top of page
Shepherding Thoughts
by Pastor Ben Francis
Welcome to Shepherding Thoughts: An inside look at a Southern Baptist Pastor's comments on navigating popular topics in Christianity and Religion.
Search
On the Importance of New Testament Elder Leadership.
Why Shared Leadership is Essential for Healthy Churches Churches are fascinating creatures. Churches exist solely through the atoning...
Ben Francis
Mar 104 min read
153 views
0 comments
Do Church Members Have Responsibilities?
What does it mean to be a Church member? What is required of those who join a local Church in covenant church membership? Perhaps you’ve...
Ben Francis
Feb 55 min read
73 views
0 comments
A Pastoral Guide to Preparing for Communion
Communion ; the Lord’s Supper ; also called the Eucharist . ** A Note upfront : This guide represents the Baptistic tradition and...
Ben Francis
Dec 15, 20248 min read
72 views
0 comments
Why American Christians Can No Longer Vote for Democrats.
For much of American political history, American citizens have shared a common worldview, which led to basic agreement on a great many...
Ben Francis
Oct 22, 20245 min read
517 views
0 comments
Walking Our Wives through the Valley of Miscarriage: An Encouragement to Husbands
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they...
Ben Francis
Sep 9, 20247 min read
1,153 views
0 comments
Give us Preachers, not Shepherds!
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do...
Ben Francis
Jul 12, 20246 min read
133 views
0 comments
How God Decorates our Lives
“Sunday morning worship is a Saturday night decision.” Maybe you’ve heard that said, or maybe you’ve said it yourself. And it's right. It...
Ben Francis
Jul 2, 20246 min read
89 views
0 comments
The 2024 Southern Baptist Convention in Review…
For those of you interested in a recap of the 2024 Southern Baptist Convention, here is a broad, and hopefully fair overview of the main...
Ben Francis
Jun 13, 202413 min read
727 views
0 comments
Down Go the Boy Scouts: Weak Men get Weaker
In an unsurprising move, the Boys Scouts of America (BSA) announced on Tuesday, May 7th, that the Organization would be changing its name...
Ben Francis
May 7, 20245 min read
367 views
0 comments
Is the Southern Baptist Convention Overstepping its Authority?
A discussion of Creeds, Authority, and Autonomy There is a growing discussion in some corners of the SBC that the Convention is preparing...
Ben Francis
Apr 5, 202411 min read
572 views
2 comments
Pastor Ben's Reading List: A Guide for Christians, Bible Students, Pastors, Parents, and More.
I’ve put this list of resources together for Christians, Church ministry leaders, Sunday School teachers and small groups leaders,...
Ben Francis
Mar 27, 20248 min read
578 views
0 comments
What Are Pastors Doing During the Week? 10 Things...
I often get a lot of questions about how I spend my time as a Pastor. People are understandably curious about what I do. Some people are...
Ben Francis
Mar 18, 20247 min read
255 views
0 comments
10 Leadership Lessons from the Movie: Greyhound
In 2020, the Movie Greyhound was released on AppleTv in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was a groundbreaking movie for several...
Ben Francis
Mar 5, 20245 min read
203 views
0 comments
10 Lessons about Church I've learned from the Gym…
I go to the gym 5 days a week (most weeks anyhow). I do it for several reasons, but mostly for my own personal well-being. Caring for the...
Ben Francis
Mar 1, 20246 min read
176 views
0 comments
What's Happening when the Pastor is Preaching?
Every single week, 52 weeks per year (and more if you include Sunday nights and Wednesday nights), Pastors rise to speak the Word of God...
Ben Francis
Feb 23, 202413 min read
94 views
0 comments
A Pastoral Guide to Preparing for a Funeral.
**Note, this post is written in view of North Carolina Law.** Funeral planning comes during some of the most difficult moments of our...
Ben Francis
Feb 15, 202410 min read
133 views
0 comments
Developing a Christian Political Worldview
The 2024 political season will be tumultuous. It already is. That much is a given. Lots will be said and written…and probably thrown. For...
Ben Francis
Feb 10, 20242 min read
67 views
0 comments
Our Responsibilities in Baptizing Our Children
In Matthew 19:13-14, we read these words, “Then children were brought to Him that He might lay His hands on them and pray. The disciples...
Ben Francis
Jan 26, 20248 min read
188 views
0 comments
Male and Female He Created Them: The Bible and Homosexuality
The issue of homosexuality confronts Christians everywhere we look today. Our twenty-first century culture is inundated with the full...
Ben Francis
Dec 26, 202311 min read
145 views
0 comments
How Should Christians Practice Santa Claus?
Christians, Christmas, and Santa Claus. And Elf on the Shelf, the Easter Bunny, and More… SHHHHHHHHH! Don’t tell the kids…but, Santa...
Ben Francis
Nov 20, 202313 min read
874 views
2 comments
bottom of page