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Author: Bob Bickford

What Could We Do Together That We Could Never Do Alone?

Written by Bob Bickford on . Posted in Featured.

Churches are often better at identifying what they lack than recognizing what they possess.

We do not have enough people.
We do not have enough money.
We do not have the right leaders.
We do not have enough space.
We do not have the experience to address that need.

Those limitations may be real. But they are rarely the whole story.

A church may lack volunteers but have an excellent facility. Another may lack space but have people ready to serve. One church may possess years of trusted community relationships. Another may have financial strength, specialized leadership, or experience in a particular area of ministry.

Individually, each congregation sees a gap. Together, they may discover that God has already provided what is needed.

That leads us to a powerful question:

What could we do together that we could never do alone?

Look Beyond Your Own Capacity

Most churches naturally plan ministry around the resources contained within their congregation. We examine the budget, count available volunteers, consider the building, and then decide what we can do.

That approach is understandable, but it can produce unnecessarily small thinking.

What if we began with the mission instead?

What needs to happen for the gospel to advance in our communities? Where are people being overlooked? Which neighborhoods are changing? Which churches are struggling? Where are new congregations needed? What pastors and ministry leaders need encouragement? What opportunities are sitting in front of us that no single church can pursue effectively?

Once we identify the opportunity, we can ask which churches might contribute the relationships, resources, strengths, or experience needed to address it.

The mission should shape the partnership. The limitations of one congregation should not determine what all of us believe is possible.

Conduct a Kingdom Inventory

Before churches can work together, they must recognize what God has placed in their hands.

In Pathways to Partnership, Mark Hallock and I wrote:

“Every church is unique and brings unique gifts, resources, and passions to the table of partnership.”

That uniqueness is not a barrier to cooperation. It is the reason cooperation can be so powerful.

Consider the resources God has distributed among our churches:

  • Members with professional and ministry expertise
  • Buildings located in strategic communities
  • Relationships with schools, civic leaders, and neighborhood organizations
  • Experience in church planting, renewal, missions, and community ministry
  • Financial resources that can fund new ministry
  • Volunteers who need a meaningful place to serve
  • Multilingual and multicultural leaders
  • Equipment, vehicles, classrooms, kitchens, and meeting spaces
  • Pastors who can coach and encourage other pastors
  • Congregations committed to serious, persistent prayer

No church possesses all of these strengths. But nearly every church possesses some of them.

Partnership begins when we stop asking, “Do we have everything required?” and start asking, “What has God given us, and who has He placed around us?”

Relationships Are a Mission Resource

We frequently think of resources as money, property, and people. Relationships are also resources—and often the most important ones.

A church may have a trusted relationship with a local school but lack enough volunteers to serve it well. Another church may have volunteers but no established connection to the school.

One congregation may know a pastor leading a struggling church. Another may have the experience and resources to help but would never have known about the opportunity.

A church may understand the needs of a particular immigrant community. Other congregations may be able to provide funding, facilities, transportation, or children’s ministry support.

Relationships connect strengths with opportunities.

This is one reason associational life matters. The Nashville Baptist Association helps churches know one another well enough to recognize where collaboration is possible. We can identify needs, connect leaders, bring churches into conversation, and help turn a shared concern into coordinated action.

The Association does not replace the ministry of the local church. It helps local churches extend their ministry through relationships with one another.

Partnership Is More Than Financial Support

When churches hear “partnership,” they often assume someone will be asking them for money. Financial support is important, but partnership is far broader.

A church can partner by praying consistently for another congregation. It can send a team to help with children, worship, outreach, administration, or facility improvements. A pastor can coach another pastor. Experienced leaders can help a church think through governance, staffing, finances, or community engagement.

Churches can share equipment, training, curriculum, meeting space, and ministry expertise. They can cooperate in evangelism, disaster response, leadership development, church planting, and church renewal.

Some partnerships may require significant commitments. Others may begin with one relationship and one practical step.

The question is not whether your church can do everything. The question is whether your church can contribute something.

As we wrote in Pathways to Partnership:

“Every partner church has prayers they can pray.”

No church is too small to participate in God’s mission. Every congregation can bring something to the table.

Together, Weakness Does Not Have the Final Word

Churches are not equally strong in every season.

A congregation that needs help today may become a source of strength for another church tomorrow. A church receiving encouragement may eventually encourage others. A renewed church can become a partner in another church’s renewal. A newly planted congregation can grow into a sending church.

Healthy partnership does not divide churches permanently into strong churches and weak churches. It recognizes that we belong to one another and that God works through mutual dependence.

The church that offers volunteers may receive renewed vision. The church that provides funding may discover new opportunities for its members. The church receiving help may remind a larger congregation of the simplicity and power of gospel ministry.

When partnership is healthy, every participant is changed.

Move from Possibility to Conversation

Partnership usually does not begin with a formal agreement. It begins with a conversation.

What opportunities do we see?

What burdens has God placed on our hearts?

What relationships has He already given us?

What strengths could we share?

What could another church contribute that we do not possess?

Where might our combined efforts produce greater gospel impact?

