John 20:27-28 (ESV) He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

As a boy, I learned to pray by standing at the front window of our home—waiting for my father to come home from work. “God, I pray that my daddy doesn’t drink too much before coming home from work tonight.” My father’s attitude and personality would radically change when he spent time at the county-line bar. I doubted that my dad could change; he’d struggled with alcohol addiction since his father died when my dad was only fourteen years old. Yet, even with his deep flaws and struggles, I knew my daddy loved me.

Have you ever had an incredible day take a sudden turn for the worse? In fifth grade, my older brother drove me to see a movie; we had the best time—popcorn, soda, and the works! As my brother turned onto our street on the way home, I saw our house illuminated with blue, strobing police car lights. A neighbor suffering from dementia shot multiple rounds through the front window of our home, narrowly missing my father’s right ear! The bullet hole above my father’s chair was a conversation piece in our home for several days.

God’s Word commands us to “be hospitable” (Titus 1:8). A guest’s experience at your church in the first few moments dramatically influences whether they’re coming back or not. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. After visiting more than 150 churches in the past three years--some of those churches on several occasions--I can sympathize with church guests. It would be challenging for an unchurched person to walk into an unfamiliar building and encounter people they have never met to hear about a God with whom they may not have a relationship!

Dear Birmingham Baptists,

"Unfortunately, [the church growth movement] fell victim to an idolatry as old as the Tower of Babel, the belief that we are the architects of the work of God. As a result, we have the best churches men can build, but we are still waiting for the church that only God can get credit for" (Reggie McNeal, The Present Future, p. 23). McNeal's observation echoes the thoughts of prophetic voices like E.M. Bounds, A.W. Tozer, and Vance Havner, to name a few. The church has trusted in idols for growth and security instead of relying on the power of God. Will Mancini, in Church Unique, has identified four idols that replace God as the center of the church.

What is a local Baptist association?

Associations are self-governing entities made of Baptist churches sharing common faith who engage in mutual support and missions in a geographic area. The association provides avenues for fellowship and cooperative endeavors in Great Commission ministry. The primary source of funding for the local Baptist association is regular gifts from member churches within the association.

In my Human Growth and Development course, the professor told us that a human’s personality is formed by age five. “After that, it is almost impossible to change your core personality traits,” he said. God can and does change people at any point in our lifespan. I also believe that God can transform churches. Each congregation has a personality or culture. With the intervention of the Holy Spirit through the preached Word, God can bring new life to a declined church. For many churches in the Southern Baptist Convention, a church revitalization process is a tool God uses to change negative personality traits and transform a culture to reflect the purpose Jesus intends for His church.

Several years ago, my wife Carol and I boarded a plane at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport and flew to Taipei, Taiwan, to adopt our daughter Lauren. She would be our first child after almost nine years of marriage. After landing, we discovered that our host didn’t show up, and we could not speak Mandarin. Carol glanced across the information desk and noticed the logo of our hotel. She pointed it out to a taxi driver, and we were on our way. The next morning we were greeted in the hotel lobby by social workers who placed into our arms our daughter. This fragile, beautiful child felt as if she weighed thousands of pounds; I had never felt the weight of responsibility of being a father. My joy was inexpressible!

Vocational ministry is a rewarding and challenging calling. The Apostle Paul charged the Ephesian pastors to “pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28, ESV). Considering the magnitude of the minister’s responsibility, one should find it obvious that they need supportive relationships within the church.

Pastoring a church is the ultimate challenge, particularly in the current climate. When I answered the call to pastor more than twenty-five years ago, I couldn’t have anticipated the twists and turns of leadership in our current context; eagerly, I put my best foot forward, knowing that God had called me to a noble task (1 Timothy 3:1).

