Archive for March, 2015
Stick with Encouragement
Have you ever been discouraged? I have. Have you ever faced a period of prolonged discouragement? Have you ever been discouraged over a job promotion that passed you by? Have you ever been discouraged over your marriage or another important relationship?
Have you ever been discouraged in ministry? Have you prayed and worked and waited only to have a major effort fail? I have.
Discouraged or a Discourager
Discouragement is something everyone faces at one time or another. But, let’s turn the question around: Have you ever been a discourager? Sometimes we discourage people without meaning to. A casual word not meant to be negative is perceived as such. A well-intended critique is received as overly critical. Causing someone to become discouraged is something all Christians should avoid.
Some people are natural encouragers. Every time they speak, people around them feel better. When they are in a team meeting, the members of the team feel like goals can be met. Everyone wants to be around an encourager. As Ben Mandrell writes in Bible Studies for Life, “Encouragement strengthens relationships.”1 Few people are known more for encouragement than Barnabas, the “Son of Encouragement.”
Encouragement Makes a Difference
It’s worth noting that Barnabas was not that disciple’s given name. It was his nickname. His name, as recorded in Acts 4:36, was Joseph of Cyprus. It seems Barnabas’s ministry brought encouragement to so many he was renamed to reflect it. Barnabas’s ministry in the life of the new convert Saul (Acts 9) is evidence of what encouragement often entails: putting one’s self “out there.” In the words of Ben Mandrell, “You may never know the difference you make in another’s life when you simply extend the hand of fellowship and invite him or her into your world.”2
Here are two good ways to encourage others:
1. Make intentional introductions
2. Look for good things in others to affirm
Few things are more difficult than being the new person in a group. At work, in the neighborhood, at church, or in a sports league, all these places find new people onboarding. Most churches have visitors regularly; people who may have never attended any church.
Ways to be Intentional
It is important for followers of Jesus to be intentional in social settings. On Sunday morning we should scour the auditorium for new faces. A smile with “Hi. Great to see you” or “I’m sorry, I’m not sure we’ve met” or “Can I help you find something?” goes a long way. No one should leave our gatherings wondering whether they were even seen or not. It isn’t necessary to be a one-person Welcome Wagon in order to be intentional. A kind word and welcoming actions are very encouraging.
Ways to Affirm
We should also look for things to affirm in others. Many people are natural critics, and not even in a negative sense. They simply feel the best way to help others is to help them correct bad things about their life. This certainly has a place, but all negative all the time is not encouraging.
Instead, we should seek to affirm. Everyone in the world has a positive quality, even if that quality comes across negatively. We can point out the sharp mind behind the sharp tongue, the consistency behind the stubbornness, or the attention to detail behind the obsessiveness. Affirming positive qualities is an overtly encouraging act that opens doors and strengthens relationships.
Why not be a Barnabas? Why not stick with encouragement? Everyone around us will be glad when we do. This is why we need to stick with encouragement!
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church General Editor, Bible Studies for Life President, Southern Baptist ConventionReferences
1, 2– Bible Studies for Life, Like Glue, Ben Mandrell
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
Our 2015 Committee on Committees of the Southern Baptist Convention
One of the most daunting tasks I face as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention is the appointment of the persons who will serve on the Committee on Committees. Since early fall, we have been working through this process diligently. The Committee on Committees has the responsibility to appoint the Committee on Nominations. The Committee on Nominations has far-reaching influence upon Southern Baptist life. They recommend the trustees of our eleven entities of the convention and our Executive Committee to the Southern Baptist Convention.
The Process
After receiving nominations from across our convention and working through our own processes of evaluating and examining candidates, it is with great privilege today that I announce the 2015 Committee on Committees. These persons are very representative of our convention. In fact, this committee is 20% multi-ethnic, which matches the percentage of churches that are multi-ethnic in our convention. This entire committee will work together to determine the very best two people at this time from their represented state or region, at least one of whom must not be employed full-time by or retired from a church, to serve on the Committee on Nominations. After working through this process between now and our 2015 Convention, they will meet together in Columbus on June 15 to determine their final recommendations. On Tuesday afternoon, June 16, they will recommend to our convention the Committee on Nominations. Then, after this process is voted upon by our convention and if the persons are affirmed, the Committee on Nominations will begin their work together to recommend trustees of our SBC entities and Executive Committee at the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis, Missouri.
Our Leaders
The 68 people who will serve on this year’s Committee on Committees will be led by Dr. Bryan Smith, Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Roanoke, Virginia. Dr. Smith is highly gifted in every way not only as a pastor, but is also the former Chairman of the Executive Board of the Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia. He will be assisted as Vice-Chairman by Dr. Alex Himaya, Senior Pastor of theChurch.at in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Dr. Smith will chart the work of this Committee on Committees and both he and Dr. Himaya will lead exceptionally well. Pray for them and for our 2015 Committee on Committees.