Not every conversation will become a partnership. Not every partnership will be permanent. But we will never discover what is possible if every church remains focused exclusively on its own congregation, calendar, budget, and building.

God has placed more capacity among our churches than any single congregation can see from its own vantage point.

It is time to bring those strengths together.

The opportunity before us is larger than what any one church can accomplish. But it may not be larger than what God can accomplish through churches willing to trust one another, share what they have, and pursue His mission together.

So let’s keep asking the question:

What could we do together that we could never do alone?

Explore the Pathways

In Pathways to Partnership: How You and Your Church Can Join the Replanting Movement, Mark Hallock and I help churches evaluate their readiness, identify what they can contribute, define responsibilities, avoid common partnership problems, and develop relationships that serve God’s mission for the long haul.

The book focuses particularly on partnerships that bring hope and new life to struggling churches, but its central conviction applies much more broadly: God has designed His churches to advance the gospel together.

Bob Bickford

Executive Director

Nashville Baptist Association

Your Church Needs Renewal—Now What?

Written by Bob Bickford on . Posted in Church Renewal, Featured.

Churches rarely arrive at serious decline overnight. Decline usually happens slowly—one year, one family and one missed opportunity at a time.

Attendance decreases. Baptisms become less frequent. Children and younger families disappear. Ministry becomes harder to sustain. The congregation grows older while the surrounding community continues to change.

Because decline is gradual, it is easy to adjust to it. What once would have alarmed us eventually begins to feel normal. When someone asks, “How is the church doing?” we answer, “We’re okay.”

But sometimes we are not okay.

Recognizing that your church needs renewal is not an admission that God has failed or that the church’s previous ministry was wasted. It is an honest acknowledgment that the church cannot continue on its present course and expect a different future.

So, what should a church do next?

Begin With an Honest Conversation

The first step is not launching a new program, changing the worship service or updating the church’s website.

The first step is telling the truth.

That can be difficult for a church to do on its own. Pastors, leaders and members are deeply connected to the congregation. They know its history, love its people and carry memories of seasons when the church was healthier and more active.

Those relationships matter, but they can also make it difficult to evaluate the church’s present condition clearly. Sometimes a trusted outside partner can ask questions, identify patterns and help leaders see possibilities they have not considered.

That is why the Nashville Baptist Association is available to help churches begin a renewal conversation.

Our role is not to arrive with a predetermined plan, take control of the church or pressure the congregation into a decision. We are here to serve, walk alongside and encourage pastors and churches as they seek a healthy and faithful future.

Face Reality Fully

Renewal begins with truth.

Church leaders should examine attendance, baptisms, giving, membership and ministry participation over the past 10 to 20 years. A single difficult year may not tell us much, but long-term trends reveal the church’s actual direction.

Numbers do not tell the entire story, but they do tell part of the story. We should not ignore what they are saying.

The church should also listen carefully to its members and community. Do members believe the church is healthy? Are they inviting people to worship? Is the church reaching the households around it? Does the congregation understand its changing community, or has it become increasingly disconnected from it?

Then leaders must ask the difficult question: What does all of this say about our church?

A church cannot faithfully move toward renewal while denying its present condition.

Pursue Jesus More Than the Past

Every church has a history worth honoring. Faithful people prayed, served, gave and sacrificed to establish and sustain the ministry. Renewal does not require us to despise the past.

It does require us to stop trying to recreate or preserve it.

The question is not, “How do we keep everything the way it has always been?” The better question is, “What must we do now to pursue Jesus and participate faithfully in His mission?”

That shift requires humility. It may mean acknowledging that the congregation does not presently possess all the leadership, resources or experience needed to move toward a healthier future.

A church serious about renewal must be willing to ask for help—and graciously receive it.

Real renewal requires trust, sacrifice and change. But asking for help does not mean surrendering the church to an outside organization. It means inviting trusted brothers and sisters to help the congregation understand its condition, consider its options and take wise next steps.

The NBA Church Renewal Process

The Nashville Baptist Association offers churches a simple three-part renewal process: Exploration, Examination and Recommendation.

There is no cost and no obligation. Beginning the process does not commit the church to a particular strategy or outcome. It simply creates space for an honest, prayerful and helpful conversation.

Exploration

Exploration begins with listening.

We meet with the pastor and appropriate church leaders to hear the church’s story, understand its concerns and learn what prompted the renewal conversation.

We want to understand the church before suggesting what it should do. This is an opportunity for leaders to speak openly about the congregation’s history, present challenges, hopes and fears.

At this stage, no decisions are required. We are simply exploring the situation together.

Examination

The next step is taking an honest look at the church’s current health and direction.

Together, we examine areas such as attendance trends, baptisms, membership, giving, leadership capacity, ministry participation, community engagement and readiness for change.

This is not about assigning blame or criticizing faithful people. It is about developing a clear picture of reality.

The goal is to identify the church’s strengths, recognize the factors contributing to decline and determine what resources and opportunities may still be available for renewal.

Recommendation

After listening and examining the church’s situation, the NBA provides recommendations for possible next steps.

Every congregation is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all renewal plan. Recommendations should reflect the church’s condition, leadership, resources, community and willingness to act.

