Initial Response to SATF Report for the SBC

Yesterday, the report from Guidepost Solutions was released. This was a report that was called for by the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention in June 2021 (of whom I was one). This report was intended to look into how allegations of sexual abuse within local churches were handled when reported to the Executive Committee of the SBC from January 2000 to June 2021.

I knew that this report would be a tough one to read. With our sinful natures, you are going to find “skeletons” in the closet when you go looking. As I’ve been reading through this report, I am heartbroken over what I have read thus far (the report is close to 300 pages). The way in which survivors of abuse have been treated by some in the SBC is sickening. From what I gather from the report, the main reason for not dealing with these things in a more head-on manner was the fear of lawsuits. The fear of a lawsuit??? Are you kidding me??? Some leaders in the SBC that I had looked up to have conducted themselves in anything but a Christ-honoring manner.

The thing that keeps turning my stomach is that as messengers were told that creating and maintaining a database of offenders to warn churches about was difficult to do and possibly a liability, this very database was being kept behind closed doors. Sickening.

I am still working through this report so that I can make an informed decision as to what I, my family, and the church that I lead are to do. I will be in Anaheim, CA this coming June as a part of the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. With all of the items that were on the agenda to deal with, how the SBC moves forward concerning this report and its recommendations sets at the top of the priority list. Certain leaders of the SBC dropped the ball big time, but that doesn’t mean that we cannot do what is right now. I truly believe that the next steps taken will determine the effectiveness and lifespan of the SBC.

I would encourage all SBC churches to send messengers to the annual meeting. I know that it is not cheap to make this trip and time is precious, but some of the changes that need to happen come from those messengers who show up to the annual meeting and vote – this is how this report got done last year. I would encourage all members of SBC churches to take the time to read through this report from Guidepost Solutions. See the reality of what has been and the urgency of what needs to change. I would also encourage everyone to pray for three specific things:

• the survivors of abuse who have had to fight a needless battle
• those who have been involved in abusing or covering up – that they would confess and repent
• the current leadership of the SBC – that they would have the courage to do what is right

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Thoughts About the SBC 2018

Last week was the Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas, TX.  This is the annual meeting where messengers from Southern Baptist churches from around the world come together for a time of encouragement and to handle business for the denomination.

This was the third annual meeting that I have had the opportunity to take part.  I knew that there were going to be some interesting moments (as there usually is), but I did not think that there would be as many fireworks as there were.

I thought that I would take a moment and share some highlights that I took away from the SBC 2018 in Dallas, TX.

New President Elected

Every year, the SBC elects a president to represent the denomination and perform other duties.  One of the most important tasks that this person has is to appoint members to various committees within the denomination.  These members will help lead the different entities during the year.

J.D. Greear was elected by an overwhelming margin as the new SBC President.  Greear is the Pastor of the Summit Church in North Carolina.  He is one of the youngest Presidents of the SBC which I think is an important factor.  Greear has led Summit Church to be an on-mission church sending more than 150 of its members to the mission field through the International Mission Board.

I strongly believe that this was a much-needed thing to happen for the SBC.  For far too long, the SBC has been seen as a denomination of “old, white guys”.  Many have thought that the SBC has been out of touch with reality.  I’ve heard it said that if the 1950s ever came back in style, much of the SBC would then be “cutting edge.”  I’m not sure how much I agree with that as I hear more and more that are making great impacts on the context where God has planted them.

As a younger pastor myself (39 years old currently), I have seen it many times where the “older guard” simply looks at us younger guys as second class.  It is time for the torch to be passed.  If the mentoring of the older generations towards younger generations has been what it should be, then many of us younger ones are ready to take the torch and run ahead.

I’m excited to see how J.D. Greear will lead our denomination.  If the Summit Church is any indication, then we have some really good times ahead.

Issues of Injustice on the Forefront

Every year at the Southern Baptist Convention, there are resolutions that are presented and voted on.  These are statements that we affirm and hopefully put into practice as Southern Baptists in our local contexts.

This year at the Southern Baptist Convention, there were 16 resolutions that were affirmed by the messengers.  Many of these dealt with injustices that have been in the limelight lately.  You can view each of the resolutions by clicking here.

The weeks leading up to this year’s annual meeting were laden with controversies of various kinds.  There was the resignation of the Executive Committee President because of a “moral failing”,  the removal of a seminary President, the dismissal of a Georgia church over racism, and more.

