I’m really excited to announce that we have developed a brand new Kentucky Baptist Convention Ministry Job Board. The site has a fresh new look, but more importantly, it will serve churches and ministers more effectively. Here are a few of the features of the new site:
Churches can post positions directly on the site. A church can personalize their listing by adding a video, logo, website, and personal information of various kinds.
Ministers can post a resume directly on the site. Along with their resume, they can include a sermon video, social media accounts, along with other personal information.
Ministers can search for positions through a variety of filters including location, position, size, and salary.
Churches can search for resumes posted on the site and include them in their ministry search.
The new site will provide faster service and more precise search results.
Since the Ministry Job Board is brand new, it will take a while to populate the site with ministry positions and resumes. In a sense, the new site cuts out the middle person for faster, more accurate results. Of course, we’re still here to assist with any aspect of the process.
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Peggy Berry at peggy.berry@kybaptist.org or at 502-432-6944.
Today we are celebrating the birthday of my sweet wife. We have been married 39 years and our time together just keeps getting better. She is the best wife I’ve ever had (wink, wink) and she is the best MiMi on the planet according to our grandsons.
Today, I was thinking about her birthday and the celebrations we have experienced through the years on these special occasions. I believe that birthdays should serve as times of celebration, but they should also cause us to reflect, refocus, revision, and regroup.
4 Awesome Things to Do on Your Birthday
Reflect. As we reflect back over our lives, we see God’s hand at work. He protected us and guided us along the way when we often were not aware that He was doing so. He helped us make decisions and connections that led us to where we are today.
Refocus. A few years ago I began to refocus on my physical fitness. I am striving to be disciplined once again in the areas of exercise and eating. I am also striving to be more disciplined spiritually as well. Birthdays are a great time to refocus on the things that matter most.
Revision. Today, as I write, I ask myself, “where I am going?” “What is my vision for the next 5-10 years of my life?” I believe we can all benefit from time-to-time by revisiting the visions God has given us.
Regroup. Have you ever blown it? Although I am a pretty decent golfer, I once scored a “10” on one hole! I was even par on the round before hitting the ball out-of-bounds on hole 7. As a result of additional mistakes on the hole, I recorded a double-digit number on the card. Needless to say, I needed to regroup after that. Life is a lot like that. Invariably, there will be times when we need to stop and regroup. Birthdays can serve as great reminders along those lines.
I once scored a “10” on one hole……life is a lot like that!
Do you have a birthday soon? Eat some cake, blow out some candles, have a blast with your friends and family, but take a few minutes to consider the things I mentioned here on my wife’s 39th (wink, wink) birthday!
A few years ago I founded a Facebook running group called “Runners Helping Runners.” We continue to grow with 25,000-plus members. The description of the group is as follows:
This is a private RUNNING group where we talk about all things RUNNING without boring our non-running friends, a place where runners on all levels are welcome and respected, a place where honest advice is given and received, and a place where running-related pictures are welcome and encouraged.
During these unusual days when many of us are still working from home some due to the Covid-19 safeguards and restrictions, many runners in my group are struggling with their fitness. A lack of motivation and excessive anxiety has been a common theme. Here are some simple tips to improve fitness at home.
5 Tips to Staying Fit at Home
Body weight exercises. Many gyms are open again, but you don’t have to go to a local gym or have expensive home equipment to improve fitness. If you have a few hand weights, exercise bands, a kettle bell, and exercise mats, you can perform a multitude of exercises. You can do push-ups, stretches, dumbbell carries, one-arm kettle bell carries, squats, calf raises, slides, arm curls, and many other exercises right at home. I use the stairs going down to our basement constantly for exercise as well. I carry weights up and down, perform step-ups with and without weights along with calf raises. Be creative and get stronger right at home.
Go for a walk. It’s good for the body and the mind to get out of the house and breathe in some fresh air. While practicing good social distancing, go for a walk in your neighborhood. Go alone sometimes, walk with your spouse sometimes, push the kids in a stroller–just get outside and get the body moving to improve your aerobic capacity.
Run some. Are you surprised that I would recommend running? If you’re a beginning runner you might benefit from my post, “6 Tips for Beginning Runners.” Don’t overdo it, but adding a little running with your walking to really get your heart pumping and clear your head. Don’t overdo it and have fun!
Eat better. I’ve heard it said that you “can’t outrun a bad diet.” I believe that is true. I have actually gained weight while training for a marathon. While we’re at home and rarely eating fast food, we have an opportunity to fine-tune our eating. Numerous websites exist to help track calories and nutrition facts. My favorite is MyFitPal. You can create a free account, set up goals, and the site helps track your eating and progress along the way.
Sleep well. As a marathon runner, I have learned that sleep is a crucial part of training. Our body rebuilds as we sleep and we should give it a high priority. You may improve your sleep patterns if you remove distractions as you wind down for the evening, turn off electronic devices an hour or so before bedtime, practice a sleep routine, reduce the temperature in the house, and make your room as dark as possible.
Many of us want to improve our fitness, but we’re so busy with work and life. These unusual times might prove to be the perfect time to begin or improve your fitness routine. Start today and don’t forget to HAVE FUN!
Like me, you may be asking, “What steps should we take as a church and what steps should I take as a pastor in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling legalizing same-sex marriage?” Here are four steps every church should take to safeguard the church and the pastor.
Update church wedding policy documents. It is very important for the church to develop a document that addresses the issues of marriage, human sexuality, & gender. Here is a Church Wedding Policy sample that you can use as a starting point.
Update facility use policy. It is equally important for the church to develop a comprehensive policy that addresses the use of church facilities. It is not necessary for the church to eliminate all facility use by non-members, but it is important that a governing policy is in place. Even if the church eliminates facility use by non-members and only allows facility use by members, a policy is still needed. Some of the challenges in the area of facility use may come from those who are members or from family members of those who are members. Here’s a facility use sample.
Update membership policies. It is important to have a document that clearly defines how a person becomes a church member; what the expectations are for a person to maintain church membership; and specific circumstances that lead to membership discipline and/or dismissal. Here’s a Church Membership Policy sample.
Update Pastor’s Personal Wedding Policy. For added clarification and protection, it would be wise for every pastor to develop and adopt a personal pastoral wedding policy. In this policy the pastor should share his Biblical views on marriage giving Scriptural support, personal requirements for officiating a wedding, pre-marital counseling expectations, and a fee schedule. Here is a Pastor Wedding Policy sample.
Considering just how fast culture is shifting on its views of sexuality and religious liberty, I am thrilled that the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission is partnering with our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom to produce a trusted resource sure to help equip Christians and churches. In it, you’ll find trusted resources on how churches, Christian schools, and Christian ministries should navigate and prepare themselves for the changing culture and all the attendant legal challenges that come with it.
The document includes three key checklists–a checklist for churches, a checklist Christian schools, and a checklist for Christian Ministries. For example, the church checklist provides help in the following areas:
Statement of Faith
Religious Employment Criteria
Facility Use Policy
Formal Membership Policy
Marriage Policy
One of the most helpful features of this document is the Appendix which includes numerous sample documents. You can download this document for free on the ELRC website.
Stephen C. Rice 