Unfortunately, many leaders in churches across Kentucky do not feel that they matter or that the church they serve is significant. But, when it comes to being part of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, every leader is important and every church matters. In fact, our daily prayer is that every church will be a thriving church,Continue reading “Are You Important?”
Category Archives: Baptist Associations
Why We Associate
On a recent Friday night, I was invited to bring a message of encouragement to an associational gathering of some of our finest pastors and their spouses. While it would seem odd for any of those pastors to get together to show appreciation for themselves, it was completely appropriate for their local Baptist association toContinue reading “Why We Associate”
Praying for Sister Churches
The term “sister churches” refers to communities of like-minded Christian faith and practice who see themselves as united in relationship and mission — committed to following Scripture faithfully and working together to fulfill the Great Commission. In my first ministry assignment I would occasionally hear prayers for sister churches, especially at a Baptist association meeting,Continue reading “Praying for Sister Churches “
A Thriving Local Church
The Kentucky Baptist Convention is made up of 2,350 local and autonomous Baptist churches in voluntary cooperation to reach Kentucky and the world for Christ. What if all those churches were thriving churches? I recently preached revival services in a normative size Kentucky Baptist church. The church is rural in its geographic context. It hasContinue reading “A Thriving Local Church “
My Takeaways from the Annual Meeting
The 187th Annual Meeting of the Kentucky Baptist Convention is in the books. The KBC was organized in 1837 by churches for churches to help churches reach Kentucky and the world for Christ, and this year’s celebration continued to move that mission forward. Here are five takeaways from this year’s meeting. 1. Cooperation matters: ThisContinue reading “My Takeaways from the Annual Meeting”
Join Us in Paducah
On Nov. 10, Kentucky Baptists from across the state will begin gathering in Paducah for a variety of ministry-related activities, culminating in the 187th KBC Annual Meeting being held at Paducah’s First Baptist Church. Many from our state convention have been to more annual meetings than they can count, while for others this annualContinue reading “Join Us in Paducah “
These Men Can Preach!
The CAPS Program (Cumberland Area Pulpit Supply) at Three Forks Association in Hazard, Ky., was born 17 years ago out of a concern from two local pastors to raise up supply preachers for churches in their community. These pastors put together a one-year course that included a monthly meeting, a hot meal, an hour ofContinue reading “These Men Can Preach!”
The Pipeline
There are currently 303 Kentucky Baptist churches searching for their next pastor. These churches are located throughout the commonwealth and represent our unified effort to advance the gospel in Kentucky. Most of those churches are looking for a bivocational pastor and are discovering that are very few, if any, qualified men in their area toContinue reading “The Pipeline”
We Have a Foundation
“Foundation” is an interesting name for an organization whose ministry involves investing dollars for a greater return on investment. But that is the chosen name for the Kentucky Baptist Foundation. The Kentucky Baptist Foundation, or KBF, “exists to guide churches, institutions and individuals, in funding the ‘Great Commission’ through investments, endowments and legacy giving.” ItContinue reading “We Have a Foundation”
Thank God for Kentucky WMU
One of the great honors of my role with the Kentucky Baptist Convention is being invited to bring greetings to various gatherings of Kentucky Baptists. We are doing incredible gospel-advancing work together and it is always a joy to celebrate how God is using those efforts and to spur each other on to even greaterContinue reading “Thank God for Kentucky WMU “
Dr. Todd Gray 