Preaching
Sunday after Sunday, the text in front of the people. A church grows into what it’s fed, which is a slower and more serious thought than it first appears.
Ministry
The church I get to pastor
I planted Church At The Square and I pastor it. Everything below is downstream of that — not a content strategy, just the work.
Church At The Square
A Baptist church in Gautier, Mississippi
I planted Church At The Square and I still get to pastor it. It’s a congregation built on studying the Bible and leading its members into faithfulness on God’s mission — which sounds tidy on a website and takes a couple of decades in practice.
If you’re local and looking for a church, start at thesquarechurch.com. If you want to talk theology or ask a hard question, that’s welcome too.
The work
What the week actually looks like
Teaching
Classes, teaching notes, and the material behind them — including a run of classes at the Home of Grace for men who wanted a deeper look at what we covered together.
Shepherding
The unglamorous majority of pastoral work: knowing people, sitting with them, and staying put long enough for it to count.
Training pastors
Training leaders here, and teaching pastors overseas when I get the chance. Helping other pastors is part of the job, not a side project.
Where I stand
Old convictions, modern instincts
I appreciate old theology without needing everything to look, sound, and behave like it came from 1646. The convictions are old; the instincts are current. Both matter.
I love the cooperation and missions of the SBC and the robustness of the Reformed tradition, and I don’t think a pastor has to choose. Confessional depth gives cooperation something worth cooperating about.
I’d rather admit a hard question is hard than pretend a tidy answer settles it. That’s not a lack of conviction — it’s what conviction looks like when it’s honest.
In three lines
Protestant, Reformed Baptist, 1689 Federalist.
Lifelong Southern Baptist — grown up in and served SBC churches my whole life.
Scripture first, history taken seriously, difficult questions left difficult.
Writing
Theology and pastoral questions
How can I be sure I am saved?
Two things usually drive doubt about salvation — uncertainty about how we are saved, and indwelling sin. Both have the same remedy.
A Conversation with John Owen
I asked GPT-4 to walk me through building a chatbot that answers as John Owen. Six hours later, it existed.