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5 Facts About the Southern Baptist Convention

on June 16, 2016

1. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), a name which refers to both the annual two-day convention and the decentralized organization comprised of 46,793 local churches and 15.3 million members, is a network of autonomous churches voluntarily banded together at state, regional and national levels to engage in missions and ministry activities designed to fulfill the Great Commission (Matt 28:19-20). Each church in the SBC is an independent, self-governing local congregation of baptized believers that makes their own decisions on staffing, budget, programs, etc.

2. In 1814, Baptist churches in the U.S. joined together to create the General Missionary Convention of the Baptist Denomination. By 1845, the churches were divided over the issue of slavery. As church historian Miles Mullin explains, Baptists in the Southern U.S. states desired to make slavery a non-issue, while abolitionist forces in the North (and among northern Baptists) desired the convention to take a moral stand against it. The following year group of representatives from Southern churches created a new denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention.

3. In 1995, on the denomination’s 150th anniversary, the Convention voted to adopt aresolution on racial reconciliation that apologized for racism in its history, for condoning and perpetuating individual and systemic racism, and committed to eradicate racism in all its forms from Southern Baptist life and ministry. At its annual convention in 2012, the SBC elected as president Fred Luter Jr., the first African American to hold the position.

4. The SBC is directed by representatives of Southern Baptist churches, called “messengers.” Each church is allowed to send two messengers from each cooperating church to the annual meeting (and up to 10 based on other conditions). The messengers meet once a year for two days to adopt a unified missions and ministry budget called the Cooperative Program allocation budget, elect trustees to oversee the ministry entities of the Convention, receive reports from the SBC entities, vote on new resolutions and transact the other business of the Convention.

5. Along with the autonomous churches, the SBC is comprised of the following entities: six seminaries; an International Mission Board, which sends and supports missionaries all over the world; an Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, providing resources and leadership on ethical issues and public policy; Guidestone Financial Resources providing financial planning, insurance, and annuities for church and denomination staff members; a North American Mission Board, supporting the state conventions in evangelism, missions, and ministry, such as disaster relief; the Women’s Missionary Union, which serves as an auxiliary in promoting missions; LifeWay Christian Resources, the SBC publishing house; and an Executive Committee coordinating the day-to-day functions of the SBC.

In categories Recent Articles, Southern Baptist Convention

First Person: The SBC and our future – Ronnie Floyd

By Jon Olsen

on June 9, 2016

by Ronnie Floyd,

The future of Southern Baptist Convention is on my heart this week. Perhaps now, days away from the conclusion of my two-year presidency, my feelings may lean toward being a little nostalgic.

What will our future look like? If Jesus tarries His coming, how long will our convention of churches last? Only God knows the answer to these and more questions when we think about our future together.

Who Do We Want to Be in the Future?

This should be a concern for all of us, and we should never minimize this issue: Who do we want to be in the future?

I recently heard a major political leader say that during the decision-making process, he keeps in mind that “Every step is a forward-moving step.”

The same is true for the future of our Southern Baptist Convention. Every step we make needs to move us forward. Nothing moves fast in a major government or a convention of churches. Checks and balances are provided at many levels. At times these may appear to bind us, but in reality, they protect us in the long term.

I want to suggest some steps that will always keep us moving forward. Perhaps these steps could be more properly called axioms, which are principles or self-evident truths that are widely accepted among us. Who do we want to be in the future?

1. A Bible-believing Southern Baptist Convention

While this may currently be part of our identity, the reality is that the culture mocks the authority of the Bible in 2016 and beyond.

Our pastors and churches are navigating in a world unlike anything we have experienced before. Our leadership with our laypeople and one another is critical in this hour. Whatever step we take in our decision-making, we must always do so believing the Bible is infallible, trustworthy, sufficient, and inerrant, progressing toward the goal set before us.

2. A Gospel-advancing Southern Baptist Convention

In this diverse, complex season in American life and in the evangelical world, there really is only one passion that keeps us tied together: Advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire nation and world.

Our pastors, churches, and convention leaders must dig deep and find a way to experience a rebirth of sharing the gospel personally and a renewal of our priority to evangelize the towns and cities of America, and simultaneously extend the gospel globally.

We cannot retreat from this calling, but must renew our commitment to such a point that we act upon it urgently, personally, collectively, cooperatively, and aggressively.

