College View Baptist Church in Magnolia, AR has a special place in my heart. My grandparents were long-time members of the congregation. I have so many great memories of sitting beside them on their favorite pew when our family visited. It was a joy, then, to see familiar faces as I recently visited College View. …
Author Archives: Scott Attebery
Aren’t You Forgetting Something?
It may be the most creative question in the history of the world. Out of the blue, with no warning whatsoever, my son loves to ask, “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Then he loves to wait in silence to see if I can guess from the 43 billion possible things his overactive five-year-old brain is thinking …
Don’t Hesitate to Ask
Before a church calls a new pastor, they will spend time interviewing him. The logistics vary from church to church, but eventually the pastoral candidate will find himself sitting with a search team, personnel committee, deacon body, or something similar. Without fail, the representatives of the church will have important questions for the candidate. But …
Be Still My Soul
Over the past two weeks of corporate worship services, my church has sung, “Be Still My Soul.” I don’t know when I first heard the song, but I’m sure it was early on in my youth. However, I do remember the first time it grabbed my attention: (don’t laugh) it was during an episode of …
Major League Qualifications
I remember a few years ago when a major league baseball player was fined by his team for statements that he made in public. Radio talk shows discussed the matter for several days. Some callers ranted about the right to free speech while others pointed out the employer’s right to set rules for his employee’s …
Road Trip: Chicagoland, IL
It was great to recently spend time with Rob Hager, pastor of Jacob’s Well Baptist Church of Oswego, IL. Although I didn’t get to visit his church (I’m looking forward to preaching there soon), we had a great time discussing some of the ways God is using the Jacob’s Well congregation to reach the community. …
Pastoral Search? Take Your Time!
Selecting a new pastor can be difficult. For many churches, the search committee feels lost because the spiritual leader (former pastor) has left and now they have big shoes to fill. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of “how to select a new pastor” training programs out there. If there were one piece of advice I …
Don’t Try to Parent From “The Cloud”
Do you ever take your work home with you? I do. I don’t bring work home in the traditional briefcase or backpack. It’s all “in the cloud” now anyway –just waiting for me to pick it up. Worse than what’s “in the cloud,” however, is what’s in my head. I don’t have to be sitting …
Recognizing a Single Group
I’m a part of a unique group of people: single parents. We are a diverse group. Some of us are widowed, others divorced, some have never been married. Yet, most of us feel similar pressures: To compensate for the absent parent To make sure our children feel “normal” To provide for our children To make …
3 Ways Your Church Facilities Communicate “You’re Not Welcome”
Growing up, anytime guests were coming to visit, we would “clean house” to get ready. The more important the guest, the more we cleaned up. Every church (no matter the size, median age, location, or resources) can quickly communicate a lack of concern for visitors by the way they keep their facilities. Here are three …
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