Our 2015 Committee on Committees
Alabama – Marilyn Foley, Spring Hill Baptist Church, Mobile; Buddy Champion, First Baptist Church, Trussville
Alaska – Todd Burgess, First Baptist Church, Eagle River; Brent Williams, True North Church, Anchorage
Arizona – Scott Gourley, The Way Fellowship Church, Peoria; Brett Carlson, Mountain Ridge Church, Glendale
Arkansas – Tom Hatley, Immanuel Baptist Church, Rogers; Bill Elliff, The Summit Church, North Little Rock
California – Ryan Blackwell, First Baptist Church, San Francisco; Anthony Dockery, St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church, La Puente
Colorado – Bryan Barley, The Summit Church, Denver; Missy Kintzel, Applewood Baptist Church, Wheat Ridge
Florida – Matt Crawford, First Baptist Church, Sebring; Trey Brunson, First Baptist Church, Jacksonville
Georgia – Fred Evers, Northside Baptist Church, Tifton; Jeremy Morton, First Baptist Church, Cartersville
Hawaii – Maria Ogle, Ocean View Baptist Church, Ocean View; Steve Gray, First Baptist Church, Wahiawa
Illinois – Adron Robinson, Hillcrest Baptist Church, Country Club Hills; Patrick Pajak, Tabernacle, Decatur
Indiana – Nathan Millican, Oak Park Baptist Church, Jeffersonville; Autumn Wall, Living Faith Church, Indianapolis
Kansas-Nebraska – Derrick Lynch, Blue Valley Baptist Church, Overland Park (KS); Faith McDonald, Lenexa Baptist Church, Lenexa (KS)
Kentucky – Garnetta Smith, Highview Baptist Church, Louisville; John Mark Toby, Hillvue Heights Church, Bowling Green
Louisiana – Stewart Holloway, First Baptist Church, Pineville; Diane Nix, First Baptist Church, Covington
Maryland-Delaware-DC – Bucas Sterling III, Kettering Baptist Church, Upper Marlboro (MD); Zach Schlegel, Capital Hill Baptist Church, Washington (DC)
Michigan – Nathaniel Bishop, Eastside Community Church, Harper Woods; Wayne Parker, Merriman Road Baptist Church, Garden City
Mississippi – Eric Hankins, First Baptist Church, Oxford; Chip Henderson, Pinelake Church, Brandon
Missouri – Malachi O’Brien, The Church at Pleasant Ridge, Harrisonville; Brad Graves, Calvary Baptist Church, Joplin
Nevada – Greg Fields, Nellis Baptist Church, Las Vegas; Kristie Pitman, Hope Baptist Church, Las Vegas
New England – Matt Chewning, Netcast Church, Beverly (MA); David Um, Antioch Baptist Church, Cambridge (MA)
New Mexico – Alan Stoddard, First Baptist Church, Ruidoso; Elio Barrios, Taylor Memorial Baptist Church, Hobbs
New York – George Russ, Ebenezer Mission Church, Oakland Gardens; Salomón Orellana, Iglesia Bautista El Buen Pastor Church, Hempstead
North Carolina – Mike Daniels, Hickory Grove Baptist, Charlotte; Brundi Crawford, Biltmore Baptist Church, Arden
Northwest – Brian Smith, Calvary Baptist Church, Burlington (WA); Mark Ford, First Baptist Church, Longview (WA)
Ohio – Travis Smalley, Lakota Hills Baptist Church, West Chester Township; Rich Halcombe, Jersey Baptist Church, Pataskala
Oklahoma – Felix Cabrera, Iglesia Bautista Central, Oklahoma City; Alex Himaya, TheChurch.at, Tulsa
Pennsylvania/South Jersey – K. Marshall Williams, Nazarene Baptist Church, Philadelphia (PA); John Cope, Keystone Fellowship, North Wales (PA)
South Carolina – Paul Jimenez, First Baptist Church, Taylors; Karyn Wilton, First Bapist Church, Spartanburg
Tennessee – Kim Tucker, Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova; Jonathan Akin, Fairview Church, Lebanon
Texas – Chuy Avila, El Encuentro Baptist Church, El Paso; Glynn Stone, Mobberly Baptist Church, Longview
Utah-Idaho – Paul Thompson, Eastside Baptist Church, Twin Falls (ID); Ray Sparkman, Central Valley Baptist Church, Meridian (ID)
Virginia – Bryan Smith, First Baptist Church, Roanoke; Tammy Ethridge, Liberty Baptist Church, Hampton
West Virginia – John Freeman, Calvary Baptist Church, Chapmanville; Will Basham, New Heights Church, Milton
Wyoming – Mark Porter, Happy Jack Country Church, Cheyenne; Zachary Edwards, Life Point Church, Cheyenne
Join me in praying for this committee as they work together over the next few months.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church President, Southern Baptist Convention*******
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is currently serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention is America’s largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.7 million members in over 46,000 churches nationwide.
To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.
Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
Follow Dr. Floyd on Twitter and Instagram @ronniefloyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.