The church then decides whether and how it wants to proceed. There is no obligation to accept the recommendations or continue into a formal renewal process.

Our responsibility is to offer honest counsel and help the congregation understand its choices while meaningful choices are still available.

Do Not Wait for a Crisis

A declining church still has options, but it will not have those options forever.

The longer a church waits, the more its leadership, finances, attendance and ministry capacity may diminish. What could have been addressed through focused renewal today may require much more significant action five years from now.

You do not have to wait until the church is unable to pay its bills, call a pastor, maintain its property or conduct its ministries before asking for help.

In fact, the best time to begin a renewal conversation is while the congregation still has people, resources and leadership available to participate in the process.

A conversation is not a commitment. It is simply a wise first step.

Let’s Talk About Your Church’s Future

Renewal is not easy, but neither is managing decline until nothing remains.

God has entrusted every church with people, property, resources, relationships and a gospel witness. The question is not simply whether we can keep the doors open.

The question is whether we are willing to take the steps necessary to position the church for a healthy and faithful future.

If you are a pastor or church leader who sees warning signs—or if you simply want a clearer understanding of your church’s health—contact the Nashville Baptist Association.

Let’s begin with a conversation.

Through Exploration, Examination and Recommendation, we will listen, help your church understand its present condition and offer thoughtful next steps. There is no cost, no obligation and no pressure.

We are here to serve your church, walk alongside your leaders and encourage you as you seek God’s direction for the future.

Bob Bickford

Executive Director

Nashville Baptist Association

Does My Church Need Renewal?

Written by Bob Bickford on . Posted in Church Renewal, Featured.

The North American Mission Board’s Replant team has consistently called attention to a sobering reality: across North America, 80 percent or more of Southern Baptist churches are plateaued or declining and need some form of renewal. Other Southern Baptist leaders have reported the same widespread pattern among established congregations. (NAMB; The Baptist Paper)

That statistic means renewal is not a conversation reserved for a handful of churches on the verge of closing. It is a conversation most of our churches need to have.

The question is not simply, “Is our church still open?” It is not even, “Can we still pay our bills and hold worship services?”

The more important question is: Is our church spiritually healthy, making disciples, reaching its community and developing the people necessary to carry its gospel witness into the future?

A church can be busy without being healthy. It can maintain its programs without advancing its mission. It can remain financially stable for several years while experiencing significant spiritual, relational and missional decline.

So, how can you determine whether your church needs renewal?

Begin With the Right Definition

Renewal does not mean everything in the church is broken. It does not dishonor the people who have served faithfully or erase the good ministry that has taken place.

Renewal means recognizing that something must be strengthened, corrected or changed so the church can pursue Jesus and participate more faithfully in His mission.

Every church needs ongoing spiritual renewal. But some churches need a more focused and intentional season of congregational renewal.

The challenge is recognizing that need before decline becomes a crisis.

Look at Direction, Not Just the Present

One year of data rarely tells the entire story. Churches experience pastoral transitions, community disruptions, economic challenges and unusual seasons.

The better approach is to examine the church’s direction over the past five, ten or even twenty years.

Consider:

  • Average worship attendance
  • Baptisms and professions of faith
  • Membership and ministry participation
  • Giving and financial reserves
  • Number and age of active volunteers
  • Children, student and young-adult participation
  • Pastoral and staff transitions
  • Community demographics
  • Conflict and member departures

Numbers cannot measure everything that matters, but they can reveal patterns that should not be ignored.

A church averaging 100 people today may appear relatively stable. But if it averaged 250 fifteen years ago, 175 ten years ago and 125 five years ago, the church is not stable. It is declining.

A church should not allow gradual decline to redefine what it considers normal.

Ask These Diagnostic Questions

1. Are We Regularly Reaching New People?

A healthy church should expect to see people coming to faith, being baptized, growing as disciples and joining the mission of the church.

The absence of baptisms does not automatically mean a church is unhealthy. But several years with few or no baptisms should lead to honest examination.

Are members sharing the gospel? Are they inviting people? Are guests attending? Are people entering the church and becoming connected?

If the church is not regularly reaching anyone beyond its existing relationships, renewal is needed.

2. Is Our Attendance Plateaued or Declining?

Plateau is often more dangerous than it appears.

A plateaued church may still have enough people, money and activity to feel comfortable. Because there is no immediate crisis, leaders assume everything is fine.

But plateau frequently becomes decline when it is left unaddressed. Members age, families relocate, leaders step away and giving begins to decrease.

If attendance has remained flat or declined while the surrounding community has grown, the church should ask why it is not participating in that growth.

3. Are We Developing the Next Generation of Leaders?

Look around the church.

Who will serve as deacons, teachers, ministry leaders and committee members five years from now? Who is being discipled and equipped to carry responsibility? Are younger adults being given meaningful opportunities to lead?

When the same small group of people carries most of the ministry, the church may be closer to a leadership crisis than it realizes.

A congregation without a leadership pipeline has a limited future.

4. Does Our Congregation Reflect and Reach Our Community?

Communities change. Churches often do not.

