Point of View

...2006 was not a banner year for Florida Baptists. We had a few gains but not many. In fact, the Annual Church Profile (ACP) reports caught me a little by surprise. It seems that about every five years we experience a year when we lose about as many churches as we start. There are many reasons for this: churches that have disbanded, merged, misreported, withdrawn or dismissed. My guess is the accumulation of these situations will surface eventually. Whatever the reason, thank God we had a good year in new starts to offset the losses.

...Cooperative Program was flat during the last quarter but we still managed to show a gain. Thank you for your faithfulness in giving. The special offerings all looked good.

...I lost a good friend when Joe Courson died. We had talked on the phone on Monday before he died on Saturday. We even talked about having lunch again soon. When we ate together it was always a good time. We talked about the joys of life, our families, our work and our Lord. Joe prayed for me on a regular basis. He enrolled more pastors and church staff in the Annuity Board/ GuideStone Protection Plan than anyone. When it came to annuity, "Tenacious" was his name. He was an excellent fellow worker at the Florida Baptist Convention. I will miss my friend! Pray for his wife, Ann, and his family.

...It was my joy to preach at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in April. The progress of "reinventing" the campus is amazing. It looks like an oasis in the middle of chaos. Seminary President Chuck Kelley, the faculty, staff and all of those who have labored so hard are to be commended for a job well done. Remember to pray for our students, faculty and staff at New Orleans Seminary.

...One of the exciting ideas precipitated by Hurricane Katrina is that New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary will be one seminary with three locations. When approved by the accrediting agencies, it will become a new model in theological education. If disaster ever happens at one "hub," the entire seminary can function from the other two locations. It is a joy to be in partnership with New Orleans Seminary. They are a good, reliable partner in assisting the Florida Baptist Convention in developing a strategy for theological training. I am excited about the new venture.

...It was my joy to speak to the directors of missions at their annual retreat this past week. We have good men in these positions. Associations are still vital to Kingdom work. The Southern Baptist Convention celebrates 300 years of associational ministry this year. Only eternity will reveal all the value this basic unit of Baptist life has added to the Kingdom.