3. A Leader-developing Southern Baptist Convention

In order for us to live out Ephesians 4:12, “For the training of the saints in the work of ministry to build up the body of Christ,” every member in the body of Christ must be developed to do the work of the ministry in and through the local church. Until our local churches return to our members owning the ministry and personalizing the Great Commission locally, we will not seize this opportunity before us.

While our six seminaries are developing just over 20,000 seminary students in their various locations, their robust effort must continue forward for God’s glory. This is one of our most encouraging dynamics in Baptist life. This indicates a hope that perhaps God is preparing His called servants to impact our nation and the globe in an unprecedented way.

4. A Multi-ethnic, Multi-lingual Southern Baptist Convention

Strengthening our commitment to becoming a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual denomination begins in the local churches of the Southern Baptist Convention. In other words, this is a local church issue more than a Southern Baptist Convention issue. The Southern Baptist Convention will mirror our churches.

If our churches are going to reach the towns and cities of America with the gospel, each church must become committed to reach people that comprise their community, including those of unique ethnicity and may speak a language other than English.

The North American Mission Board informed Southern Baptists that fifty-eight percent of the churches planted one year ago are non-white churches. In the past two years, with the appointments I am permitted to make as president of our convention, we are at the highest percentage of appointments of non-white Baptists in our history. Additionally, in last year’s National Call to Prayer and with this year’s National Conversation on Racial Unity in America, the Southern Baptist Convention is making great strides in this conversation and will continue to do so. But let me remind you, the key is what is happening in our churches.

5. A Local Church-centered Southern Baptist Convention

The Southern Baptist Convention is not centered on our SBC national entities, state conventions, or regional associations; we are to be centered on helping our churches. These entities, conventions, and associations exist for one purpose alone: for our churches. Their role is to assist our churches to carry out their God-assigned, God-anointed task of reaching the world for Christ. Otherwise, they have no reason to exist.

Southern Baptists are always at our best when our churches are being assisted and equipped, and our pastors are leading not just their churches, but in their beloved Southern Baptist Convention.

6. A Generously-giving Southern Baptist Convention

Southern Baptists have been able to do what we do for one reason alone: Our churches are generous in giving through the Cooperative Program and to our mission offerings. We do not need to minimize what our churches are doing already and have done together historically.

While generosity must continue to grow, money usually follows vision and the unity of our fellowship together.

7. A People-loving Southern Baptist Convention

Southern Baptists are not perfect, especially in our testimony together in fellowship, but we must not neglect our need to be a people-loving convention. Right now in these socially uncertain waters in America, we face an ongoing threat of being pulled into an ocean of skepticism, criticism, and cynicism toward not just people in America, but even more sadly, one another.

Southern Baptists should want to be known for being a people-loving convention, both within our family and outside of our family. Jesus calls us to love one another.

Who We Do Not Want to Be

Daily, we face the ongoing tension between who we want to be in the future versus who we do not want to be in the future. I have encouraged us to make great choices about who we want to be in the future.

Briefly, I want to declare who we do not want to be in the future:

We do not want to be a convention that questions or denies the Holy Scripture and its ongoing authority until Jesus comes again.
We do not want to be a convention that minimizes evangelism locally, regionally and nationally, or we will become a convention that does not advance the gospel globally. If we lose evangelism as our priority, we will soon cease to have a convention.
We do not want to be a convention that demeans the role of laypersons in our churches and minimizes the ministry of equipping from the local church to the convention level.
We do not want to be a convention comprised of only Anglo/white churches, or we will soon be dead and irrelevant to our culture.
We do not want to be a convention centered on ourselves, our structures, and our systems, or we will float away on the seas of selfishness.
We do not want to be a convention that is comprised of selfish non-giving Christians and self-serving churches or we will cease being able to finance our work together statewide, nationally, and internationally.
We do not want to be a convention that erodes relationships with each other and other evangelicals through constant, ongoing skepticism, un-Christian criticism, and unattractive cynicism.

I call our pastors, churches, and convention leaders to a higher life and a greater level of leadership in the times in which we live today.

In 2016, we need leaders to rise up as modern men and women of Issachar, “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” (1 Chronicles 12:32)

Now is the Time to Lead,
Ronnie W. Floyd

Dr. Ronnie Floyd is currently serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention.

