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Saturday June 20, 2009 ~ 7 Comments
I'm hoping. ;-) First, I do believe it will be a good convention. That is not to say that foolish things won't happen. They will. You can't get that many people together (even when we're trying to unite around the gospel) and not have a little drama. Someone will want to use the SBC to make their point, embarrass someone, or hurt a brother in the name of Christ. And, the media will be the media and it will make the national news. But, all in all, it will be a convention focused on the gospel, the Great Commission and Christian love. All the noise will not distract from the focus that Johnny Hunt, the pastors conference, and the overwhelming majority of Southern Baptist believe: we need to end the sniping and unite around the gospel. Second, the Great Commission Resurgence resolution will pass and Southern Baptists will be on record affirming methodological diversity (article 5). If only we would will listen to that call... Third, many people who love Jesus will be challenged that they are not reaching many for Him. (That is why I am SBC.) Fourth, the location in Louisville will help with attendance and it will be a little better than usual. Enough predictions. Here is my schedule if you want to connect: Friday Yesterday (yes, it started yesterday), I was one of the keynotes and also did breakout sessions for the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists. I spoke at the meeting two years ago so I was thrilled to be back. We share a common passion: the desire to see men and women come to faith in Jesus Christ. I will talk about cultural shifts and their impact on how we do evangelism. I will be coming back to preach at my church on Sunday. Monday On Monday, I will be preaching on being "Compelled by Love" to the SBC pastors conference. I was talking to Francis Chan a couple of weeks ago and told him he was the token non-SBC guy, but he and I, as well as Tom Elliff and Mike Landry, are speaking that morning. At 2p.m., I will be doing a book signing at the LifeWay store. Please come by so it is not just me and 2 purple-shirted LifeWay employees. Monday night I will be speaking to the editors of our state convention newspapers. I will be presenting new data and analysis of trends that continue to display the convention's decline (to those who have eyes to see).
Tuesday Tuesday around lunch time I will be part of a panel with Danny Akin, Mark Dever, Al Mohler, and others to talk about the future of the SBC. You can watch the video of that here. However, that meeting is already filled up. Tuesday night, we will have a reception with NAMB leadership to talk about the Task Force that I am co-chairing. Geoff Hammond and I met a week ago. He asked Steve Reid and me to co-chair this task force and look at how to best help the SBC to focus on the Great Commission. We will be dealing with how to help our churches see and engage North America as the mission field it really is. Details TBA but we will have a reception that evening. Let me add that this Task Force will be working in concert with our denominational partners and in conversation with Johnny Hunt, whose call for a Great Commission Resurgence helped inspire it. We will be looking at how NAMB, in its spheres of influence can be more effective (and help its partners do that same) as we work toward a resurgence in our convention. Wednesday I will begin the day questioning whether this SBC thing is a good thing or a bad thing. But, then, after a robust time alone with God and some exhortation from friends like Jerry Rankin, I will remember that we can do more together than we can alone, and I will press ahead believing that we can stop sniping and start cooperating around our common desire to focus on the Great Commission. All in all it should be a good time to catch up with some friends. I might even visit the business meeting a time or two. ;-) Tweetups I will do one and probably two "tweet ups" at the SBC. One is already set for 2:45pm on Tuesday. So, if you are there and want to visit, you might want to enable text messages. The Tuesday Tweetup would be a great time to get the new Financial Freedom resource that the Executive Committee and I partnered to produce and give away to churches.
Thursday Thursday I will be off to the Church of God, Tennessee camp meeting in Chattanooga where I will preach and tell my Pentecostal friends that Baptists are really great people. The Ad in SBC Life Almost forgot: I am prepared to be incessantly mocked for this over-the-top ad from our PR people.
For the record, it was not my idea. ;-) And I thought the "World Transforming" was going to be "Gospel-Centered." And they kept my smiling "fat" picture. Not complaining... just explaining. ;-) Bring it on, people. Posted on June 20, 2009 at 6:50 AM ~ 7 Comments Tagged with: convention, cooperation, sbc 7 CommentsLeave a comment |
  
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Look forward to seeing/hearing you on Thursday!
For those who can't attend the Baptist21 panel, we will be live blogging the event at news.sbts.edu (the new official news portal of Southern Seminary).
Garrett Wishall, Towers Editor, Southern Seminary
Where is the panel with Danny Akin, Mark Dever, Al Mohler,and you going to be held at on Monday? If there is any room at all I would love to come.
Ed, I am sure you are right when you say someone will want to use the SBC to make their point, embarrass someone, or hurt a brother in the name of Christ. I understand Roger Moran who is described by Paul Pressler as a hero of the conservative resurgence has already said Ed Stetzer has introduced the Emergent Church movement which is one of the most dangerous and deceptive movements to infiltrate the ranks of Southern Baptist life." He also said the movement doesn’t match their talk with a proper Christian lifestyle. Ed, if you’re not used to be attacked by these people be sure and watch your back.
". . . we need to end the sniping and unite around the gospel . . ." Which "we" is included in this statement?--The "we" which will be present during the annual meeting again this year, or the "we" which was left behind--and/or chose no longer to attend--from 1979 to today? There are many, many more "we" than may be intended by the "we" in this statement.
I hope your message and that of others along those lines goes far enough. If not, it would seem that more of the same convention-wise can be expected for the SBC and its future. WE can't continue to split the family BUT expect God to bless efforts to spread the "good news."
I think current SBC leadership at all levels has given up on the accumulated "we" excluded since 1979, and it doesn't really care if those folks ever come back. And the "we" has moved on, taking their resources with them--proving that we need each other, not for sharing a theology, but primarily for sharing manpower/money as passionate congregations on-mission with God in order to carry out an effort to evangelize the world.
Real revival: desperately needed in this spiritual family, as evidenced among us by what we've done to each other for at least 30 full years now (despite EVERYTHING present/former SBC leaders will say about the alleged need for a conservative resurgence).
You are a HOOT! Thanks for keeping it real.
Hey Ed!
Look forward to seeing you on Thursday in Chattanooga. I met you last time you were here in Ctown (you actually sat by me for lunch). I'm from The Springs, and I think a few more of our staff members are going to come too!
Danny