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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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A Looming Crisis in Pastoral Ministry
What’s Happening to The Work of Pastors? They say if you throw a frog in boiling water, sensing the danger, he'll immediately jump out....
Ben Francis
Jul 137 min read
On the Importance of New Testament Elder Leadership.
Why Shared Leadership is Essential for Healthy Churches Churches are fascinating creatures. Churches exist solely through the atoning...
Ben Francis
Mar 104 min read
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? Are there...
Ben Francis
Feb 55 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...
Ben Francis
Dec 15, 20248 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...
Ben Francis
Jul 12, 20246 min read
How God Decorates our Lives
“Sunday morning worship is a Saturday night decision.” Maybe you’ve heard that saying before, or maybe you’ve said it yourself. And it's...
Ben Francis
Jul 2, 20247 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...
Ben Francis
Apr 5, 202411 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...
Ben Francis
Mar 18, 20247 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...
Ben Francis
Mar 5, 20245 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...
Ben Francis
Feb 23, 202413 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...
Ben Francis
Sep 21, 20237 min read
An Open Letter to the Person County Library, and Person County Government from her Pastor-Shepherds.
An Open Letter to the Person County Library, and Person County Government from her Local Pastor-Shepherds. On behalf of the members of...
Ben Francis
Jul 10, 20239 min read
Making Boys Into Men
“It’s easier to bleed than to sweat.” - Flannery O’Connor I was reminded recently that boys don't become men on their own. "Maleness...
Ben Francis
Jul 5, 20239 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,...
Ben Francis
Apr 28, 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...
Ben Francis
Apr 15, 20238 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...
Ben Francis
Apr 11, 20235 min read
What I'm Reading - February 23'
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” -Dr. Seuss Here's this...
Ben Francis
Feb 27, 20234 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...
Ben Francis
Jan 19, 20237 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…”. -...
Ben Francis
Dec 22, 20227 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...
Ben Francis
Oct 31, 20223 min read
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