In categories Editorial, News, Ronnie Floyd, SBC Annual Meeting, Southern Baptist Convention

Women’s roles in SBC focus of advisory council

By Jon Olsen

on April 25, 2016

by Baptist Press Staff

ATLANTA (BP) — A diverse group of 18 women is studying the perspectives and strategies women in Southern Baptist churches bring to the God-given task of fulfilling the Great Commission.

They comprise the Women’s Ministry Advisory Council appointed by Frank S. Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee. The council joins a list of advisory councils Page has appointed to provide insight into the needs, desires and goals of the many groups represented in SBC life.

“We are excited about encouraging our leaders in women’s ministries across our convention,” Page said when he announced plans to form the council. “Women, we appreciate you, and you are not alone!

“In each [advisory council] meeting, we have sought to educate and encourage various demographic subsets about the ‘proven and effective cooperative framework’ of our Southern Baptist Convention, foster open dialogue, and instill the essence of any and all concerns,” Page said. “We have sought to encourage confidence in the SBC way of doing missions.”

Advisory council member Chris Adams, senior lead women’s ministry specialist with LifeWay Christian Resources and a member of Long Hollow Baptist Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., praised Page’s efforts.

“Many women in Southern Baptist churches do not feel valued as leaders though they want to make a Kingdom difference,” she noted at the advisory council’s first meeting. “The fact that the SBC Executive Committee has asked about women in our churches is huge. Thank you for affirming the value of women and encouraging the use of our spiritual gifts in ministry.”

Rhonda Kelley, an adjunct professor of women’s ministry at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary where her husband Chuck Kelley is president, chairs the council.

“While the SBC has always valued the worth of women and followed the biblical guidelines for female roles in the church,” Rhonda Kelley said of the group, “there is a sincere desire to increase the involvement of Southern Baptist women in biblically appropriate ways at all levels of the convention and to provide the support services to maximize their service.”

Kelley, a member of First Baptist Church in New Orleans, referenced LifeWay Research indicating women comprise about 52 percent of church congregations. Historically, she said, women have often been the majority in church attendance and in participation in service projects.

Southern Baptist women are encouraged to participate in the advisory council’s online survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/SouthernBaptistWomen. In addition, comments may be emailed to sbwomen@sbc.net.

Kelley described input from women across the SBC as “essential for the task force to complete its important assignment.”

The advisory council will work throughout 2016 and present its findings to Page in an official report, expected to focus on ways to increase women’s participation in church and SBC life. The inaugural meeting was held Jan. 7-8 in Atlanta, convened by Ken Weathersby, SBC Executive Committee vice president for convention advancement.

Questions considered by the council at the first meeting centered on the ministries, training and resources the SBC provides for women; effective evangelistic methods and resources in reaching women with the Gospel; any additional support women might need from the SBC, and recommendations regarding women’s ministry to be made to the SBC Executive Committee.

Women’s Ministry Advisory Council members in attendance at the inaugural meeting are, seated left to right, Chris Adams, Rhonda Kelley, Rhonda Rhea and Ana Melendez; and standing left to right, Jacqueline “Jacki” Anderson, Brandi Biesiadecki, Lourdes Fernandez, Elizabeth Luter, Trillia Newbell, Davee Ly, Candi Finch, Tabitha Barnette and Ashley Unzicker. They are joined by Frank S. Page. Photo by Roger S. Oldham

Women from 14 states comprise the council, representing different age groups, stages of life, ethnic backgrounds, and ministry positions.

Joining Kelley and Adams are:

Jacqueline “Jacki” Anderson, pastor’s wife, Women in Ministry director and executive assistant, Colonial Baptist Church, Randallstown, Md.;

Tabitha Barnette, pastor’s wife and speaker, Peace Baptist Church, Decatur, Ga.;

Brandi Biesiadecki, pastor’s wife, writer, speaker and women’s minister, First Baptist Church, Bartlesville, Okla.;

Linda Cooper, Woman’s Missionary Union president and a member of Forest Park Baptist Church, Bowling Green, Ky.;

Lourdes Fernandez, an attorney and a member of Riverside Baptist Church, Miami;

Candi Finch, professor of theology in Women’s Studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a member of Hope Church, Fort Worth, Texas;

Ann Iorg, wife of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary President Jeff Iorg and a member of First Baptist Church, San Francisco;

Elizabeth Luter, wife of Southern Baptist Convention immediate past president Fred Luter and Women’s Ministries director of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans;

