Author: Sonny Holmes

Dr. Sonny Holmes is a retired Southern Baptist pastor. He is a blogger, ministry coach, and author of Finish. Period. Going the Distance in Ministry. Sonny was President of the South Carolina Baptist Convention in 2011. He and Harriet have been married for 43 years and are the parents of Liz Carpenter, husband Scott, and grandparents of John Lewis and Laura.

Preparing the Generations

 So, the complicated and fast intersections of life have plenty of under age travelers too. They are the youth and children who will need to navigate the times. And, while their interests rank high on our priority scales, there’s always the danger that blazing speed and complex engineering will inhibit our teaching them faithfully, To… Continue reading Preparing the Generations

The Confusion of Church Dialect

A few years ago church leaders were challenged to learn the new language of pop culture and permit many old and worn church terms to fade into obscurity. You know, the church of what’s happening now wasn’t your grandmother’s church. So, we marked terms like “invitation”, “come down front”, “ask Jesus into your heart”, “amen”,… Continue reading The Confusion of Church Dialect

Joseph and the Great Commission

Joseph is a less visible figure in our re-living the Christmas story each year. He’s only mentioned a few times in Scripture, and I don’t recall singing many Christmas carols about him. When I wanted to understand his role in the birth narratives and the appearance of Jesus, I misread one of the important verses… Continue reading Joseph and the Great Commission

The Questions of Engagement

Making sense of the latest Pew Research Center data about religion in America, released November 3, 2015, will be challenge enough for most of us church people. Implementing effective mission strategies to reverse the trends identified in the study is another matter altogether.

The Generation Map

Dr. Thom Rainer, after an unscientific Twitter poll, identified twelve of the most troublesome internal challenges pastors face in the leadership of their churches (see thomrainer.com, June 13, 2013). Among them was generational stress, that is, where the various generational cohorts fit into the mission of the church. Since then, there have been numerous articles… Continue reading The Generation Map

To Shepherd or To Sheep in the Day of Crisis: Metaphors of Church Life

Our most painful experience was also among the most instructive. One of the lessons learned in the crucible of our son’s murder in 2011 involved my role as the spiritual leader of a local congregation. One day in that grueling week a dear friend sat me down for some serious porch time. He was loving,… Continue reading To Shepherd or To Sheep in the Day of Crisis: Metaphors of Church Life

The Charity of Clarity

After what I considered to be a decent morning sermon, one of our church members handed me a note as I was greeting people at the door. Later I opened it and read a verse from 1 Corinthians 14— And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? 1 Corinthians… Continue reading The Charity of Clarity

With Paul in the School of Life-Long Learning

Comedian Groucho Marx (if you don’t recognize the name, Google it) once said, ”I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.” Evidently vaudeville and television personalities understood the value of reading and life-long learning. Today the masters of the leadership universe… Continue reading With Paul in the School of Life-Long Learning

Less Sizzle, More Meat

Someone shared a humorous story on social media. Their elderly grandmother was visiting for a few days. She awoke during the night and went to the kitchen for a drink of water. On the way she saw his laptop open on the floor. Granny thought it was a scale. So, out of curiosity she stood… Continue reading Less Sizzle, More Meat

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