For nearly a year a task force appointed by Southern Baptist Convention president Dr. Johnny Hunt has been working on a report that is supposed to be debated and voted upon at this years SBC Annual Meetings in Orlando, FL this June. This task force was given the responsibility of drafting a new vision to enable Southern Baptists to more effectively fulfill the "Great Commission" as given to us by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20. There has been a great deal of conversation since the task forces progress report was issued in February, and it is shaping up to be one of the most important meetings in SBC history next month. You can read the report for yourself at www.pray4gcr.com.
As I've stated before in regards to this topic I have found basically no one who does not believe that we as Southern Baptists need to make some changes. Some of the statistics revealed as part of this report are eye opening. Primarily to me, in the United States this past year we baptized 30,000 fewer people than we did in 1950, in spite of the fact we have 17,000 more SBC churches, many millions more church members and countless millions more citizens in the U.S. Their is no doubt we are becoming less and less relevant in our culture. The question we as Southern Baptists must now answer is why is this the case and is this report the beginning to answering that question.
I found no major changes to the path presented by the progress report in February and the final report a few days ago. This is the path the leadership of the SBC feels we should take, and that does carry some weight. What I've found though in soliciting opinion from all around the country is that the report leaves as many questions as it provides possible answers. As I stated last month, I feel this is going to be a very contentious meeting with clear divides already forming. I believe it is going to divide young against older, the large church against the small church, and state conventions against the national convention. My concern is that this will become a very political convention with whoever is best organized taking the day. A political meeting is the last thing we need. We do not need this report rammed through because one group is more organized or stopped because the other group is more organized. We need to be on our faces before God seeking His guidance in determining what is best for us and our convention.
Just to mention a few of the concerns being voiced across the country, some of the more major ones are: A fear from state conventions that far more financial and administrative burden will be placed upon them. The appearance of a major restructuring of NAMB that many feel is the first salvo in combining it with IMB. A large focus on money and the change that all giving through SBC agencies will now be counted toward a churches missional giving, with Cooperative Program giving being replaced by Great Comission giving; many feel this will give even more influence to larger churches. And IMB now having oversight over some missions in the United States via people groups they already minister to overseas.
Their is also alot to like in this report. Which is why I will pose this question. Is it an absolute necessity that this report be passed as is, or will their be room for sincere negotiation regarding some of the more controversial elements? Will each side be willing to compromise on some things? Their is alot of uncertainty in many areas of SBC life right now. We are going to be appointing new leaders for NAMB, IMB and the Executive Committee. Older, trusted hands are retiring and no one really knows who will fill these positions. If this report is passed as is it will lead to major structural changes, which always results in some angst. Finally, their is a lack of detail in how these changes will be carried out. The details were not the responsibility of the task force, let me make that clear. But if this is passed, the focus of how we are going to accomplish these goals will bring more and more questions.
It's going to be an interesting time this June when we gather together as Southern Baptists. Let us all be in prayer for a unity in Christ to cover this meeting, and for the fleshly attitudes all of us have sometimes to be quenched and lovingly rebuked. Let us pray this meeting is focussed on God's will for us, and not our will in how to do things. And let us be untited coming out of this meeting around Jesus as never before. For if we are not, and we leave with a wide gulf between us, the SBC is in for some very difficult times.
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