The history of Baptists in the United States is a long and convoluted story of victory and failure, unity and division, momentum, and decline. But, if we pay attention to the stories of those individual leaders within the movement, we discover a very important lesson – namely, that when men are full of faith in God and his word, and fearlessly preach it, they can be mightily used for the kingdom of God. Conversely, men who trade truth for pragmatism or divide the body of Christ for their own righteous causes, will often do more to harm the kingdom then

Today we have invited O. S. Hawkins, former pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas and the Chancellor and Senior Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Evangelism at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to discuss two historic Baptist pastors that serve to help us heed these lessons.

Hawkins is the author of over 50 books, including the book we will be considering today, In the Name of God: The Colliding Lives, Legends and Legacies of J. Frank Norris and George W. Truett.

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We sit down with Pastor Mitch Dobson, Professor of Bible Survey at Living Faith Bible Institute to discuss biblical principled efficiency in ministry in the areas of authority structures and healthy flow of communication. Mitch begins with his testimony, background in compliance within the realm of business and his current role on the pastoral team at Midtown Baptist Temple. In this episode we define the spiritual gift of "governments" (1 Cor. 12:28) and examine ways of identifying people within a body who function supernaturally in this way. Lastly, we examine the difference between principle and policy, how they differ and how they are important considerations for the local church as well as its individual ministries.

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We sit down with dean of LFBI and pastor of Harvest Baptist Church, Dr. Alan Shelby to discuss the unfolding biblical role of the pastor. We also see ways in which false ideas about leadership, stemming from traditions of the Imperial Church, have negatively informed the way church leaders function in their responsibilities today. Alan points back to scripture to then addresses how a leader ought to cast a vision for their local church that anticipates Christ’s imminent return and emphasizes the urgent mission before them.

In this week’s interview with Missions Pastor James Fyffe of Midtown Baptist Temple, we discuss spiritual authority - what it is and what it isn’t. James shares principles from God’s Word that guide church leaders and the congregation to better understand the dynamics of submission, envisioning and support.

In this episode with pastor Dan Reneau of Living Faith Lee’s Summit, we discuss from the book of Acts what a healthy church looks like. We take some time to discuss how the church in Antioch, led by Barnabas and Paul, models for us what true ministry success should look like.

We look at a few common challenges pastors face. We talk about the biblical principles that counter potential pitfalls in the pastorate.