The people living around the church may be younger, older, more diverse or from different economic and cultural backgrounds than the congregation that originally established the church.

The question is not whether the church’s current members still love one another. The question is whether they love their neighbors enough to know them, understand them and adjust their ministry to reach them.

If the congregation no longer knows the community or has little interest in reaching the people who now live nearby, renewal is needed.

5. Are We Organized for Mission or Maintenance?

Every church needs policies, committees, meetings, facilities and financial systems. But those structures exist to support the mission. The mission does not exist to support the structures.

Ask how much energy is being devoted to:

  • Maintaining buildings
  • Filling committees
  • Preserving programs
  • Managing internal preferences
  • Discussing problems
  • Resolving recurring conflicts

Then compare that with the energy being devoted to evangelism, discipleship, community engagement, missions and leadership development.

If the church spends most of its time maintaining itself, it has turned inward—even if its calendar remains full.

6. Are We Willing to Tell the Truth About Our Condition?

Declining churches often explain their circumstances by pointing outward:

“The community has changed.”

“People do not attend church like they used to.”

“We have had several pastors who did not work out.”

“Younger people are not committed.”

Some of those observations may contain truth. But they can also prevent the church from examining its own decisions, attitudes, conflicts and resistance to change.

Healthy diagnosis asks a harder question: What have we contributed to our present condition?

A church that cannot discuss its problems honestly is not ready to solve them.

7. Are We More Committed to Our Preferences Than Our Mission?

Every church has traditions, memories and ministry practices that people value. Those things are not automatically wrong.

The problem comes when preserving them becomes more important than reaching people.

Listen to how decisions are made. Does the conversation center on what members prefer, what the church has always done and what longtime leaders will permit? Or does it center on what will help the congregation obey Jesus, make disciples and reach its community?

A church may say it wants growth while rejecting every change that growth would require.

That church does not merely need a new program. It needs renewal.

8. Do We Still Have the Capacity to Sustain Our Current Ministry?

Decline eventually creates a gap between the church’s ministry structure and its actual capacity.

The congregation may have:

  • More building than it can maintain
  • More committees than it can staff
  • More programs than it can support
  • More expenses than giving can sustain
  • More leadership positions than qualified leaders
  • More expectations than the pastor and volunteers can meet

When this happens, leaders often work harder while accomplishing less. Fatigue increases, morale falls and the church becomes focused on survival.

Renewal may require simplifying the organization so the church can redirect its limited energy toward the mission.

What Does Your Diagnosis Reveal?

One warning sign does not necessarily mean a church is in serious decline. But when several of these conditions are present—and have persisted for years—the church should not dismiss them.

A church experiencing early plateau or decline may still have significant people, leadership and financial resources available. This is often the best opportunity for renewal because the congregation still has choices.

A church experiencing prolonged decline will require more significant change and outside assistance.

A church experiencing severe decline, depleted leadership, financial instability and deep community disconnection may need to consider much more substantial options for its future.

The longer a church waits, the fewer choices it will have.

Renewal Is an Act of Stewardship

Recognizing the need for renewal is not an admission that the church has failed completely. It is an act of faithful stewardship.

God has entrusted every church with a gospel witness, a community, people, property, finances and ministry opportunities. Church leaders are responsible for examining whether those resources are being used effectively for His mission.

The real danger is not admitting that renewal is needed.

The real danger is recognizing the warning signs, refusing to respond and allowing another decade of decline to pass.

So, does your church need renewal?

If it is no longer reaching people, developing leaders, engaging its community or sustaining a healthy ministry, the answer is yes.

Do not wait until the church is in crisis to begin the conversation. Honest diagnosis today can preserve ministry options, strengthen the congregation and position the church for a healthier future.

Once a church recognizes the need for renewal, the next question becomes: Now what?

That is where the renewal journey begins.

Bob Bickford

Executive Director

Nashville Baptist Association

Helping Spiritual Momentum Become Lasting Renewal

Written by Bob Bickford on . Posted in Encourage, Church Renewal.

When a church begins experiencing spiritual renewal, we should celebrate it. Prayer deepens, relationships strengthen, leaders gain fresh hope and members rediscover their shared mission. Every genuine work of church renewal begins with God.

But spiritual momentum also needs organizational support.

Churches are spiritual bodies, but they must still organize people, ministries, communication, finances and decisions. When these systems are unclear or outdated, even a spiritually energized congregation can struggle to sustain its progress.

The early church recognized this in Acts 6. When concerns arose over the care of widows, the apostles responded spiritually and practically. They selected qualified leaders, clarified responsibilities and established a workable process. The result was not less spiritual ministry but more effective ministry.

The Building Blocks of Organizational Health

Healthy church systems generally flow from five interconnected areas:

  • A clear vision and mission
  • Unity around that mission
  • Consistent communication
  • A healthy ministry culture
  • Policies and processes that support the mission

When these areas are aligned, leaders know where the church is going, members understand how they can contribute and ministries work together more effectively.

When they are unclear, communication begins to fragment. Committees and ministries may develop competing priorities. Responsibilities overlap, decisions slow down and frustration grows. What appears to be a conflict between people may actually be rooted in an unclear or outdated system.

