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.

A Pastoral Guide to Preparing for Communion

Ben Francis

Dec 158 min read

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...

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Ben Francis

Jul 126 min read

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...

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Is the Southern Baptist Convention Overstepping its Authority?

Ben Francis

Apr 511 min read

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...

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What Are Pastors Doing During the Week? 10 Things...

Ben Francis

Mar 187 min read

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...

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10 Leadership Lessons from the Movie: Greyhound

Ben Francis

Mar 55 min read

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...

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Our Responsibilities in Baptizing Our Children

Ben Francis

Jan 268 min read

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...

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Ben Francis

Sep 21, 20237 min read

How God is Saving Me from Preaching

Thoughts from a growing Pastor-Shepherd… I'm a Pastor-Shepherd, and I preach and teach every week; multiple times each week. And by God’s...

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Ben Francis

Apr 28, 20238 min read

What Does it Mean to Be Pastored?

Life in the Local Church Belonging to a local Church of the Lord Jesus Christ entails all sorts of things: Membership, fellowship,...

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A Lament for the Hard Things: The Joy of Pastoral Ministry; A Follow-Up…

Ben Francis

Apr 15, 20238 min read

A Lament for the Hard Things: The Joy of Pastoral Ministry; A Follow-Up…

When I sat down to write the previous post, “A Lament for the Hard Things,” my goal was to share a tangible illustration of what I had...

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Ben Francis

Apr 11, 20235 min read

A Lament for the Hard Things…

This painting hangs in my study reminding me of days like today. Like the man in the painting, pastoral ministry calls men to come in...

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Was Disfellowshipping the Right Move? Yes.

Ben Francis

Feb 23, 20235 min read

Was Disfellowshipping the Right Move? Yes.

On Wednesday, February 22, 2023 the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention reported out that it had voted to Disfellowship...

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Ben Francis

Jan 31, 20235 min read

What I’m Reading: January 2023

Well, another year has come and the pages continue to turn! I have been encouraged lately that many of my friends have posted about their...

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Ben Francis

Jan 19, 20237 min read

Sing Louder, Men!

A Guest post by Rev. Justin Morehead Colossians 3:16 - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another...

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Ben Francis

Dec 2, 20228 min read

The State of the SBC: A Mid-Year look…

This post will be lengthy, but I hope to provide an accurate summation and overview of SBC happenings at present… Things Going Well… 1 -...

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Is In-Person Preaching better than a Screen?

Ben Francis

Sep 5, 20226 min read

Is In-Person Preaching better than a Screen?

With the advent of new technology, new possibilities are introduced to the human experience. The rise of computers, the internet, and...

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Has Big Eva Made Too Much of her Human Leaders?

Ben Francis

Sep 1, 202211 min read

Has Big Eva Made Too Much of her Human Leaders?

“Big Eva” …Big Evangelicalism. The structures and Institutions that make up American Evangelicalism with all of its power, prestige, and...

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Ben Francis

Jun 19, 20229 min read

SBC 2022 Follow-Up Thoughts

First things first: Southern California is beautiful! Tera and I thoroughly enjoyed our time in Anaheim. The weather was in the upper...

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Ben Francis

Sep 21, 20216 min read

Marks of Healthy Preaching

In a previous post, we discussed the pressing need for good, healthy, Biblical preaching. In this post, we want to outline some of the...

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What is Good Preaching? And Does it Really Matter?

Ben Francis

Sep 20, 20218 min read

What is Good Preaching? And Does it Really Matter?

Preaching is one of those words that, for the most part, makes us think of things like: Church, Sunday, a Preacher, etc. But, what makes...

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Ben Francis

Aug 21, 20215 min read

Who are Deacons to Be?

New Testament Deacons: Servants in the Household of God. Who are these Deacons to Be? -In the last post on Deacons, we looked at the...

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