Dr. Roy Fish Has Died: A Heart for Evangelism and a Life Dedicated to Sharing the Gospel

One of my favorite professors at SWBTS passed away yesterday. Dr. Roy Fish was an amazing man who truly cared for each and every student in his classes. What I remember most about him is his evangelistic heart, yes; but it was a pastor’s heart with that evangelistic passion that every person would find a relationship with Christ. I was just looking through some old notebooks of when I was back in Missouri pastoring after seminary. I found a sermon outline that he preached at the Pastor’s Conference in St. Louis that was “great medicine” for my heart. I think what really spoke to my heart was his passion for the Church to become all she could become and specifically (preaching from Acts 17) bring the Gospel to the next generation. It did my heart good to hear from an old leader stressing to the next generation of leaders to focus on getting the Gospel to the future generations. May we all press on to share the Gospel to the future generations for God’s glory!

Here is a great post from Dr. Ed Stetzer on Dr. Fish’s life and ministry. Enjoy.

Ed Stetzer – Roy Fish Has Died: A Heart for Evangelism and a Life Dedicated to Sharing the Gospel.

Ed Stetzer – SBC 2011 Statistical Realities & “Encouraged and Hopeful”

I really love what Ed Stetzer has to say about the realities of the Southern Baptist Convention–though they are not realities we like to look at for sure. I have never been to an Annual Convention on the national level (numerous state conventions), but his “encouraged” approach to them might bring me to attend an Annual Convention sometime soon.

Check out a couple of posts on both his personal blog and the “Between The Times” blog. The post on edstetzer.com is about facing the facts of the statistical realities of the SBC and another post on “Between The Times” talking about both those findings as well as 6 reasons why he is encouraged about the SBC as we meet in New Orleans next week for the annual convention.

The 6 reasons he is optimistic are:

1. The Election of Fred Luter as President of the SBC

2. The Growing Ethnic Diversity of the SBC

3. We’re Getting Honest About Calvinism

4. We Are Still a Convention of Churches That Love the Lord and Love the Lost

5. The Beginnings of a Renewed Focus on Church Planting and Evangelism

6. Young and Experienced Leaders Working Together

Another great synopsis quote from the post on the “statistical realities” (decline) of the SBC is . . .

We stand at a key moment and my sermon-in-a-sentence is this: A denomination perpetually at war with itself cannot survive, but a denomination focused on engaging new leaders, reaching out to other ethnicities, and reaching others through evangelism and church planting will thrive.

As a pastor of a church that might be living out the “realities” that the statistics show, I am encouraged too at what God might do through us as a people–all for His Glory. Let it be so!

via Ed Stetzer – SBC 2011 Statistical Realities– Facts Are Our Friends But These Are Not Very Friendly Facts and via Between The Times – Heading to the SBC, Encouraged and Hopeful.