Research on organizational health consistently finds that clarity, communication and shared direction strengthen organizational effectiveness. Conversely, role ambiguity and unclear expectations contribute to frustration, lower performance and conflict.

This does not mean every church needs more policies or a complicated organizational structure. In fact, unnecessary complexity can become part of the problem. The goal is not bureaucracy. The goal is clarity.

Good systems should make ministry easier, not harder.

Turning Spiritual Momentum Into Lasting Renewal

A church seeking renewal can begin by asking a few practical questions:

  • Are our mission and priorities clear?
  • Do our leaders share a common understanding of those priorities?
  • Do people know who is responsible for important decisions?
  • Are we communicating decisions clearly and consistently?
  • Do our bylaws, committees, budget and calendar support our mission?
  • Are any outdated processes slowing down ministry?
  • Where are people experiencing unnecessary confusion or frustration?

These questions are not intended to criticize a church’s past. Systems that once served a congregation well may simply need to be updated for the church’s present season and future mission.

Organizational auditing helps a church distinguish between symptoms and underlying causes. Declining participation, volunteer fatigue or recurring conflict may be visible symptoms, but the deeper issue could involve unclear responsibilities, communication gaps, governance confusion or ministry structures that no longer fit the church.

Once the actual issue is understood, leaders can make focused improvements rather than launching another program that produces only temporary results.

Your Association Is Ready to Help

The Nashville Baptist Association exists to walk alongside churches as they pursue health, renewal and mission.

We can help churches conduct organizational and systems audits that examine areas such as:

  • Mission and ministry alignment
  • Governance and decision-making
  • Leadership roles and responsibilities
  • Communication practices
  • Committee and ministry structures
  • Policies, processes and bylaws
  • Congregational culture and readiness for change

This is collaborative work, not a one-size-fits-all program. Our goal is to listen, help leaders identify areas of strength and concern, and recommend practical next steps appropriate for the church’s context.

Spiritual renewal is God’s work. Our responsibility is to steward that work faithfully.

When prayer, repentance and renewed mission are supported by clear communication, healthy relationships and functional systems, spiritual momentum has a much better opportunity to become lasting renewal.

Bob Bickford

Executive Director

Nashville Baptist Association

Why Christians Should Engage Their Communities

Written by Bob Bickford on . Posted in Encourage.

Recently, my friend Don Currence, Registration Secretary for the Southern Baptist Convention and Mayor of Ozark, Missouri, challenged pastors and Christians to consider serving their communities through public office or other forms of civic engagement. His encouragement comes at an important moment. As our culture becomes increasingly divided, it is tempting for believers to retreat from civic life rather than engage it. Yet Scripture consistently calls God’s people to seek the welfare of the places where they live and serve.

Many Christians today feel caught between two extremes. On one side are those who believe faith should remain entirely private and disconnected from public life. On the other are those who engage primarily through political combat, viewing every issue through partisan lenses. Neither reflects the biblical calling of Christ followers.

Christians are not called to withdraw from their communities, nor are we called to inflame division. We are called to serve, to influence, to seek peace, to pursue justice, and to represent Christ wherever God has placed us.

I learned this lesson firsthand during my years serving as a pastor in a previous community.

During a particularly challenging season of cultural tension and unrest, a hiring decision by our local government became the center of controversy. Suspicion, anger, and frustration spread quickly throughout the city. Relationships became strained between citizens, city council members, and even leaders within the ecumenical clergy alliance.

Many people responded predictably. Some wrote opinion pieces. Others organized protests. Some made public statements that generated more heat than light. While many were sincere in their concerns, the overall effect was greater conflict and deeper division.

As I watched events unfold, I became increasingly convinced that my responsibility as a pastor was not simply to comment on the situation. God had given me relationships with city leaders, pastors, and community influencers that had been built over years of trust. It became clear that this was a moment to use those relationships for the good of the city.

Frankly, it felt risky.

I knew I could be misunderstood. I knew people might assume political motives. I knew there was a possibility of being placed into categories and camps where I did not belong. Yet I could not escape the biblical call to be a peacemaker.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

Jeremiah instructed God’s people living in exile to “seek the welfare of the city” where they lived (Jeremiah 29:7). That command was not given to elected officials alone. It was given to God’s people.

So I began making phone calls.

Through conversations and personal connections, I encouraged leaders to come together and talk with one another rather than talk past one another. I encouraged listening over labeling and dialogue over accusations. Eventually, key leaders agreed to meet.

What happened next reminded me why civic engagement matters.

The meeting was not perfect. There were still disagreements. Strong opinions remained. But people listened. Calm voices were heard. Common ground was discovered. Relationships were strengthened.

As a result of those conversations, an amendment to the city charter was adopted that created a more reasonable hiring process and approach moving forward.

The solution did not emerge from shouting. It emerged from conversation.

It emerged from people willing to come together for the good of the city.

That experience reinforced a conviction I carry today: pastors and ministry leaders have an important role to play in the communities they serve. While not every pastor is called to run for office, every pastor is called to engage the people, institutions, and challenges of the community where God has planted them.