Davee Ly, pastor’s wife, school teacher, speaker and Sunday School director at First Hmong Baptist Church, Morganton, N.C.;

Ana Melendez, Hispanic State Women’s consultant and a member of Iglesia Cristo Es Rey, Bolingbrook, Ill.;

Mary Mohler, wife of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler and a member of Third Avenue Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky.;

Trillia Newbell, director of Community Outreach for the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and a member of Redemption City Church, Franklin, Tenn.;

Rhonda Rhea, pastor’s wife, columnist and speaker, and a member of First Baptist Church, Troy, Mo.;

Myra Sermon, registered nurse and nursing consultant, and a Sunday School teacher at Grace Filipino Church, Woodbridge, Va.;

Ashley Unzicker, church history songwriter, rapper, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary student, and a member of The Summit Church, Durham, N.C.;

Angela Um, founder and CEO of Boston Academic Consulting Group, and wife of the pastor of Antioch Baptist Church, Cambridge, Mass.

Compiled by Diana Chandler, Baptist Press’ general assignment writer/editor, from a report in the Spring, 2016 issue of SBC LIFE, the journal of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com).
Baptist Press (BP) is the official news service of the Southern Baptist Convention and provides news to the 42 state Baptist papers. BP reports on missions, ministry and witness advanced through the Cooperative Program and on news related to Southern Baptists’ concerns nationally and globally.

In categories News, Southern Baptist Convention, Women's Ministry

Important things happening now to prepare for the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention #SBC16

By Jon Olsen

on February 22, 2016

By Ronnie Floyd

Significant actions are taking place right now for our upcoming 2016 Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 14-15. Permit me to give you a briefing today.

Online registration is open

Online registration is open for the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention. You can begin registering messengers from your church today at SBCAnnualMeeting.net. This website also answers all your questions about becoming a messenger to the Southern Baptist Convention.

SBC #-2 Anyone can attend the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention

While our convention does have elected messengers from our churches, anyone can attend a Southern Baptist Convention gathering. You can come and attend everything, even if you are not a messenger. Please join us even if your church has its messenger capacity filled.

SBC #-3 Crossover St. Louis needs you and your church’s assistance

The week before the Southern Baptist Convention, but especially on Saturday, June 11, our convention has many people volunteer, making an investment in personal ministry throughout metro St. Louis, on both sides of the river.

Please go here to find out more about Crossover 2016. Please pray for Jim Breeden and his team from the St. Louis Metro Baptist Association who are making this a fantastic experience. This association is comprised of 150 cooperating churches in a region of 2.7 million people. We have a need for 2,500 volunteers to come and help these churches in 75 different projects. Contact them today.

SBC #-4 Final decisions are being made

We are making final decisions now in relationship to our convention program. While we have much already completed, there are so many more decisions that must be made. Please pray for us.

SBC #-5 Committee on Resolutions is almost completed

Within the next several weeks, I will release names of the ten persons who will serve on our 2016 Committee on Resolutions. This is a very important committee. There are many pieces that complete this puzzle, by-laws to follow, and many matters to take into consideration. I can announce to you today that Dr. Stephen Rummage will serve as Chairman of our Committee on Resolutions. Dr. Rummage is the Senior Pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church, Brandon, Florida. He is also an officer on the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please begin to pray for Dr. Rummage.

SBC #-6 Committee on Committees is being recruited now

Additionally, within the next several weeks, I will release a list of the sixty-eight members of our 2016 Committee on Committees. There are many by-law restrictions that are part of appointing this significant committee. It is a long process from initial work to final completion. I can announce to you today that Dr. Willy Rice will serve as Chairman of our Committee on Committees. Dr. Rice is the Senior Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Clearwater, Florida, and served last year as the President of the 2015 Pastors’ Conference of the Southern Baptist Convention.

SBC #-7 2016 Pastors’ Conference of the Southern Baptist Convention

Dr. John Meador is serving as the President of our 2016 Pastors’ Conference this year. John is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Euless, Texas. Please plan to join thousands of us in this pre-SBC conference that begins on Sunday night, June 12 and goes through Monday night, June 13. Please go to sbcpc.net to learn more.

SBC #-8

A strategic time with leaders from across our Southern Baptist family

On Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, February 23-24, I have called a strategic meeting with leaders from across our Southern Baptist Convention. I have invited all State Convention executives, State Convention presidents, SBC entity leaders, and a group of pastors to join Dr. Frank Page and me in Nashville for this strategic time together.