With all of this stuff swirling in the wind, the need for the SBC to make a strong, clear stand on these issues was vital.  I believe that the resolutions are a good start.  The real work will begin when we take the words of these resolutions and put them into our everyday practice.

Special Guest: VP Mike Pence

Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention got a surprise when a special guest speaker was announced would speak to the denomination.  That guest speaker would be the current Vice President of the United States, Mike Pence.

This news created a buzz around the convention center.  There were those who were excited about having a sitting Vice President speak.  There were those who were not so excited about the event.

I greatly respect our Vice President.  I believe that he is a God-fearing man.  I appreciate the stands that he has taken on certain points.  With that said, I was in the crowd that thought it was not good that he speak at the annual meeting.  I thought this for a couple of reasons.

First, I believed that this was more of a distraction from what we were there to do.  The presence of the VP created such a whirlwind that it made it difficult for the messengers to actually take care of the business that their respective churches sent them to Dallas to do.

Second, I believe that it put forth a picture that many in the SBC have been trying to do away with for some time.  There are those who see the SBC as nothing more than an extension of the Republican political party.  That should not be the case at all.  We are representatives of Jesus’ Kingdom, not an American political party.  I wonder if someone from the previous administration (Democratic party) would have been welcomed so eagerly.

Third, I was afraid that it would turn into a campaign speech – which many think that it did.  The annual meeting of the SBC is no place for political speeches.  As I heard the Vice President go on for over 30 minutes, it was primarily about what the administration had done and how it works together with the SBC.  Honestly, it made my stomach turn a little.  It is not an issue of being anti-Republican.  I do not think that there should be political speeches from any political party at the annual meeting.  The messengers were not sent there to be part of political rallies… we were sent there to do Great Commission business.

79 Missionaries Commissioned

This was the highlight of the entire annual meeting.  Tuesday night, 79 missionaries were commissioned to service by the International Mission Board.

79 people sent out to take the gospel to those who have not responded to it yet… some who have never even heard of Jesus before.

This is what the SBC is supposed to be about.  Various churches pooling their resources together to do what no one church can do by themselves.  This is one big reason why I am part of the SBC.

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The SBC and a Giant Cow

Our family returned the other day from the Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis, MO. This was the first year that we took the whole family. We decided that it would be good for our boys to come along and experience the big annual meeting Of our denomination.

We noticed that there would be a camp-like event taking place during the time of the Pastor’s Conference and the Convention itself. We figured we would give it a try.

This event was hosted by Giant Cow Ministries.

I just wanted to say that our boys (ages 4, 6, and 8) had an amazing time at this event. They have not stopped talking about the games, music, and missionaries that they heard from.

I am so grateful to the people at Giant Cow Ministries and the SBC for having this wonderful and inspiring event for our children. I highly recommend these folks at Giant Cow Ministries.

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2016 Southern Baptist Convention Day 2

 The Southern Baptist Convention finished up today in St. Louis. Honestly, the final session is going while I write out this post. There are some great things that took place today. Most of these things will be overshadowed by one event. 
There was a close race as to who would lead the Southern Baptist denomination going forward. This race was coming down to J.D. Greear and Steve Gaines. Today, when the messengers of the SBC gathered together for a record third vote, something amazing happened. J.D. Greear stood and announced that he was stepping down so that there would not be a divided denomination going forward. You can read more about this from Greear here.

I know that many younger adults were here at the Southern Baptist Convention looking to see what the future is and if there is a place for them in it. I honestly believe that J.D. Greear with his actions and the way he handled it just bought the SBC a few more years with Millenials. 

I know that many other things have taken place on this day. The reports from NAMB and IMB were simply amazing and so encouraging about what lies ahead in mission work. 

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2016 Southern Baptist Convention Day 1

The Southern Baptist Convention started its annual meeting today in St. Louis. This was the forest of the 2-day event where the Southern Baptist denomination meets together and takes care of needed business. Below are some of the thoughts I had about it coming out of Day 1.

