Online Journal Launched as a Resource for Ministers

Jun 29, 2004 04:31 AM EDT

An online resource called “Kairos Journal” has been launched to provide pastors with articles on various topics to aid in their sermon preparation. The website was formally introduced to pastors at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Indianapolis earlier this month.

The online journal is a database of articles categorized as “Biblical Reference,” “Historical Precedents,” Quotations & Writings,” and “Current Trends.” There are currently over 600 articles compiled which can be searched through by entering keywords in the sites search engine. 10-15 articles are excepted to be added every week by the editorial team.

Among the Southern Baptist leaders who contributed to Kairos Journal include: Mark Coppenger, pastor of Evanston Baptist Church in Evanston, Ill., who serves as managing editor.; Doug Baker, a writer from Washington, D.C.; Greg Thornbury, assistant professor of Christian studies at Union University in Jackson, Tenn.; and Greg Gilbert, a student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.

Commenting on the purpose of the journal, Coppenger said that the journal has the ability to connect pastors with great Christian thinkers of the past.

"When you walk with [Jonathan] Edwards, when you walk with Polycarp ... you are ennobled," Coppenger said. "... To be able to walk with giants is a very stirring thing, and that is what we allow people to do."

C. Ben Mitchell, member of the Kairos editorial team and consultant for the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said, "There was a day in which when a pastor stood in the pulpit, what the pastor had to say made a difference in the community. There was a prophetic word for the culture. So Kairos Journal is a resource to provide pastors with tools they can use to help restore the prophetic role of the church."

The journal has received endorsements from many leaders such as R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Seminary; Kent Hughes, pastor of College Church in Wheaton, Ill.; David Dockery, president of Union University in Jackson, Tenn.; and Ligon Duncan, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Miss.

A Spanish version of the journal is currently under development and a Chinese version may also be expected to launch in the future.

Visit www.kairosjournal.org for more information.