This is an unprecedented gathering in our modern history, as these groups are rarely together except for our annual convention, and do not typically meet together in a strategic sense. Please pray for us. We are all partners in the gospel and need to be together to chart our future. While schedules prohibit some from coming, approximately ninety of us will be meeting together.

#SBC16

Most of us use social media in some form or another. When you mention our 2016 Annual Meeting in St. Louis on social media, remember to use the hashtag #SBC16. We will all benefit from sharing with one another in this way.

Finally…

Finally, these are great days to be part of our Southern Baptist Convention. Please pray for these days leading up to and through our 2016 Southern Baptist Convention on June 14-15.

Now is the Time to Lead,

Ronnie W. Floyd

Dr. Ronnie Floyd is currently serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention, and is senior pastor of the multi-campus Cross Church in northwest Arkansas. This column first appeared at Ronnie Floyd’s website, www.ronniefloyd.com.

In categories Editorial, Ronnie Floyd, Southern Baptist Convention

IMB grateful for help from Southern Baptists

By Jon Olsen

on November 5, 2015

by Tess Rivers

RICHMOND, Va. (BP) — International Mission Board missionaries and staff are expressing thanks for the way Southern Baptists have stepped up to provide offers of housing, vehicles and job opportunities to missionaries who have accepted IMB’s voluntary retirement incentive.

“Southern Baptists are not only catching the ball, they are running 99-yard touchdowns,” said one missionary serving in Asia. ” … I am praying that people will see what Southern Baptists are doing and will see His glory.”

Offers of practical support have come from a variety of individuals, churches, associations, state conventions and seminaries, said Clyde Meador, who leads IMB’s transition team. This practical support will help returning missionaries who are discerning their “next step.” See related story on IMB’s budget shortfall.

“The majority [of missionaries accepting the retirement incentive] are seeking God’s leadership for what, where and when,” said Meador, whose team is personally speaking with each missionary accepting the incentive. “They are living firmly in the confidence that God led them to take a step, but they don’t know what’s next.”

To help returning missionaries determine their next steps, IMB’s transition team recently created a database to manage the list of housing, employment and other offers sent by state conventions, local churches, Southern Baptist Convention entities and other sources.

Woman’s Missionary Union — which maintains a database of missionary housing that covers 27 states — also is extending a push to make churches aware of the needs of returning missionaries. The entity is offering to counsel individuals, churches and associations who want to learn more about starting a missionary house ministry. WMU has also posted a number of job opportunities at its home office in Birmingham, Ala., for returning missionaries.

“This is a very kind and gracious gesture to our returning missionary personnel,” said Terri Willis, director of national relations for IMB and a member of the transition team.

The North American Mission Board trustees also voted Oct. 7 to reduce NAMB’s budget by $4 million and transfer the money to IMB. While the SBC Executive Committee must approve the proposal before funds are transferred to IMB, NAMB trustee chairman Chuck Herring called the unanimous decision by NAMB trustees a Kingdom vote.”

IMB President David Platt expressed appreciation for NAMB’s gesture of support.

“Needless to say, I was overwhelmed when I heard that the trustees of the North American Mission Board approved a $4 million budget reduction in order to send those funds to the International Mission Board,” he said. “This extremely generous gift will go a long way in helping IMB get to a healthy financial place in the present so that we can move forward into a future marked by more missionaries sent, more disciples made and more churches planted among unreached peoples than ever before.”

Platt announced the voluntary retirement incentive Aug. 27 as part of a plan to balance IMB’s budget. See related story. The incentive is the first of two phases to reduce IMB field missionaries and staff by 600 to 800 people in response to revenue shortfalls. The incentive has been offered to missionaries and home office staff who are at least 50 years old with five years of service.

A second phase focuses on concluding a reset of the organization and includes consolidating support services, recalibrating mobilization, assessing global engagement and re-envisioning training.

Although the outpouring of support for returning missionaries is significant, additional help is welcome and appreciated. If anyone would like to provide housing, vehicles, jobs or other means of support to help returning missionaries, please email transitionteam@imb.org.

Tess Rivers is an IMB writer and editor.