• Tight race for SBC President.  Three men were nominated to lead our denomination for the next two years: David Crosby (Pastor of FBC New Orleans, LA), Steve Gaines (Pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN), and J.D. Greear (Pastor of Summit Church in Raleigh- Durham, NC).  After two different votes, a 50% majority was not reached by a candidate. There will be a third vote Wednesday morning. I think this is showing the impact of this decision. What direction will the SBC go from here? Will it look much the same as it has? Will there be a new day where some different approaches are used to accomplish the Great Commission?
• No symbol is more important than a soul. There was a resolution on the floor to be voted on by the SBC that strongly encouraged people to not participate in flying the Confederate Battle flag because of the symbol of hatred that it has been known for. I know that there are various opinions about this matter. I know that not all people who have this flag are racist or hate-filled. You cannot argue thought that when most people see that flag, their thoughts are not good… usually has something to do with white sheets and secret meetings. I think that what one messenger said sums up the reality of it all. He said something along the lines of “no amount of flags are more important than the soul of a person.” If that symbol creates an unnecessary barrier to a person sharing or hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ, then it needs to go. (The resolution passed.)

These were some of the thoughts that I walked away today with. I hate that I missed the prayer service tonight, but the kiddos – who have been troopers this week – were in major need of some rest, so we turned in early.

Please pray for the Southern Baptist Convention as it winds up tomorrow. Pray that good decisions will be made. Pray that we might have a spirit of unity. 

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Great Missional Message from the Southern Baptist Convention

This past week was the Southern Baptist Convention.  This was the annual meeting of Southern Baptists to worship together and deal with issues within the denomination.  David Platt, senior pastor of The Church at Brook Hills here in Birmingham, Alabama, presented a great message.  I was not able to be in Phoenix for the Convention, but I was able to watch online (gotta love today's technology).  Below is the video from the message.

http://mediasuite.316networks.com/player.php?v=vys2701i

You can see all the videos of what went on at this year's Southern Baptist Convention by going to www.sbc.net and clicking on the top banner which will take you to the different videos.  You can also see the videos from the Aspire Pastor's Conference at the link http://www.sbcpc.net/media/.

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Church Membership: Outdated?

In my last post, I talked about the decline in church membership among the Southern Baptist Convention.  As an article in USA Today recently stated, church membership has dropped for the fourth consecutive year.  This is not a good trend for the SBC.

I have had different thoughts about church membership over my few years.  I became a member of a Southern Baptist Church at the age of 15.  I wasn't sure what that meant.  I had made a public profession of faith and was to be baptized.  After that, I didn't have much a clue as to what it meant to be a church member.  I thought that it was just your card to say that you worshiped at that particular church.  As I began working in church ministry, I began to see that there was supposed to be much more to this thing called church membership.  It was to be much more than just saying I go to "this church".

As a 30-something myself, I see that my generation is looking for more than just filling a pew.  Our generation is one that wants to make a difference in the world.  We know that our resources are limited and that we cannot waste time with things that will not accomplish goals that we set out.  Sadly, to many church membership seems to be outdated.

I strongly believe that church membership is anything but outdated.  Jonathan Leeman wrote a great article about 12 Reasons Why Church Membership Matters.  I would encourage you to take a look at it.  Church membership is a key element in the work of the local church.  It is the most evident way that we can show others who we belong to (Jesus) and what we believe.

In my next post, I will talk about little about some things that I think that we can do to see a turn around in this negative trend that we find ourselves in with the decline in church membership among the Southern Baptist Convention.  Feel free to leave a comment because I love to hear other people's thoughts.

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Thoughts on SBC Church Membership Decline

I came across an article on USA Today about the declining numbers across the Southern Baptist Convention (the denomination of which I am part). You can see the article for yourself by clicking here.  It was a pretty good article other than the part where the writer calls Ed Stetzer and Thom Rainer both the President of Lifeway Christian Resources.

I agree with a point made by Ed Stetzer that many Southern Baptists have lost a passion for evangelism.  One reason that church membership has dropped is that those who are members do not share their faith with friends, family, co-workers, or neighbors like they once did.  If there is no sharing of the Gospel, there sure won't be any receiving of the Gospel and people joining churches to work together for God's Kingdom.

I think that there might be another reason for the decline in church membership within the Southern Baptist Convention.  The need to reevaluate church membership in the local church (or the refusal to reevaluate church membership) could be a huge deterrent for having people join a SBC church.  If church membership doesn't mean much (a topic I look to blog about this week), then today's generation of young adults aren't going to sign up.

There's no doubt that something has to turn around.  If we are going to see people come to faith in Christ and obey Him in working together with other believers in the context of a local church, then we got some work to do.

What are your thoughts about the current trends of church membership, baptisms, etc within the Southern Baptist Convention?

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