Sometimes that engagement may involve serving on a board, commission, or task force. Sometimes it may involve building relationships with city officials, educators, law enforcement leaders, or nonprofit organizations. Sometimes it may mean helping opposing groups find a path toward meaningful conversation.

In every case, it means refusing to stand on the sidelines when our communities need voices of wisdom, compassion, and reconciliation.

As tensions continue to rise in many communities across our nation, the need for Christian engagement becomes even more urgent. Our cities do not need more outrage. They need more peacemakers. They do not need more division. They need bridge-builders. They do not need more darkness. They need the light of Christ shining through believers who are willing to serve.

Christ followers are called to stand for truth while demonstrating grace. We are called to defend the vulnerable and advocate for the oppressed. We are called to love our neighbors and seek the common good. We are called to enter difficult spaces with courage, humility, and conviction.

The gospel has implications not only for eternity but also for how we live together today.

So let me encourage you, pastor and ministry leader: take the risk of engaging your community. Build relationships before the crisis comes. Earn trust over time. Show up. Listen well. Speak truthfully. Pursue peace.

You may never hold public office, but you can still have a profound influence on the place God has called you to serve.

Our communities need more Christians who are willing to engage—not for political gain, but for the good of their cities and the glory of Christ.

Bob Bickford

Executive Director

Nashville Baptist Association

Slow Down Enough to Notice What Matters This Summer

Written by Bob Bickford on . Posted in Encourage.

Summer offers ministry leaders something that other seasons rarely provide: margin. The pace changes. Calendars loosen just enough. Meetings shift. Attendance patterns fluctuate. And while it may be tempting to use every open space to catch up, get ahead, or solve lingering ministry challenges, summer may actually be inviting you to something far more important.

Use this season to invest deeply in family and relationships.

Ministry leadership can unintentionally train us to live hurried lives around meaningful things without fully experiencing them. Summer creates opportunities to reverse that pattern. Take advantage of slower evenings, longer daylight hours, and more relaxed schedules to prioritize unhurried conversations with the people who matter most.

Sit on the back porch longer. Take walks without checking your phone. Stay at the dinner table after the meal is over. Let conversations wander instead of rushing toward the next obligation. Some of the most important moments in relationships happen when nobody is trying to make anything happen.

Get outside.

Go to the ballgame. Attend the neighborhood cookout. Find a local festival. Watch fireworks with friends. Pull together a small group to attend a concert in the park. Go camping. Take the family to the lake. Say yes to ice cream runs and spontaneous gatherings.

These settings matter more than we often realize.

Ministry leaders spend much of the year inside structured environments — meetings, services, counseling appointments, planning sessions, classrooms, and scheduled conversations. But many meaningful spiritual and relational moments emerge in unstructured spaces where people simply enjoy being together.

Organic conversations happen differently around a fire pit than they do across a conference table.

People often open up while sitting beside you at a baseball game or walking through a festival. Friendships deepen during long summer evenings. Trust grows in ordinary moments. Memories are formed that carry relationships through harder seasons later.

Summer also reminds ministry leaders that rest is not laziness. Replenishment is stewardship.

Jesus regularly withdrew from the crowds, spent time around tables, walked with people, and shared ordinary moments with friends. Ministry was never intended to consume every ounce of emotional and relational energy we possess.

So this summer, resist the urge to fill every open space with productivity.

Be present with your family. Reconnect with friends. Laugh more. Stay outside longer. Create margin for conversation. Enjoy the people God has placed around you.

The ministry opportunities will still be there in the fall.

But the people sitting on the porch with you this summer are the real ministry too.

Bob Bickford

Executive Director

Nashville Baptist Association

The Relentless Power of Encouragement

Written by Bob Bickford on . Posted in Church Renewal.

There is a leadership reality that doesn’t get enough attention: people don’t burn out primarily from work—they burn out from discouragement.

And the flip side is just as true: encouragement is one of the most underutilized, high-impact tools a leader has.

Let’s get something straight from the start—no one has ever received too much encouragement. Not once. Not ever. You won’t “overdo it.” You won’t create weakness. You won’t make people soft. What you will do is strengthen resolve, reinforce identity, and unlock contribution.

Encouragement Is Not Optional Leadership Behavior

Scripture doesn’t present encouragement as a personality trait—it presents it as a mandate:

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up…” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Encouragement is not a side dish to leadership. It is leadership.

Every person you meet is carrying something—pressure, doubt, fatigue, insecurity, or unseen burdens. That means every interaction is an opportunity: you either add weight, or you lift it.

Leaders who understand this don’t wait for the perfect moment. They build a culture where encouragement is normal, frequent, and expected.

Everyone Needs It—More Than You Think

You may assume the strong don’t need encouragement. The high performers. The confident voices. The seasoned leaders.

That’s a mistake.

Often, the people carrying the most responsibility are receiving the least encouragement. They’re expected to keep going, keep producing, keep leading—without anyone pouring back into them.

Encouragement isn’t about fixing weakness. It’s about fueling endurance.

“But exhort one another every day… that none of you may be hardened…” (Hebrews 3:13)

Discouragement hardens people. Encouragement softens, strengthens, and sustains them.

