Bob Bickford

If you want less conflict, don’t start with better policies. Start with better discipleship. bit.ly/4sLSR76

@BaptistBlogger School us in the verbal exchange you used to obtain such a marvelous recompense.

Gathering with the Nations here at Tusculum Hills Baptist Church as they join together celebrating a new season of ministry with multiple congregations in one location.

@jaredcwilson @SouthwestAir Truth

@bobick I’ve been a @SouthwestAir A-lister for years and I’m trending elsewhere now. There are no advantages with them now.

What's happening over @SouthwestAir is unfolding leadership lesson in real time...

@griffingulledge solid late 80s early 90s logo right there.

This afternoon, I presented a paper on Evangelical theology at the ETS regional. Tonight:

@garonnevik Truth right here: The questions we should ask is, "will this payment package give our pastor human dignity as he is made in the image of God? Will it help him serve his family? Is it as generous as the gospel he shares with us?"

I miss our old pastor, who died from leukemia about 2 years ago. I remember when we first called him. Apparently, when he had come to town previously, he would often park in our parking lot, and just pray for our church. He came from a thriving church, and we didn't know why he'd even be willing to come to our little country church. Not long after he came, his wife got sick. It took some time for her to get a diagnosis of MS, and once she got a diagnosis, it was a rollar coaster ride of finding a treatment that didn't make it worse, hospital stays, etc. They had 4 little kids at the time. He wanted to get his wife into a better hospital out of network, and it would require that he get better health insurance. The elders quickly voted to get her whatever she needed, which might have made him the highest paid pastor in our denomination. As a church, we could do it, so we did. He wrote sermons on the back of napkins in hospital waiting rooms. The church and their family helped as much as they'd allow. Our church nearly doubled in size over those years. His sermons were "all I have is Christ. I have nothing else to give you." They were stripped down to the bare bones of the gospel, and it lit a fire under all of us. When he was diagnosed with leukemia, he took a leave of absence. We all knew how to google, and knew he had less than a 5% chance of survival. Our interm pastor had to assure us until the end that he has everything he needs. I share this all because of the discussion question of the day of how pastors should be paid, and whether or not they deserve breaks. If we are talking about Christianity, not some kind of weird cult, then we are talking about humans being made in the image of God, and the body sharing with each other what we have, because we're all on the same team. The questions we should ask is, "will this payment package give our pastor human dignity as he is made in the image of God? Will it help him serve his family? Is it as generous as the gospel he shares with us?" Because for those who are chronic servers, they often forget the gospel is for them too. That it all depends on them. That Christianity is a "toughen up" religion, not one of sin and restoration. Amazing grace.

@ceturner4 It is the modern day "shibboleth"

To sabbatical or not to sabbatical. That is the tweet.

In an early season of rapid change, dropping what loyalists "Luv'd" to gain new market share and satisfy investor pressure are off to a very rocky start. There's a lesson here for Church leaders. More to come on that later

Presumably driven by both internal strategy and external pressures, with the goal of stronger financial performance in 2026 and beyond. (here's how that is trending)

Why do some churches struggle to grow? Here are five areas to examine. bit.ly/47oQNK8

It's time to be unapologetically bold. (the lastest over at bobbickford.com) bit.ly/3NvXGm9

Brother Pastor - it's Monday. Engage the word, get outdoors, eat good food, call a friend, take a nap and find a way to laugh today. You probably don't need to resign. Keep going. He is faithful always.

@Jonathan_Howe Total CP by category or percentage of total CP by category.

@bobick How so? Like who gives what %? Or what?

I had someone ask about this, so I ran the data on #SBC25. This is from the 2025 Annual Meeting in Dallas—deep in the heart of Southern Baptist territory geographically. 10,599 messengers, 3,899 churches. % of Messengers by Church Size % of Churches Represented by Church Size.