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.

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...

567 views2 comments

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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What's Happening when the Pastor is Preaching?

Ben Francis

Feb 2313 min read

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...

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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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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...

218 views1 comment

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

Dec 22, 20227 min read

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…”. -...

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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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Ben Francis

Oct 31, 20223 min read

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...

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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...

530 views1 comment

Can the Southern Baptist Convention Change?

Ben Francis

Nov 1, 20215 min read

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...

114 views0 comments

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...

67 views0 comments

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...

167 views0 comments

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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New Testament Deacons: Servants in the Household of God. Where Do Deacons Come From?

Ben Francis

Aug 4, 20214 min read

New Testament Deacons: Servants in the Household of God. Where Do Deacons Come From?

In our last post on Spiritual Leadership in the local church, we noted, “So, if Pastors are not expected to be managers and CEOs, who is...

103 views0 comments