SBC 2011 made me very excited about the future of cooperative Missions in the SBC. I will not recount all the reasons; plenty have provided SBC reflections thus far that are worth reading and I would basically just repeat all of their ideas (links to those reflections are below). Though I will say, upon leaving this year’s convention, although there were a few silly moments, I came away excited because the major emphasis for the week was Mission. The dominant themes of this year’s convention were how to mobilize churches in working internationally with unengaged people groups (find out more about IMB’s Call2Embrace), and towards church planting in major population centers in North America (find out more about SendNA). Elliff, president of the IMB, said in his report that this whole convention has been “one long sermon” about engaging the unreached around the world. The Pastor’s Conference (Check out the sermons from the PC Here), led by Vance Pittman, also focused on these emphases. To commemorate this emphasis on Mission, both mission boards held commissioning services during their reports and it was a great privilege to see those who seek to plant churches nationally and internationally recognized before the gathered messengers. This is one of the major privileges we have as a convention—supporting men and women who are giving their lives over to God’s Mission.
In addition, this year’s SBC once again featured some outside meetings (like 9Marks @ 9 and our Baptist21 panel, that we hope was useful) during the downtimes of the convention business that were fruitful and opportunities to connect with like-minded brothers and sisters. All in all, it was an enjoyable and exciting few days.
So below, I would like to provide links to reflections of the week for further reading. But I also want to highlight two articles worth reading that have been written since our time together in Phoenix that will be very helpful for our readers concerned for the future of the SBC.
Reflections:
- Danny Akin’s Reflection, “Good Things Sometimes Come In Small Packages: Assessing The 2011 Southern Baptist Convention“
- Trevin Wax’s Reflection on the 2011 SBC
Articles of Note:
- One is Doug Baker’s Article, “One SBC: Slightly Divided”
- And the other is Jimmy Scroggins (pastor of FBC West Palm Beach and Panelist on last year’s B21 SBC Panel) article, “SBC May Be Smaller – And Better.” This article was published as an opinion piece in the Florida Baptist Witness – We post this article in full below:
We may have to admit it – the Southern Baptist Convention is getting smaller.
If you measure it in purely empirical terms, the SBC is in decline. We just finished gathering in Phoenix for our smallest annual meeting since World War II. Not only that, but almost all of our denominational statistics are headed downhill, from our cumulative baptisms to the number of regular attenders in our churches. And we have lower amounts being given to the Cooperative Program. Annie and Lottie are struggling. Not good.
And how about this newsflash – the SBC is probably already smaller than we care to admit. Kevin Ezell’s “you have heard it said, but I say to you” speech in Phoenix revealed that the North American Mission Board and its state convention partners had planted about half as many churches in 2010 as are normally claimed. The self-reported ACP numbers of our churches are also suspect. Those reports are available to the press, bloggers, and potential future employers of pastors. Does anyone doubt that pastors feel pressure to pad the stats? So the SBC isn’t just getting smaller – it is highly likely we already are smaller than we think.
Let’s face it – there are a lot of things against us as a denomination. The culture is becoming more hardened to the Gospel. The bad economy is hurting our people and our churches financially. We have 40-something thousand churches in the SBC, but we all know that many of those churches are very weak or dying.
And we are certainly an aging denomination. Our congregations are aging, as are many of our buildings, our programs, our strategies, and our most visible leaders. Many of the mega-churches that have been our flagships for the past 30 years have quietly plateaued. There are numerous non-denominational churches and mini-denominations that have sprung up in suburbia everywhere – younger, more agile, cooler, and basically baptistic but not in name or affiliation. These churches and organizations siphon off some of our best leaders and most faithful people. Sometimes it just seems like the SBC is tired.
In spite of our challenges, I have to say that I am more encouraged about our future as a missional enterprise than I have been my entire adult life. Our mini-meeting in Phoenix actually served to advance my growing optimism about the SBC. Here are some reasons why:
Church planting and unevangelized, unreached people groups are on the front burner in a fresh way. This is why I want my church to give to the CP. Our common commitment to the Great Commission and our shared strategy for pushing back lostness in cities and among peoples around the world is why the CP is the best place for churches to invest missions dollars.
Outstanding new leadership. New leadership at the Executive Committee, the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board are breathing new life and vision into our cooperative efforts. Our ability to select and attract Frank Page, Kevin Ezell, and Tom Elliff are a testimony to both the strength of our denominational talent pool and the wisdom of our trustee system.
Our commitment to expand beyond our “whiteness.” According to Ed Stetzer, head of LifeWay Research, by 2050 there will be no majority race in the United States. The demographics will push us beyond the rural, white South and into neighborhoods where we have previously been irrelevant. The affirmation of the Executive Committee report on ethnic diversity, passage of the resolution “On Immigration and the Gospel,” and the election of our first black vice president are positive steps.
The new movement among young leaders. Organized networks such as 9Marks and Baptist 21 are intentionally connecting and mobilizing young Southern Baptists. The church planting surge among Southern Baptists is being spearheaded by guys in their 20’s and 30’s. And don’t forget that the Conservative Resurgence was led by pastors in their 30’s and 40’s – Vines, Patterson, Hawkins, Stanley, Rogers and Pressler were young when they made their mark. This new youth movement has to happen or we are dead.
An explicitly competitive posture. The SBC and its agencies are repositioning themselves to compete in a world where other attractive opportunities for church cooperation abound. We are going to have to continually persuade new generations that the CP is the most effective place to invest missions dollars. The rising cohort of Southern Baptist churches and leaders will not cooperate out of loyalty or guilt. They will respond to compelling vision.
So what if at the end of all of these changes the SBC is still smaller? Smaller doesn’t have to equal decline in effectiveness. A leaner, younger, more agile, more focused, more diverse denomination will continue to make a huge impact for Christ. And I still believe that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We can do more for King Jesus together than any of us could do on our own. That is why I am more motivated than ever to participate in the Great Commission work of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Jimmy Scroggins is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in West Palm Beach. He was a member of the 2011 SBC Resolutions Committee.