Now, in my role as a Southern Baptist denominational leader in Birmingham, Alabama, I support 180 churches, including around 500 pastors and church staff. Of the 100,000 members in our churches, only a small fraction grasps the complexities of ministry today. I’m guessing the same is true of Christians and pastors across the country. In light of the way Scripture speaks of the relationship between pastors and congregations (Hebrews 13:7, 17; 1 Peter 5:1–5), consider these five realities your pastor wishes you knew:

What is the missing ingredient in the post-pandemic church? Why are many churches slow to rebound and reengage in ministry and meaningful discipleship? I assert that corporate prayer is that missing ingredient. When Jesus Christ drove out the moneychangers from the Temple in Jerusalem, he quoted Isaiah, “My house will be called a house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13). Perhaps the decline of the church’s influence in culture runs parallel to the decrease of corporate prayer in churches.

Even with the challenges of the Delta variant of COVID-19, many are returning to worship services. But are churches prepared to receive members and guests as they return? Frankly, some churches were not prepared for guests before the pandemic. For some congregations, there is no sense of “expectation” regarding guests. I call this the “us four and no more” mentality. Sometimes, the Body of Christ needs to challenge themselves to think beyond the church’s walls and reach out to those who have yet to attend.

On Sunday, July 25, 2021, representatives from the Birmingham Metro Baptist Association (BMBA) celebrated the passing of the torch from Fairfield Highlands Baptist Church of Midfield to Faith Church. During the shared worship service between the congregations, pastor Aubrey Miller of Faith Church received the challenge from pastor Ed Cruce of Fairfield Highlands to “continue the vital ministry of Jesus Christ in the community.” Pastor Cruce remarked, “Although Fairfield Highlands is closing, the Gospel must continue.” In response, pastor Miller pledged, “We will do the work, and these facilities and your legacy will continue to bless here.”

I recently had the honor of joining Dr. Ric Camp of Ridgecrest Baptist Church, Jason Tipton of NAMB, and a team from Alabama and Georgia to visit three missionary families—the Haddens, Mouws, and Deibles in Porcupine, South Dakota, in the Badlands. These missionaries partner with the North American Mission Board and live on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Originally included within the Great Sioux Reservation territory, Pine Ridge was created by the Act of March 2, 1889, in the southwest corner of South Dakota on the Nebraska border. Today it consists of 3,468.85 square miles of land area and is one of the largest reservations in the United States.

On December 7, the Baptist Health System board voted to donate a 16,000 square foot facility to the Birmingham Metro Baptist Association. Located across the street from the building we are currently leasing, the facility is a generous donation, providing a permanent home for BMBA in Birmingham. This strategic location will provide a home office for serving Birmingham for years to come. In addition to the building, the Baptist Health System will provide $350,000 toward a goal of $500,000 to renovate the three-floor facility. Your gift will help us to complete the renovation.

Dear Birmingham Baptists,

Thanks to a gift from Baptist Health System, the Birmingham Metro Baptist Association will own a facility for our offices. The 16,000-square-foot building on Medical Park Drive NE is located directly across from our current location. The BHS board approved the gift of the facility and $350,000 to put toward improving the building. Birmingham Baptists are grateful for this remarkable act of generosity. God has blessed our association and provided an opportunity for immeasurable impact in the city!

Dear Birmingham Baptists,

Once, I had a pastor’s wife sit across from me—blotting tears. She said, “I have two special-needs children. Some of the ladies in our church don’t understand why my children don’t sit perfectly still like the other children. My children are created and loved by God, just like they are! Why can’t they see that? I am afraid it is going to hurt my husband’s job! It’s not fair. It’s just not fair. What do I do?” How many other professions are there in which the professional’s spouse and family are laden with expectations?

On October 26, 2019, the Birmingham and Bessemer Baptist Associations voted to dissolve both existing associations and form one association called the Birmingham Metro Baptist Association. Both associations were born from Canaan Baptist Church, Bessemer, Alabama, in 1833. As Bessemer began to grow in the 1940s, the churches in Bessemer and surrounding communities formed their association and distinct identity. As times and approaches to ministry have changed, God has reunited the associations to encourage, equip, and engage churches in the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.

Join other Baptists in praying for associations during the Week of Prayer for Baptist Associations on October 17–24, 2020. Associations are Baptist churches working together in geographic regions. Associational missionaries depend upon the prayers and support of people like you to do effective Kingdom ministry.