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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.
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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
77 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
134 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
573 views
2 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
258 views
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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
223 views
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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
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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
190 views
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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...
Ben Francis
Sep 21, 20237 min read
361 views
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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...
Ben Francis
Feb 23, 20235 min read
218 views
1 comment
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...
Ben Francis
Jan 31, 20235 min read
84 views
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The Fragile Mission of the Church...
Can We Keep It? “The Church exists for a mission. Jesus did not give a mission to His church; He formed a Church for His mission…”. -...
Ben Francis
Dec 22, 20227 min read
139 views
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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 -...
Ben Francis
Dec 2, 20228 min read
79 views
0 comments
What I'm Reading - October 22’
October is my favorite month of the year, mainly because of the Autumn season and the changing of the leaves. October has also brought a...
Ben Francis
Oct 31, 20223 min read
63 views
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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...
Ben Francis
Sep 5, 20226 min read
182 views
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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...
Ben Francis
Sep 1, 202211 min read
102 views
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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...
Ben Francis
Jun 19, 20229 min read
531 views
1 comment
Can the Southern Baptist Convention Change?
Organizations and Power: A Question for the Southern Baptist Convention. Do Grassroots Movements Work? Can an organization truly be a...
Ben Francis
Nov 1, 20215 min read
114 views
0 comments
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...
Ben Francis
Sep 21, 20216 min read
68 views
0 comments
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...
Ben Francis
Sep 20, 20218 min read
173 views
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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...
Ben Francis
Aug 21, 20215 min read
66 views
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