In categories International Missions, Southern Baptist Convention

See you in St Louis for the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention

By Jon Olsen

on September 24, 2015

2016 SBC Annual Meeting
June 14-15

St. Louis, Missouri

Mark your calendars to attend the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in our neighboring state of Missouri. With the Annual Meeting happening just next door it will be easier than ever to attend!

In categories SBC Annual Meeting, Southern Baptist Convention

A Millennial’s awakened hope for the SBC

By Jon Olsen

on August 5, 2015

by Paul Dietzel II

Paul Dietzel II

BATON ROUGE, La. (BP) — One of the most regrettable legacies of the Millennial generation will be the forfeiture of many of the great institutions and traditions bequeathed to us in trust.

To be sure, no man-made institution can emerge spotless from strict scrutiny. The institutions serving as agents or as a committee of the whole have been the mechanism whereby great advancements in history have taken flight. Yet, whether it was the Declaration of Independence drafted by perhaps one of the greatest subcommittees in world history (Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston can hardly be described as “establishment”) or the means employed in the founding of many of our nation’s colleges and universities, institutions or funding mechanisms can wither over time and drift from their original purpose.

As I walked around the Greater Columbus Convention Center for the 2015 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, I was struck by the overall focus and unity of a multi-generational group of people determined to make an impact. I inhabit the technology and political sectors and, for better or worse, conventions or conferences are often the places where business is transacted. While the annual meeting of the SBC bears some strange similarities to those types of events, there was a pronounced difference that marked my memory. In the aftermath of the SBC, I have come to see both the heritage and hope of the denomination of my birth.

Southern Baptists are rightly concerned about the lack of young people involved in the overall structure of the denomination. Start speaking of “programs” and the eyes of young skeptics (even those friendly to the SBC) begin to roll. My generation is the recipient of expensive plans that either never took shape or failed miserably. The more distance between my local church and denominational festivities, the more certain we are to create a disconnect between the reality of what occurs on the street and the fantasy created by a rapidly evolving cyber world.

These days everyone seems to be eager to franchise out technological capacities to engage a generation raised with cellphones and the Internet. The technological subculture, while real and growing, is but the result of the human longing for community. To understand that is to begin to make sense of Millennials in a significant way. The most powerful relationship is not one fostered online.

What encouraged me as a “first-time” guest to the SBC was a realization that the Southern Baptist Convention exists for local Southern Baptist churches — not the other way around. Far too much time and talk have been expended on the necessity of maintaining the structure of the convention. Yet there seems to be a renewed focus on using the convention structure for the advancement of local church priorities. If this is indeed the case, the future is bright for the SBC. If, however, the structure becomes the priority, the SBC could be on life support all too soon.

The great challenge is to connect my generation (especially those of us who are not pastors, theologians or denominational employees) to the existing operational structure of the SBC. This depends on increasing the relational connection between Southern Baptist Christians and the SBC’s legacy funding streams like the Cooperative Program, the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions.

In other words, there must be a real-world connection between money, mission investment, Christian doctrine, Gospel culture and ultimately the worship of God. There must be a personal connection between giving money and mission involvement where one is not mutually exclusive of the other.

Here is where technology can play a vital role. Monetary investment in the SBC must be explained anew to a new generation of Southern Baptists. It is not simply a matter of marketing. It is a matter of transparency, simplicity and a confidence driven by a real-world understanding that participation in the Cooperative Program as well as the SBC’s annual mission offerings translates into direct engagement in mission work with real people.

Every institution or program tends to produce its exact opposite. Everything defined as “missions” isn’t “missions.” Enabling and expanding pathways for mission engagement with local congregations where a person can confidently trust the structure of the SBC is the path of advancement for a new generation of Southern Baptists to impact the world for Christ and His Kingdom.

You will search the Bible in vain for the IMB, NAMB or the SBC. What you will see are local churches where faithful Christians sacrifice for the truth of the Gospel in the world. The ongoing renewal of the SBC will only be sustained by the reality that Jesus Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.

Paul Dietzel II is the founder of Anedot, a Baton Rouge-based technology company. He is a former candidate for Congress from Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District and a member of Jefferson Baptist Church in Baton Rouge.

In categories Editorial, SBC Annual Meeting, Southern Baptist Convention

SBC 2015 RECAP VIDEO

By Jon Olsen

on July 30, 2015

By Ronnie Floyd

Join the Movement, Southern Baptist Convention

Were you able to join us at the 2015 Southern Baptist Convention in Columbus, Ohio? If so, you will remember some of these moments. If not, these are some things you missed. We can all look forward to gathering together again in St. Louis in 2016. Begin making plans now to be there!

