Some of us pray for Kentucky Baptist churches daily, or at least occasionally, the following prayer: That every KBC church will be a thriving church and that every leader will be a cared for leader. The heart behind that prayer is the conviction that churches were meant to thrive – to do well – impacting their communities with the gospel. The secondContinue reading “Praying Blessings on Churches”
Tag Archives: church
Maybe It Needs Polishing
In a recent conversation with one of our great Kentucky Baptist pastors, he shared an encouraging story. A dear older saint had reached out to hear an update on his ministry. He shared that the honeymoon phase was over and that the “shininess” was starting to fade. She exhorted him, “Honey, if you keep polishing something, it will keepContinue reading “Maybe It Needs Polishing”
Performance Evaluations
Every year Kentucky Baptist Mission Board staff members undergo a performance evaluation process. Each KBC team member completes a “self-evaluation” form and submits it to their supervisor who then reviews that form, fills out their own evaluation and meets with their team member for encouragement and feedback. This annual process provides an opportunity to encourage good work and point forward for continued growth and improvement. Every ministry leader needs theContinue reading “Performance Evaluations”
2026-2027 Ministry Priorities
The Kentucky Baptist Convention has a long and rich history of establishing ministry and mission priorities. The KBC began in 1837 with four priorities — to distribute Bibles in Kentucky, to advocate for the education of ministers and the laity, to advocate for pastors’ pay and to fund foreign mission work together. Following that tradition, each year the Kentucky Baptist Convention Mission Board staff identifies a list of ministry priorities that we will highlightContinue reading ” 2026-2027 Ministry Priorities”
Why We Need Sunrise in Kentucky
One of the joys of my role serving Kentucky Baptists is that I am invited to participate in the regular board meetings of five Kentucky Baptist agencies and institutions. One of those is Sunrise Children’s Services, formerly known as Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children. Sunrise, as a recipient of Cooperative Program support, helps Kentucky BaptistsContinue reading “Why We Need Sunrise in Kentucky”
Is It Time for Me to Go?
How do you know when it is time to leave one ministry assignment for another? Some ministry leaders seem to leave a church or ministry too soon while others may wonder if they stayed too long. At the end of the day, we rest in the sovereignty of God. But at the same time, weContinue reading “Is It Time for Me to Go?”
A Prayer for Churches
Prayer is the great elevator of hope for the people of God. Prayer holds out the possibility, even the certainty, that things can be different than they are now. Certainly, every believer prays for their own church, but could a kingdom mindset call us to pray for churches — all churches that preach the gospel,Continue reading “A Prayer for Churches”
Evangelistic Preaching
I have preached lots of evangelistic sermons and many revival services. I have a natural God-given bent toward evangelistic preaching, but I am by no means an expert. Famous nineteenth century evangelist D.L. Moody is credited with saying, “Many a man can preach the gospel better than me, but no man can preach a betterContinue reading “Evangelistic Preaching”
Happy Anniversary!
It seems like every day on social media there are numerous friends and ministry colleagues celebrating wedding anniversaries. Whether they have been married three years or sixty-three years, it is a joy to wish someone a happy wedding anniversary. On April 3rd of this year Connie and I celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary. We metContinue reading “Happy Anniversary!”
Embracing Limits for Healthy Living
I recently received a text from a friend who had suffered a mild stroke. He shared that he was okay and there were no long-term effects, but the experience was a wake-up call for him. He added that he had made lifestyle changes and was learning to embrace his limitations. Mark Dance, executive director for the Arkansas Baptist Convention, wrote on pastoral wellness, A decade-long study of United Methodist pastors inContinue reading “Embracing Limits for Healthy Living”
Dr. Todd Gray 