Generic Encouragement Doesn’t Cut It

“Good job.”
“Appreciate you.”
“You’re doing great.”

Better than nothing—but not by much.

Real encouragement is specific. It names what others might overlook and affirms what God is doing in a person.

If you want encouragement to carry weight, aim it at five targets:

1. Encourage Who They Are

Call out identity, not just activity.

“You have a steady presence that brings calm into tense situations.”
“You’re the kind of leader people trust without even realizing why.”

This builds confidence rooted deeper than performance.

2. Encourage Where They Contribute

Help people see where they matter.

“When you speak in those meetings, you bring clarity the rest of us miss.”
“You connect people in a way that strengthens the whole team.”

Many people underestimate their impact—leaders correct that.

3. Encourage Their Unique Contribution

Name what makes them distinct.

“You don’t just solve problems—you anticipate them.”
“You bring both truth and grace, and that combination is rare.”

Uniqueness, when affirmed, becomes strength instead of insecurity.

4. Encourage Why Their Perspective Matters

Invite their voice forward.

“We need how you see this.”
“You notice things others don’t—don’t hold that back.”

Encouragement here creates ownership and engagement.

5. Encourage Them with Truth About God

Don’t stop at human affirmation—anchor it in something eternal.

“God has wired you this way on purpose.”
“You are deeply loved, and He is using you more than you realize.”

Encouragement that includes God doesn’t just lift—it stabilizes.

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up…” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Encouragement Multiplies Culture

Here’s what most leaders miss: encouragement is contagious.

When people feel seen, valued, and strengthened, they start doing the same for others. It spreads across teams, churches, and organizations.

But the opposite is also true—if encouragement is absent at the top, discouragement settles in everywhere else.

You don’t drift into a culture of encouragement. You build it intentionally.

The Relentless Part

Encouragement is not a one-time act—it’s a way of life.

Relentless encouragers:

  • Don’t wait for perfection to speak life
  • Don’t ration affirmation like it’s scarce
  • Don’t assume people “already know”

They speak up. Often. Specifically. Sincerely.

Even when it’s repetitive. Even when it feels unnecessary. Even when no one is doing it for them.

Because they understand something foundational:

Encouragement is not about managing emotions—it’s about shaping people.

Final Word

If you want stronger teams, healthier churches, and more resilient leaders, don’t start with better systems—start with better encouragement.

See people clearly. Speak life intentionally. Do it daily.

And don’t hold back.

Because no one you will ever lead—or meet—has had too much encouragement.


Looking to grow as an Encourager? Mark Hallock’s book; The Relentless Encourager is a great source of helpful information in this important area.

Bob Bickford

Executive Director

Nashville Baptist Association

Raising the Evangelistic Temperature in Your Church

Written by Bob Bickford on . Posted in Church Renewal.

Every pastor wants a church where people naturally share Christ—but most congregations run cooler than they should.

The Jesus Story Project is a simple but powerful way to change that.

By creating space for people to share how they came to know Christ—what their life was like before, how they trusted Him, and what has changed since —you’re not just hosting a discussion. You’re shaping a culture.

Why This Works

1. It’s deeply biblical
From the blind man in John 9 to Paul’s repeated testimony in Acts, God uses personal stories to advance the gospel. Testimony doesn’t replace the gospel—it carries it through real lives.

2. It clarifies the gospel in your church
When people explain why Jesus is their hope for heaven, gaps show up. That’s not a problem—it’s discipleship. This process surfaces confusion and gives you a natural opportunity to reinforce salvation by grace through faith.

3. It builds confidence in everyday believers
Most people don’t share their faith because they feel unqualified. But when they hear multiple stories of how people came to Christ, they realize something important:

God uses ordinary people in ordinary conversations to do extraordinary work.

That’s the shift—from “I can’t do that” to “God could use me.”

4. It strengthens the spiritual fabric of the church
When people share their stories, relationships deepen fast. Authenticity increases. Unity strengthens. And a connected church is far more effective on mission.

5. It reignites urgency
Hearing story after story of God’s saving work brings back gratitude—and gratitude fuels evangelism. People are reminded what’s at stake and why it matters.

The Practical Benefits

If you want to raise the evangelistic temperature in your church, don’t start with a program.

Start with your people learning to clearly and confidently say:

“Here’s what Jesus has done in my life.”

When that becomes normal, evangelism stops being an occasional event and becomes part of your church’s DNA.

And that’s when you start seeing real movement.

Download “The Jesus Story Project” Guide

Bob Bickford

Executive Director

Nashville Baptist Association

Do You Want Our Church Building?

Written by Bob Bickford on . Posted in Discipleship.

Yes. Yes, I do.

Every so often the accusation gets thrown out there: “They just want our building.”

It’s usually said with a bit of suspicion, sometimes with frustration, and occasionally as a way to shut down a conversation before it even gets started.

So let me answer the question plainly.

Do I want your church building?

Yes. I do.

But probably not in the way you’re thinking.