Dr. Ronnie Floyd is currently serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention.

In categories News, Ronnie Floyd, Southern Baptist Convention

The SBC & the 21st Century: Reflection, Renewal, and Recommitment

By Jon Olsen

on July 6, 2015

A Triennial Symposium on the Southern Baptist Convention hosted by Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

With presentations by
Jason Allen, David Dockery, Ronnie Floyd, Albert Mohler, Frank Page, Paige Patterson, Thom Rainer and others.

Sept. 28-29, 2015

Midwestern Seminary
Kansas City, Mo.

SCHEDULE

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

3:00pm – Registration, Spurgeon Library open for tours

5:00pm – Dinner & presentation by Dr. Frank Page: The Cooperative Program and the future of Collaborative Ministry

7:00pm – Presentation by Dr. Paige Patterson: Guard What has Been Entrusted to You: Counsel to a New Generation of Southern Baptists

8:00pm – Dessert Reception and Panel Discussion with Dr. Jason Allen, Dr. Ronnie Floyd, Dr. Albert Mohler, Dr. Paige Patterson and Dr. Frank Page: Passing the Baton: Raising Up the Next Generation of SBC Leaders

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

9:00am – Presentation by Dr. Ronnie Floyd: Kindling Afresh the Gift of God: Spiritual Renewal, Strategic Reinvention, and the SBC

10:00am – Presentation by Dr. Albert Mohler: Southern Baptists and the Quest for Theological Identity–Unavoidable Questions for the 21st Century

11:15 – Luncheon & Presentation by Dr. David Dockery: Who Are Southern Baptists? Towards a Trans-generational Identity

1:00pm – Presentation by Dr. Jason Allen: Training the Next Generation of Pastors, Ministers & Missionaries: Southern Baptist Theological Education in the 21^st Century

2:00pm – Breakout Session Presentations:

Dr. John Mark Yeats: 16,000,000 Southern Baptists? Recovering Regenerate Church Membership

Dr. Jason Duesing: A Denomination Always for the Church: Ecclesiological Distinctives as a Basis for Confessional Cooperation

Dr. Christian George: Downgrade: 21^st Century Lessons from 19^th Century Baptists

3:00pm – Panel Discussion: The Future of State Conventions, with Drs. Jason Allen, Anthony Jordan, John Yeats, Paul Chitwood, Tim Lubinus, and Jim Richards

4:00pm – Presentation by Dr. Thom Rainer: By the Numbers: What SBC Demographics tell us about our Past, Present and Future

5:00pm – Panel Discussion: Facing the Future Together, with Dr. Jason Allen, Dr. Thom Rainer, Dr. Ronnie Floyd and Dr. Albert Mohler

6:00pm A Taste of Kansas City: Barbecue Buffet & Fellowship

Register now at: http://www.mbts.edu/events/sbc-21st-century-reflection-renewal-recommitment/.

In categories Event, News, Southern Baptist Convention

Midwestern Seminary to host first “The SBC & the 21st Century: Reflection, Renewal, and Recommitment” Symposium on Sept. 28-29

By Jon Olsen

on July 1, 2015

by T. Patrick Hudson

KANSAS CITY, Mo., — March 18, 2015 – Midwestern Seminary announced today that the institution will host a symposium entitled, “The SBC & the 21st Century: Reflection, Renewal & Recommitment,” on Sept. 28-29 in Kansas City, Mo.

The event will be highlighted by the presentations of key Southern Baptist leaders such as Frank Page, Ronnie Floyd, Paige Patterson, Thom Rainer, Albert Mohler, and David Dockery.

According to Midwestern Seminary President, Jason Allen, who will also present a keynote address, the symposium will be the first edition of a triennial symposium which is designed to address the Southern Baptist Convention, its heritage, identity, and future.

“This is shaping up to be one of the most consequential events in the SBC in recent years, and we are grateful to be hosting it at Midwestern Seminary,” Allen said.

“Nothing quite like this has been held for some time within the SBC, but I believe engaging these issues is integral to our Southern Baptist work, and the opportunity is ripe for this event to make a substantial contribution to the SBC for years to come.”

