<![CDATA[Dr Ray Gentry.com - Blog]]>Thu, 06 Aug 2026 09:44:13 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[Using Gemini Notebook for Research; One of Four Things to Know This Week, August 6, 2026]]>Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:11:56 GMThttps://www.drraygentry.com/blog/using-gemini-notebook-for-research-one-of-four-things-to-know-this-week-august-6-2026A Word to the Wise 
 
Unbeknownst to many leaders, showing appreciation is its own unique form of recognition.
Often confused with praise or compliments, appreciation acknowledges effort and character, not outcomes or performance.
Praise says, “You hit the number.” Appreciation says, “I know what it cost you to get there.” That distinction matters more than many leaders realize.
A team member can miss a target and still deserve appreciation for the persistence, integrity, or sacrifice they brought to the attempt.
​
Admired Leadership Field Notes, 8.4.26, Closing the Gratitude Gap
​Four Things to Know This Week 
 
1. First-Person: Every Church Should Be a Safe Place (David Chancey)
 
2. 10 Ways to Help Your Congregation Listen Better This Weekend (Chuck Lawless)
 
3. Using Gemini Notebook for Research (Thomas Kidd).  
 
4. College Students See God at Work During 8 Weeks with IMB (Baptist Press)
 
    
Thank you for reading. Please share it with pastors and other AMSs you believe would benefit.
 
To the praise of His glory,       
  
Ray
 
 
I also host the “SBCAL Podcast with Ray Gentry” each Tuesday morning.
]]><![CDATA[Why ‘Friendly Church’ Is No Longer Enough; One of Four Things to Know This Week, July 30, 2026]]>Wed, 29 Jul 2026 18:40:28 GMThttps://www.drraygentry.com/blog/why-friendly-church-is-no-longer-enough-one-of-four-things-to-know-this-week-july-30-2026​A Word to the Wise 
 
Good leaders create belonging without making it dependent on exclusion. They resist the shortcut of an “us” versus “them” story, even though it is fast and effective.
They know that story quietly trains people to stay quiet, play it safe, and measure their worth against those on the outside. So they build identity instead around shared purpose, shared values, and shared standards.

​Admired Leadership Field Notes, 7.26.26, The Downside of Using Exclusion to Create Group Cohesion
​Four Things to Know This Week 
 
1. Mississippi’s ‘Pastor Training Schools’ Equip Local Leaders for Ministry (Baptist Press)
 
2. Most Churchgoers Content with Congregation’s Worship Style (Lifeway Research)
 
3. Seminary Professor Challenges Pastors Not to Neglect Personal Growth (Baptist Press)
 
4. Why ‘Friendly Church’ Is No Longer Enough (Thom Rainer, Church Answers)
 
Thank you for reading. Please share it with pastors and other AMSs you believe would benefit.
 
To the praise of His glory,       
  
Ray
 
 
I also host the “SBCAL Podcast with Ray Gentry” each Tuesday morning.
]]><![CDATA[Job Satisfaction, Mental Health, Finances Continue to Challenge Pastors; One of Four Things to Know This Week, July 23, 2026]]>Thu, 23 Jul 2026 13:15:13 GMThttps://www.drraygentry.com/blog/job-satisfaction-mental-health-finances-continue-to-challenge-pastors-one-of-four-things-to-know-this-week-july-23-2026A Word to the Wise 
 
“Dockery looked to God for direction and looked to his team for execution of the vision.”

Andy Pettigrew, Steadfast: The Leadership Journey and Model of David S. Dockery
 
Four Things to Know This Week 
 
1. Job Satisfaction, Mental Health, Finances Continue to Challenge Pastors, Study Finds (Baptist 
    Press)
 
2. First Person: Ministry Lessons to My Younger Self (Bruce Raley, The Baptist Paper)
 
3. 8 Signs of a Dangerous Pastor Every Search Committee Should Know (Joe McKeever, 
    ChurchLeaders.com)
 
4. 4 Steps to Lead Your Church to be Evangelistic (Chuck Lawless)
​
 
Thank you for reading. Please share it with pastors and other AMSs you believe would benefit.
 
To the praise of His glory,       
  
Ray
 
 
I also host the “SBCAL Podcast with Ray Gentry” each Tuesday morning.
]]><![CDATA[6 Steps to Eliminate Confusion for Unchurched in Your Worship; One of Four Things to Know This Week, July 16, 2026]]>Wed, 15 Jul 2026 17:13:02 GMThttps://www.drraygentry.com/blog/6-steps-to-eliminate-confusion-for-unchurched-in-your-worship-one-of-four-things-to-know-this-week-july-16-2026A Word to the Wise: 
 
