Leadership - Travis Agnew

When a Church or a Pastor Disgusts You (From Afar)

December 30, 2016February 25, 2014 by Travis Agnew

The internet changes everything. In this age of information, we have access to more positive and negative resources than ever before. It definitely changes the Church culture in America. Where we once competed with the church down the street, we now compete with the church across the state or across the globe. Christians get into a public display of affection …

The Independent Thinker

December 30, 2016February 15, 2014 by Travis Agnew

I had some friends fill out an ipersonic personality profile and I was intrigued. It was kinda scary how much it nailed me: Independent Thinkers Independent Thinkers are analytical and witty persons. They are normally self-confident and do not let themselves get worked up by conflicts and criticism. They are very much aware of their own strengths and have no …

The Open Door Policy

September 21, 2017February 4, 2014 by Travis Agnew

I can still remember the specific conversation in seminary. We were discussing the practice of ministry as it relates to a pastor’s schedule. How many hours should one spend in preparing sermons? How many hours should be utilized for pastoral care (hospital visits, counseling, etc.)? It was a rather interesting conversation. Some guys didn’t know what their schedule was or …

Sometimes You Carry the Vision and Sometimes the Vision Carries You

April 17, 2020January 24, 2014 by Travis Agnew

I had this crazy idea to write a worship album from 1 Peter. It was going to be difficult to complete it in the timeframe, but the lofty goal was exciting to the crew. When I first mentioned the idea, they were all in and we got to work feverishly on it. We decided that we would introduce the songs …

Blocking Your Own Team (And How Churches Do the Same Thing)

December 30, 2016December 3, 2013 by Travis Agnew

College football just experienced an intense weekend. So many games were on the verge of an upset and Auburn’s victory over Alabama in the last seconds will be talked about for years to come. With many highlight-worthy moments this weekend, you might not have seen one of my favorite highlights from the previous weekend. It came when Florida lost to …

Has Social Media Created Evangelical Idolatry?

December 30, 2016November 16, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Churches used to compare and compete with other churches down the road. You would hear about what another congregation was doing and you would try to repeat it, hijack it, improve it, or do the complete opposite to try to attract disgruntled folks down the road. With the rise of social media, you can now compete with any church anywhere …

Your Home But Not Your Prison

December 30, 2016November 7, 2013 by Travis Agnew

Mark Driscoll hosted the Resurgence 2013 Conference this week. I was able to stream some of it late in the evening and early in the morning. In his opening address, he spoke out against tribalism. It’s the dangerous trend that we get stuck in the way our group does church and tend to think that everyone else are foolish. Just …

Hissy Fit or Pastoral Duty?

December 30, 2016August 8, 2013 by Travis Agnew

You will have an opinion about the following video. If you haven’t seen it, it’s been quite the topic of conversation.

Baptist Pastor Jim Standridge has made a name for himself after a video of one of his sermons, showing him rebuking some of his members, went viral. Out of all of his messages he might have desired to become famous for, I don’t know if he saw this one coming to the top of the list.

The preacher from Immanuel Baptist Church in Skiatook, Oklahoma, for 24 years, left the platform, stepped down from his pulpit into the seated congregation on May 19 to call out one member for dozing off. But that was just the beginning.

Spotting someone else in the congregation, he then called out a member, Ryan Underwood, who had missed several services, “You are one of the sorriest church members I have. You’re not worth 15 cents.”

1 Decade at North Side

December 30, 2016July 25, 2013 by Travis Agnew

This weekend is a pretty special one for me. On Sunday, I celebrate two events:

First, I am turning 32. Just seeing that number is kinda crazy to me. It’s not a depressing thing, but it just represents a lot of life that God has allowed me to live. I am very grateful.

Second, I am celebrating 1 decade of being a pastor at North Side Baptist Church. In a time when some stats say that ministers stay at a church for an average of 2 years, it seems hard to imagine staying somewhere for 10.

10 years ago on my birthday, I began moving my books into an office in the Family Life Center to serve as a full-time yet part-time College and Missions Pastor. I had just finished up a summer serving M-Fuge in St. Louis, I was engaged to the best girl in the entire world, and I had a hopeful disposition to what was awaiting at North Side.

Things have changed in the last 10 years just a little bit:

The Chain of Events Leading to Billy Graham’s Conversion

December 30, 2016July 22, 2013 by Travis Agnew

As of 2008, Billy Graham’s estimated lifetime audience, including radio and television broadcasts, topped 2.2 billion. That means that approximately 2.2 billion people have heard the gospel from Billy Graham’s mouth. That’s hard to wrap your mind around. Billy Graham has shared the gospel with more people than anyone else in history, but do you know who shared the gospel

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