend convinced me to go to a school associated with the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America [PC(USA)]. The previous summer, at a Jericho Missions Conference at Glorieta Conference Center, I sensed a calling to pursue vocational ministry, and I entered my collegiate studies with that intent.
2nd Opinion: SBC annual meetings demonstrate conflict resolution
EDITOR’S NOTE: This op-ed is in response to Eric Black’s editorial, published June 16, 2021, on the 2021 SBC annual meeting. I do not envy the task of journalists trying to describe any annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. Doing so must have been exceptionally difficult this year.
FIRST-PERSON: Rescuing resolutions
Editor’s Note: Bart Barber is pastor of First Baptist Church of Farmersville, Texas, and a member of the 2021 SBC Committee on Resolutions. FARMERSVILLE, Texas (BP) – Last week, I encountered at the SBC annual meeting (not for the first time) the idea that the Southern Baptist Convention ought to do away entirely with the resolutions process. The sentiment is widely held, deeply held and rationally held.
Ruling against Colorado cake artist draws objections
DENVER (BP) – Religious freedom advocates objected to Colorado cake artist Jack Phillips’ court loss in his latest attempt to defend the freedom to conduct his business according to his Christian convictions. A Denver District Court judge ruled Phillips and his business, Masterpiece Cakeshop, violated Colorado’s Anti-discrimination Act (CADA) by declining to create a cake for a gender transition celebration.
NAMB missionaries attend SBC annual meeting, connect with ‘family’
NASHVILLE (BP) – Every year, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) invites church planting missionaries from around North America to come and be a part of the SBC annual meeting. While there, they receive training during events like the Send Network Breakfast, but the main purpose is to help them meet and connect with their Southern Baptist family.
Bart Barber: An Election Day Pledge on Responding to the (To Be Determined) President
It’s Wednesday, the day after Election Day in the United States. The outcome of the presidential election sits precariously on a knife’s edge. Situations like these intensify the emotions that were already of elevated intensity, perched atop a mountain of TV ads, October surprises, conspiracy theories, protests, tweets, posts, and direct-message campaigns. Just for moments like these, God has given us the Bible.
I'm an evangelical pastor who plans to vote for Trump. Here's how he could lose me.
Placeholder while article actions load President Trump has followed through on many key commitments to evangelicals: championing the cause of the unborn, protecting religious freedom, standing with Israel and nominating two excellent justices to the Supreme Court. But when it comes to immigration, if he continues to follow the advice of senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, he risks alienating his evangelical base in 2020.
A Small Rural Church Is Hard to Kill
By any measure, Sunday’s mass shooting at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, breaks records we’d rather not see broken. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott characterized it as the worst mass shooting in the history of our state and among the worst in the country’s recent history. It is the deadliest church shooting on record. Superlatives abound as our society scrambles to understand what these things mean.
Yes, Muslims Really Qualify for Religious Freedom
The Christian Index is just six years shy of its bicentennial—the oldest religious newspaper in the Western Hemisphere, I believe.
The Biblical Case for Religious Liberty
I am doggedly committed to the idea of universal religious liberty not because it is American or self-serving but because it is biblical. As a pastor, I am obligated to follow the Word of God even when doing so puts me at odds with contemporary public opinion. When the day comes that I do not have the courage to do so, I will relinquish my pulpit to a better man.
The Log in the Eye of the SBC Tabloid Press
My favorite blog logo on the web is Kevin Bussey's—partly because the picture truly does speak a thousand words, and partly because Matthew 7:1-5 is among my favorite passages in the Bible. The label of Pharisee is much abused, I think—the Pharisees were LOST, you know; and Jesus was no Libertine—but there is no segment of Christianity, either in any portion of Christian History or in our present state, that could not benefit from self examination in the enterprise to help others.
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