This past week was the annual get together known as the South Carolina Southern Baptist Convention in Columbia. During this time messengers can come from every Southern Baptist church in South Carolina, though most choose not to participate. A Pastor's Conference featuring preaching on Monday is followed by basically a day and a half long business meeting with a few messages intermingled. Sounds thrilling, huh?
While tedious at times it is a necessary gathering to hash out the business for the coming year. Officers are elected, the budget discussed and other minor business matters are debated and settled. I'm not a big fan of business meetings but they must occur. So what was settled and what is our direction for the coming year?
My observations are as follows:
1) There is still a large albeit subtle age division in the SBC. The average age of the registered attendee at this convention was 50+ as very few younger people were present. I'm 46 and I was in the youngest 20% present. Young leaders are either turned off or disinterested because they feel ignored or unable to institute needed change. We elected Sonny Holmes as our president, who is around 60 years old. I pray he will reach out to the younger leaders. The younger generation must become engaged in the sometimes distasteful aspects of denominational politics. Is Holmes the man to begin this integration, we'll see. If we cannot unite generationally, our convention is destined to continue to slide into irrelevancy.
2) There is still much consternation over the Great Commission Resurgence passed at last springs national convention meeting. Some if not many are uncomfortable with this plan, but the agenda is settled. Discussion time is over and this is the direction we are heading. Our focus now needs to be HOW are we going to accomplish the goals set before us while maintaining the important ministries that could be affected by the coming changes. We have a target, but no clear road map right now. Personally, I feel our priorities need adjusting. I'm not sure how we will achieve a Great Commission Resurgence until we first have a Greatest Commandment Recovery. How can we spread the love and gospel of Jesus Christ if we do not first love Him with all of our heart? No method, program or institution can accomplish this apart from Him. As a denomination, we do not tithe; we do not take the gospel effectively outside the walls of our churches; we do not love others as ourselves. These are the obstacles that truly hinder us, not a legislative plan.
3) After speaking with numerous people from all areas of our state, the local church is in trouble. Many spoke of how churches were ready to close their doors due to a lack of funding and more importantly, members. Churches all across our state are simply not viable anymore. Am I distressed about this, I guess a little. But quite frankly, some churches need to close their doors. They will not close because of outside influences, but rather, they have committed suicide. Through divisions and disunity, selfishness and sedentary practices, God is simply removing their lampstands. I expect too see more and more of this, sadly.
4) Money and numbers. I realize the annual convention is mostly a business meeting, but as a convention, we are still far to focused on "nickles and noses." Intellectual honesty with ourselves is lacking. Our national convention numbers show us with nearly 17 million members, yet on any given Sunday less than 7 million attend church. The only reason I can see us trumpeting the 17 million number is for political clout. An organization claiming Christ that is so focused upon political change instead of spiritual is not being honest with itself.
So where are we going? Honestly, I'm not sure. I do know where the answer lies. John 15:5 tells us, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." Why are we struggling? Why are we not bearing the fruit we should? Why do we seem to rehash the same issues over and over? Well, "apart from Him," we can do nothing. How do we abide in Him? "Love the Lord God with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your mind and all of your strength;" and "love thy neighbor as yourself." The answer lies within us, and our willingness to "deny' ourselves, pick up our "cross," and "follow" Him. If we are not willing to do this, Jesus says we are "unworthy to be" His "disciple." Only true disciples of Christ can change our denomination and world. Are we willing?
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