On Thursday October 22nd at 10:00 am, Southern Seminary will be hosting a panel discussion titled “Southern Baptists and the Great Commission Resurgence” during chapel. At the request of Dr. Albert Mohler, Baptist21’s very own Jonathan Akin and Nick Moore will be on the panel representing younger pastors in the SBC. Other panelists include Dr. Chuck Lawless, Dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions and Evangelism at Southern and Dr. Russell Moore, Senior Vice President for Academic Administration and Dean of the School of Theology at Southern. Dr. Mohler will be moderating the panel discussion.
We want to encourage every pastor and seminary student who is in the Louisville area to make this chapel service a priority. For those of you who cannot attend, you can live stream the Southern Chapel services at www.sbts.edu. Jon and Nick, along with the rest of the panel will address important issues about the future of the Southern Baptist Convention. We are grateful to Dr. Mohler for allowing us to be apart of the conversation, and our hope is that in a small way this panel will further the conversation about change within the SBC. Please pray for the panelists and ask God to grant them grace and wisdom.
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I just listened to the podcast of the GCR discussion at the Chapel of Southern Seminary.
I think the elephant in the room that is going to have to be addressed is going to surface “up close and personal” next week when the CGR task force has a discussion with over 20 state execs in Dallas.
I think whatever happens in Dallas next week is going to be pivotal in setting the direction that the CGR task force takes from now until Orlando.
Assuming the state conventions significantly cut back their “diversion” of CP funds then the $1 million question is “what is going to happen to the schools, children’s homes, and camps, that are currently subsidized by the state conventions”. Can all these operations be financed using user fees and/or some type of giving structure/endowments outside of CP dollars?
What would happen if states didn’t have people on the payroll:
(a) publishing the state paper and website,
(b) running the youth camps,
(c) being evangelism specialists,
(d) running men’s ministries and family ministries,
(e) interfacing with hundreds of churches and scores of associations,
(f) filling out the annual church profile and dealing with the financial flows between all the churches and the exec committee,
(g) heading up state choirs and music conferences,
(h) running the children’s homes?
I honestly can’t come to grips with this.
Roger Simpson
Oklahoma City OK
Roger,
thank you for taking the time to raise your concerns. I realize there is much concern about this and wrestling to be done with what it all means.
I understand the struggle here. There are going to be some important and tough questions that State Conventions are going to need to start asking. However, I think, as was brought up yesterday at the panel, that these tough questions will need to be asked at all levels, starting with us as individuals. These tough questions were going to be raised eventually regardless of the GCRTF, but the GCR raised them more quickly. These questions will need to be answered regardless of what happens in Orlando. Especially in the economic climate we find ourselves in, individuals and churches are having to simplify and make cuts and prioritize best things over good things they have always done. Seminaries have had to do the same (and make cuts). We all need to ask these questions, and they will NOT be easy to answer.
These will be difficult things to come to grips with. Yet, many are also saying that what they can’t come to grips with is half the world having little or no access to the gospel.
This means that I personally am going to have to make some tough decisions if I am going to prioritize the Great Commission. It means my church will have to make some tough decisions, when churches keep well over 90% of their budget right there in their church and send pennies on to missions work around the world.
We are going to have to count the cost! This will mean struggling and wrestling. I think asking these questions though are healthy!
Thanks for raising your concerns. There is much work to be done, and we are all (hopefully) trying to figure out the best way to do it in honor of the King.
Jon
Jon, You said , “These will be difficult things to come to grips with. Yet, many are also saying that what they can’t come to grips with is half the world having little or no access to the gospel.”
“It means my church will have to make some tough decisions, when churches keep well over 90% of their budget right there in their church and send pennies on to missions work around the world.”
Bingo, a man after my own heart. I do not want to stand before Jesus trying to explain why my church spent tons of $$$ on some fun activity or unnecessary project when billions have zero access to the gospel. To quote a friend “They could walk for days and weeks and Never find a person to tell them about Jesus in their language.” Press on guys !
Yea, I just want to echo my brother Ken… We have got to have the Gospel as the center driving force of all that we do.
Jon,
I appreciated your thoughts and concerns during the panel discussion. I too, am somewhat disenchanted by the current allocation of funds moving through the CP. After having worked alongside a state convention at a close level, I am still not sure what effective ministry is going on. I know this sounds harsh and judgmental, but it’s true. Most of our state conventions have immense payrolls with not so immense fruit. I am not “picking” on our state conventions, I just feel that it is the most antiquated form of SBC life around. Technology and travel have allowed the regional or national Christian conference to replace much of the ministry formerly done at the state level. I do not doubt the sincerity and passion of individuals serving at the state level, however I do seriously doubt the timeliness of the organizational structure.
my question is do states need a bunch of “specialists” on staff? youth speciallists, evangelism specialist, and the list goes on…what ever happened to the local church? the life on life discipleship that needs to happen and no specialist is necessary. i think there are a lot of things roger listed above that simply are not necessary but are luxery items. i think we are conferenced out, we have conferences for everything…what if people just simply read the word, listened to the Spirit and obeyed it. i’m no pro, i’m just a seminary student, i have no senior pastoral experience, i might even be wrong in my thinking but we at lest need to ask these questions.