Most declining churches develop a protective posture over time. It’s understandable. The congregation has sacrificed to build and maintain the place. Families were baptized there. Weddings were celebrated. Funerals were held. Generations have prayed in those rooms.

Of course you want to protect it.

But over time that protective instinct often expands beyond the building itself. What’s really being protected is the entire ecosystem around it—the style of ministry, the control of decision-making, and the comfort of doing things the way they’ve always been done.

The building becomes more than a tool for ministry. It becomes something to guard. And that’s where the tension begins.

When I say I want your building, I’m not talking about its property value.

I’m talking about its kingdom value.

I want that address to remain a gospel outpost.

I want there to be a thriving congregation in that neighborhood—one that is both demonstrating and declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Faithfulness cannot simply be measured by whether services are still being conducted in the same building. Nor is it measured by how well we protect a piece of property.

Faithfulness must also be measured by fruitfulness in ministry.

When someone says, “They just want our building,” it often functions as a smoke screen. It might become a rallying cry for the dwindling and aging congregation. The implication is that people like me—or organizations like our Association—don’t really care about the congregation, they just want the building.

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

I care deeply about both.

I care about the congregation that has slowly become comfortable with the church at status quo. I care about leaders who have unintentionally elevated the practice of ministry above the passionate pursuit of Christ. I care about faithful saints who are now carrying the overwhelming burden of maintaining a facility that is far larger than their congregation can realistically care for or fund.

And yes—I care about the leaders who will one day give an account for their stewardship of that ministry.

More than anything, I want those churches to rediscover something.

I want them to rediscover the joy of hearing babies cry in the sanctuary again.

I want them to hear little feet running down the hallways.

I want them wrestling with the good problems of a growing church—questions like:

“If we keep growing, how are we going to make room for all these people?”

I want the activity in that building to signal something to the surrounding neighborhood:

Something is happening here.

I want their church to be vibrant again.

I want their hearts to be renewed along with the ministry happening inside those walls.

But if a church refuses to seek the Lord for renewal…
If they cannot imagine change…
If they are unwilling to release control to those who might actually bring new life to that location…

Then yes—I still want your building.

Not as a real estate asset.

But as a place where a growing church can take root.

In Nashville, a church plant often waits 10 to 15 years before it can acquire a permanent facility. 

Why? Because properties suitable for churches are both scarce and incredibly expensive.

Meanwhile, vibrant young congregations of 50, 60, or even 100 people are searching everywhere for a place to meet. They gather in school auditoriums, music venues, community centers—anywhere that will open the door.

And many of them are growing.

At the very same time, declining congregations of 25 or 30 people are meeting in buildings that once held hundreds—spaces they will never realistically grow back into.

Their hope for renewal often remains just that: hope.

Not because renewal is impossible.

But because they want the church to grow without having to change, die to self, or release control to those who could help bring new life.

And that’s the cycle that frustrates so many of us.

It shouldn’t be this way.

Dear declining church,

Do I want your building?

Absolutely.

But not in the way you’re thinking.

I want you to experience the joy of becoming a growing congregation again. I want you to know what it feels like to watch God breathe fresh life into your church. I want your building to be filled with people discovering Christ, families finding hope, and neighbors seeing the gospel lived out right in their community.

And if the Lord chooses to do that through you—praise God.

But if He chooses to do it through a new congregation planted in that same place, that’s still a kingdom win.

Because the real goal was never protecting the building.The real goal has always been seeing it filled by people finding and walking with Jesus.

Bob Bickford

Executive Director

Nashville Baptist Association

group of men stand outdoors in a line holding hands with their heads bowed, appearing to pray together under a cloudy sky.

A Heart Posture Toward Unity

Written by Bob Bickford on . Posted in Discipleship.

Unity in the body of Christ isn’t something we create through effort or agreement. Unity is something Jesus has already purchased, and we are called to live in the good of what He has done.

Conflict comes naturally. In churches, relationships, and even among believers, division can surface quickly. And one of the easiest things to do is assume the problem is always someone else.

But Paul doesn’t start with behavior—he starts with the heart.

In Ephesians 2, he reminds us that pride fuels division, but grace produces unity.

Unity Begins with Grace

There is one lens that transforms how we see others:

Not “I’m greater than you.”
Not “I’m less than you.”

But this:

We are both under God’s grace.

“It is by grace you have been saved… it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Grace humbles us. It reminds us we are not self-made people—we are grace-made people.

Remember Where You Were

Paul urges believers to remember life before Christ: separate, excluded, without hope, without God.

When we forget where we came from, pride grows. But when we remember grace, gratitude grows—and grateful people are harder to divide.

Jesus Is Our Peace

Unity is not just a good idea. It is a gospel reality.

“He himself is our peace… and has destroyed the dividing wall of hostility.”

Jesus came to reconcile us to God and to one another. The cross puts hostility to death and makes us one.

A Call to the Larger Body of Christ

Associational life reminds us the Kingdom is bigger than one church, one style, or one background.

So let’s be a people gripped by grace.
Let’s lay down what divides.
And let’s pursue unity with a heart posture that reflects Jesus.

Because in Christ, we belong to one another.

Bob Bickford

Executive Director

Nashville Baptist Association