A lack of evangelism is the greatest danger facing churches today. Leaders often diagnose symptoms while missing the root issue. That is why evangelism cannot be treated as a department in the church. It is the bloodstream. When blood flow is restricted, organs begin to fail one by one. Struggling ministries may not be suffering from poor organization as much as from a lack of evangelistic energy. When too few new believers enter the church, every ministry eventually feels the strain.
​
Sam Rainer, 7.13.26, Church Answers, Why All Church Health Is Downstream from Evangelism
Four Things to Know This Week – Consider Sharing them with your Pastors
 
1. 8 Reasons the Size of Your Church Doesn’t Matter (Chuck Lawless)
 
2. Music Matters: Helping Our Churches Sing (Rhon Carter, The Christian Index)
 
3. Hometown Upbringing, Ministry Background Guides New St. Louis Metro Associational Leader (Baptist Press)
 
4. 6 Steps to Eliminate Confusion for Unchurched in Your Worship (Lifeway Research)

 
Thank you for reading. Please share it with pastors and other AMSs you believe would benefit.
 
To the praise of His glory,       
  
Ray
 
 
I also host the “SBCAL Podcast with Ray Gentry” each Tuesday morning.
]]><![CDATA[What’s the Difference Between Discipleship and Leadership Development? Plus Four Things to Know This Week, July 9, 2026]]>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:05:38 GMThttps://www.drraygentry.com/blog/whats-the-difference-between-discipleship-and-leadership-development-plus-four-things-to-know-this-week-july-9-2026A Word to the Wise: What’s the Difference Between Discipleship and Leadership Development?
 
Here's a simple way to think about it:
 
Discipleship teaches how to live like Jesus.
Leadership development helps people lead like Jesus.
 
Here's a practical exercise:
 
Take one leadership role in your church and ask:
  • Does this role only describe tasks?
  • Or does it also describe spiritual responsibility?
  • Are we asking this person to do ministry?
  • Or are we helping them develop people?

​Mac Lake, 6.24.26, What’s the Difference Between Discipleship and Leadership Development?

Four Things to Know This Week!
 
1. Irvine Baptist Association (KY) Becomes Beacon of Hope in Face of Flooding (Kentucky Today)
 
2. The Quiet Crisis of Prayerless Orthodoxy (Alistair Chalmers, shared by Tim Challies)
 
3. Lifeway, SBC Leaders Respond to Research Findings with AI in Christian Ministry Statement (Baptist Press)
 
4. Commentary: Consider Going to Them (Todd Gray)
 
Thank you for reading. Please share it with pastors and other AMSs you believe would benefit.
 
To the praise of His glory,       
  
Ray
 
 
I also host the “SBCAL Podcast with Ray Gentry” each Tuesday morning.
]]><![CDATA[Forgetting Forever: One of Four Things to Know This Week, July 2, 2026]]>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 19:28:42 GMThttps://www.drraygentry.com/blog/forgetting-forever-one-of-four-things-to-know-this-week-july-2-2026​A Word to the Wise: Paul Tripp
 
Eternity amnesia grips us all. We have bought into the “here and now is all you get” perspective that rules the day. We are Forever people who have quit believing in Forever.
 
This life is a preparation for a final destination.
 
Many of us treat today as the final destination. Whatever our confessional theology says about eternity, at the functional level, we live as if this is all there is. We live with a destination mentality instead of a preparation mentality.
 
You were made for Forever. That is your inescapable identity, and it is your guaranteed destination. Life only works as it was meant to work when you live with Forever in view.
Paul Tripp, 7.1.26, Forgetting Forever
Four Things to Know This Week!
 
1. Dooley Noted: Celebrating America’s Christian Heritage (Adam Dooley/Kentucky Today)
 
2. Missionary Risks Rise as AI/Data Sharing, Biometric Technology Proliferate (Baptist Press)
 
3. 12 Reasons Churches Don’t Address Decline (Chuck Lawless)
 
4. Forgetting Forever (Paul Tripp)

 
Thank you for reading. Please share it with pastors and other AMSs you believe would benefit.
 
To the praise of His glory,       
  
Ray
 
 
I also host the “SBCAL Podcast with Ray Gentry” each Tuesday morning.
]]><![CDATA[7 Hidden Leadership Habits to Stop Today; One of Four Things to Know This Week, June 25, 2026]]>Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:23:48 GMThttps://www.drraygentry.com/blog/7-hidden-leadership-habits-to-stop-today-one-of-four-things-to-know-this-week-june-25-2026A Word to the Wise: 
 
And so it is good and right to grow in your skill and it is good and right to maximize your potential. Yet the main matter in life is not attempting to be someone else and not longing for what God has given to another. It is not being known for your reputation. The main matter in life is simply being who God has called you to be. And I am certain you will find there is a lifetime of challenge in that!

Tim Challies, 6.23.25, Being the Best You Can Be
Four Things to Know This Week!
 
