"More divided than ever." It's a cringe-worthy phrase I hear way more often than I'd like lately—because it seems to be true. Though our culture increasingly rejects labels, it's also become a place where loyalty to one group means a complete rejection of and distance from those outside that group. But is it possible to challenge someone's position while keeping a larger sense of unity? How can leveraging our differences make us better?

Gardens have long served as rich spaces for contemplating God’s beauty and creativity. However, it wasn’t until I tried creating a garden of my own that I was able to gain a deeper understanding of some basic truths.

Small, simple, reproducible, and economical congregations are where the greatest growth of the Kingdom is taking place, much like the Early Church. When we recognize that a true church can be a small, simple cell group or assembly of believers, it opens up many new possibilities for church growth and multiplication. When addressing the idea of establishing congregations or communities of followers of Jesus everywhere and among all people groups, the methods and strategies of orality become vital.

2019 was a good year for us. God has been on the move in our churches, and we've seen it fleshed out in many different ways. One of the most exciting things we're seeing is churches working together to support, replant, and renew struggling or dying churches. Through some innovative collaboration, churches are finding new life for their congregations and their neighborhoods. Here's how.

Looking back over 2019, we're thankful for the many voices displayed through the content of this year. We've heard from seasoned pastors, lay leaders, church consultants, church planters, and more. We've thought through heavy topics, laughed a little, and hopefully grown in our abilities to love and serve the Church better. So, let's take a moment to reminisce with the top 10 articles of the year.

Si conoces algo de la UBA, probablemente has oído decir: "La UBA es la asociación más grande en toda la Convención Bautista del Sur". Usualmente, cuando me presentan a una persona o en algún evento, esa declaración es la que acompaña mi nombre, como si fuera una extensión halagadora de mi título. No hay nada malo en ser grande. Pero cuando ocurrió el huracán Harvey en el 2017, nuestra incapacidad para comunicarnos con muchas de las 550 iglesias en nuestra lista planteó esta pregunta: ¿quiénes son realmente las iglesias de la UBA?

You probably have heard it said, “UBA is the largest association in SBC life.” Virtually every time I’m introduced, that statement accompanies my name like it’s a flattering extension of my title. There’s nothing wrong with being big. But when Hurricane Harvey happened in 2017, our inability to reach several of the 550 churches on our roll begged the question: who are the churches of UBA really?

The apostle Paul believed that diversity is a key to effectiveness in the body of Christ. In I Corinthians 12, he makes clear that diversity is not only essential to the body of Christ, it is by the direct design of the Holy Spirit. This type of diversity is also essential to the effective working of a team. The various team roles as identified in R. Meredith Belbin’s works are helpful to understanding how diversity can be both strengthening and frustrating in the team setting.

Staring at the choices on the grocery store shelf is socially acceptable for a minute or two, but when it becomes paralyzing, it becomes super awkward. I know it may seem odd to be stumped by choice, but when you’ve just returned from a country where choice was limited, abundance can be overwhelming. It’s only one of the signs of reverse culture shock global workers experience when they re-enter life in the United States. I’ve come to learn that my own adjustments are shared by many who live through the returned life.

I spend most of my workday talking to pastors. It's a great job, and one of the perks is getting to hear which concerns are common to most pastors regardless of their life stage or church size. One concern seems to rise above them all: reaching new people. Regardless of which ministry philosophies a pastor follows, they'll look across the table and ask the question: what can we do to reach more people? In response to this question, I've learned to ask one in return: what are you doing with the people you've already got?