church membership

A Book of Numbers: What the 2019 SBC Annual Church Profile Data Tells us About the Southern Baptist Convention

June 5, 2020 by Allen Nelson IV

The 2019 annual church profile for the Southern Baptist Convention came out recently and the numbers aren’t great. While many people will bemoan the Baptism numbers, something else caught my eye. For those of who you are not Southern Baptists, the reporting works like this. Our church, Perryville Second Baptist, is a member of a […]

When You Miss, You’re Missed

September 18, 2019 by Allen Nelson IV

A Parable Once upon a time, there was a mother with 7 sons. She loved her boys very much and they loved her. She and her husband were committed to the family meal and their evenings were often filled with laughter. And if you have boys then you know that those evenings were filled with […]

Why I Need A Church that Judges Me

July 29, 2019 by Allen Nelson IV

If you’re not a careful reader of Scripture you may have never noticed what Paul says to the church in Corinth: “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?” 1 Corinthians 5:12 We are a society so enamored with autonomy that we […]

Michael Coughlin

Michael Coughlin lives near Columbus, OH, and leads local outreaches to glorify our Lord and reach the lost with the gospel. Michael’s joys are spending time with his dear wife and children, programming computers, and studying and discussing God’s Word. He is a member of Covenant Bible Church.

Garrett O’Hara

Garrett appears to have originated the term, but not the theology, "dispybapticalvinistic-expialidocious." He is a husband, a father of four children, a U.S. Navy veteran, and a semi-truck driver. He also holds a Th.M. in New Testament paid for mostly by the Post-9/11 GI Bill (don't tell Mikey Weinstein).

Allen Nelson IV

Allen S. Nelson IV is the pastor of Perryville Second Baptist Church in Perryville, Arkansas. He and his wife Stephanie have been married since 2006 and have 5 children. Besides enjoying time with his family, Allen loves teaching the Bible, reading good books, and time outdoors. He is the author of From Death to Life: How Salvation Works and Before The Throne: Reflections on God’s Holiness He is an avid Dallas Cowboys and Arkansas Razorbacks fan, which means he's always excited about 'next year.' You can follow him on twitter @cuatronelson.

George Alvarado

George Alvarado is an almost retired member of our Armed Forces (yes, he's older than he looks). He has a beautiful wife, a very tall son, and currently teaches at Pilgrim Bible Church in Washington. He is also an author, blogger, apologist, evangelist, and podcaster. He loves spending time with his family and friends, traveling, photography, and continuing his studies in linguistics and theology.

Chuck Ivey

By God’s grace, Chuck Ivey grew up in a Christian home and came to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at a young age. He has been married to his wife Ashley for 20 years. They have seven high energy children by adoption (yes seven), also by God’s grace. Chuck works full time in local law enforcement as an investigator and chaplain. He serves as a deacon and teacher at Beech Haven Baptist Church in Athens, GA. Chuck is a graduate of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he earned a Masters of Theological Studies. Coffee and books are involved. You can follow hi...

8 Marriage Principles from Ruth 3:10–18 — Part 2

As a side note, our youngest child turns one today! The year has flown by. Happy birthday to Haddon! Now back to our regularly scheduled blogging… The Word of God is truly a treasure. If we spend time in it regularly we will see that the Lord has given to us even more truth about […]

Myths and Truths About Foster Care, part 2

In my last post, I went through some myths and truth about foster care and focused a bit on interpersonal issues. This time, I want to look at the big picture and talk a good bit about adoption. Throughout this series, I’ve tried to emphasize the great need for the church to be involved in […]

8 Marriage Principles from Ruth 3:10-18 – Part 1

Not sure why the number 8 has been so special recently. I wrote a post last week about 8 Practical thoughts on Corporate Singing, and now it’s 8 Marriage Principles. Nothing magical about the number 8! It’s just how it all shook out. Our church has been going through the book of Ruth in 2018 […]

Cowboys and Razorbacks 2018 Season Prediction

I’m a little late on predictions seeing as the Razorbacks have already played one game. However, it was an FCS opponent and I think you can all believe me when I say that I would have picked them anyway. As far as the Cowboys go, they haven’t played yet so my prediction on them is […]

Psalm 119:113-116 — My Hiding Place and My Shield

Not only is God our hiding place, but He is our shield. He is our defense against everything hurled toward us by the enemy. There is no condemnation from God for those who are in Christ Jesus, the hiding place, but the condemnation of men is in ample supply. God does not promise that his people will avoid attacks from evildoers. But He acts as our shield. It is God who takes the brunt of the punishment when we are accosted for our faith (Acts 9:5). With a shield, we will still feel the impact of the blows and experience the heat of the battle, but we will not receive a fatal blow until the shield determines it is time.

Don’t Get Woke. Get to Know Your Local Church Brethren.

Nestled within 1 Corinthians 11, we find a likely familiar passage concerning the Lord’s Table which pertains to the current social media conversation on racism and socioeconomic class. Critical race theory is probably the last topic I want to write about at the moment, but it certainly is the topic du jour, so let’s take it on […]