1. 7 Hidden Leadership Habits to Stop Today (Dan Reiland)
 
2. 4 Realities of Rural Ministry You May Have to Accept (Lifeway Research)
 
3. 8 Unique Ways to Prepare to Preach or Teach This Weekend (Chuck Lawless)
 
4. Annual Meeting Statistics (Baptist Press)
 
Thank you for reading. Please share it with pastors and other AMSs you believe would benefit.
 
To the praise of His glory,       
  
Ray
 
 
I also host the “SBCAL Podcast with Ray Gentry” each Tuesday morning.
]]><![CDATA[Technology Is Fast, Sanctification Is Slow, and Claude Can’t Do It For You; One of Four Things to Know This Week, June 18, 2026]]>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:36:11 GMThttps://www.drraygentry.com/blog/technology-is-fast-sanctification-is-slow-and-claude-cant-do-it-for-you-one-of-four-things-to-know-this-week-june-18-2026​A Word to the Wise: 
Open doors are only promised to those who knock.

Justin Huffman, 6.8.26, Does Prayer Make a Difference?
Four Things to Know This Week!
 
1. Wrap-up: Southern Baptists Approve Historic Budget, New President, Constitutional Change (Baptist Press)
 
2. Rice Says Southern Baptist Convention Leaves Orlando Convictional, Focused on Great Commission (The Christian Index)
 
3. ‘We Can’t Leave Them Behind’ says Disability Task Force Chairman Tom Stolle (Baptist Press)
 
4. Technology Is Fast, Sanctification Is Slow and Claude Can’t Do It For You (Tim Challies)
    
 
Thank you for reading. Please share it with pastors and other AMSs you believe would benefit.
 
To the praise of His glory,       
  
Ray
 

I also host the “SBCAL Podcast with Ray Gentry” each Tuesday morning.
]]><![CDATA[Associational Leaders Gather, Celebrate Growth; One of Five Things to Know This Week, June 11, 2026]]>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 11:50:18 GMThttps://www.drraygentry.com/blog/associational-leaders-gather-celebrate-growth-one-of-five-things-to-know-this-week-june-11-2026A Word to the Wise: Dr. Hance Dilbeck
People Will Hurt You.
People Will Help You.
People Will Be Your Primary Kingdom Contribution

Major Points from Dr. Hance Dilbeck’s message based on 2 Tim. 1:15-2:2 during the 2026 SBCAL Annual Conference
FIVE Things to Know This Week!
 
1. Associational Leaders Gather, Celebrate Growth (Baptist Press)
 
2. SBC Abuse Prevention & Response Launches Fortify Initiative to Equip Associations (Baptist Press)
 
3. Birmingham’s Chris Crain Named AMS of the Year by SBCAL (The Baptist Paper)
 
4. New Slate of SBC Officers Elected (The Baptist Paper)
 
5. Messengers Approve Mohler Amendment After Brief Discussion (The Baptist Paper/Illinois Baptist)

Thank you for reading. Please share it with pastors and other AMSs you believe would benefit.
 
To the praise of His glory,       
  
Ray
 
 
I also host the “SBCAL Podcast with Ray Gentry” each Tuesday morning.
]]><![CDATA[Considerations Before the SBC Annual Meeting in 2026; One of Four Things to Know This Week, June 4 2026]]>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 19:27:35 GMThttps://www.drraygentry.com/blog/considerations-before-the-sbc-annual-meeting-in-2026-one-of-four-things-to-know-this-week-june-4-2026A Word to the Wise:
​
A surprising number of leaders don’t listen to understand. They listen to disagree.
This approach to listening allows leaders to stand out for their expertise, intelligence, and conviction. Unfortunately, it also robs them of their ability to connect with and learn from others, making them susceptible to poor decisions, false assumptions, and untested viewpoints.
Simply stated, leaders who listen to disagree process information in order to discern difference. They don’t listen to understand the views of others. They listen to find discrepancy.
When curiosity, learning, and personal growth take a backseat to the goal of being the smartest person in the room, listening becomes a weapon, not a tool for shared understanding.
Maybe you know a leader who listens to disagree. Share this Field Note with them. But don’t be surprised if they argue against it while they are reading it.

Admired Leadership Field Notes, 5.29.26, Leaders Who Listen to Disagree

Four Things to Know This Week
 
1. First-Person: Considerations Before the SBC Annual Meeting in 2026 (Trevin Wax, Baptist Press)
 
2. Resolutions Committee Releases Slate for 2026 SBC Annual Meeting (Baptist Press)
 
3. The Root of Anxiety and How to Fight It (John Piper)
 
4. 9 Steps When You Can’t Figure Out God’s Will (Chuck Lawless)
 
 
Thank you for reading. Please share it with pastors and other AMSs you believe would benefit.
 
To the praise of His glory,       
  
Ray
 
 
I also host the “SBCAL Podcast with Ray Gentry” each Tuesday morning.
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