Allen added that this symposium is open to anyone wishing to attend. “‘The SBC & the 21^st Century’ is for pastors, denominational servants, laypersons, and anyone else who cares about our collective work as Southern Baptists,” he said. “For all those who care about the SBC and its future, this is the place to be this year. We designed the symposium for key SBC stakeholders to speak to urgent denominational matters in a way that serves the entire SBC. It is going to be a special two days, and I believe that God is going to use it in a profound way to impact our Southern Baptist Convention.”

Allen said that in addition to the event’s availability via livestream and postings on the school’s website, each presenter’s paper will be compiled into a book.

“We are pleased to be partnering with B&H Publishing to produce a book that will stem from the conference. The book will be released at the 2016 SBC Annual Meeting in St. Louis, Mo,” Allen said. “We believe the presentations taking place at this symposium will serve to strengthen the SBC, and the release of this book will extend its reach.”

Three of the symposium’s participants expressed excitement about the event and noted the strategic role it will play in the future of the SBC.

“I look forward with great excitement to learning, growing, and investing in the upcoming Midwestern Symposium on the Southern Baptist Convention,” said Floyd, president of the SBC.

“I am convinced this gathering has the potential to be a defining moment for each of us who are seeking God’s future for our convention. Any conscientious Southern Baptist will discover this experience to be both enlightening and challenging, so join us in this journey.”

“I am excited about being a part of the upcoming symposium, ‘The SBC & the 21st Century: Reflection, Renewal & Recommitment,’” said Page, president and CEO of the SBC. “We desperately need this kind of event to have a clear understanding of where we have been, where we are, and where we need to go. My prayer is that it will result in our being more effective in accomplishing the Great Commission of our Lord.”

“This generation of Southern Baptists stands at Ground Zero of cultural transformation, missiological opportunity, and theological emergency,” said Mohler, president of Southern Seminary. “This is the right time for Southern Baptists to ask hard questions, think seriously about the future, and talk about what faithfulness to Christ will demand of us. ‘The SBC and the 21st Century’ is the right conversation at the right time.”

More information on the symposium, including a full schedule of events and how to register, can be found at www.mbts.edu/sbcsymposium.

Speakers and their topics for the conference are as follows:

Jason Allen, “Training the Next Generation of Pastors, Ministers, & Missionaries: Southern Baptist Theological Education in the 21^st Century”

Frank Page, “The Cooperative Program and the future of Collaborative Ministry”

Ronnie Floyd, “Kindling Afresh the Gift of God: Spiritual Renewal, Strategic Reinvention, & the SBC”

Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Seminary, “Guard What has been Entrusted to You: Counsel to a new Generation of Southern Baptists”

Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources, “By the Numbers: What SBC Demographics Tell Us about our Past, Present, and Future”

Albert Mohler, “Southern Baptists and the Quest for Theological Identity – Unavoidable Questions for the 21^st Century”

David Dockery, president of Trinity International University, “Who are Southern Baptists? Toward a Trans-generational Identity”

Panel discussion sessions include:

Allen, Floyd, Mohler, Patterson, and Page, “Passing the Baton: Raising Up the Next Generation of SBC Leaders”

Anthony Jordan, John Yeats, Paul Chitwood, Tim Lubinus, Jim Richards, “The Future of State Conventions”

Allen, Rainer, Floyd, and Mohler, “Facing the Future Together”

Breakout session presentations include:

Jason Duesing, provost of Midwestern Seminary, “A Denomination Always for the Church: Ecclesiological Distinctives as a Basis for Confessional Cooperation”

John Mark Yeats, undergraduate dean of Midwestern Baptist College, “16,000,000 Southern Baptists? Recovering Regenerate Church Membership”

Christian George, assistant professor of Historical Theology and curator of the Spurgeon Library at Midwestern Seminary, “Downgrade: 21^st Century Lessons from 19^th Century Baptists”

T. Patrick Hudson serves at Midwestern Seminary as Executive Assistant to the President.

More information on the symposium, including a full schedule of events and how to register, can be found at www.mbts.edu/sbcsymposium.

In categories Event, News, Pastor Resources, Southern Baptist Convention

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April 17

Luke 11:43 (CSB): “Woe to you Pharisees! You love the front seat in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.” This is a wonderful article on the allure of the inner circle by C.S. Lewis. https://t.co/6ewoZ33avx

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April 16

Help defend ministerial housing allowance, connect with Alliance Defending Freedom: https://t.co/p4AcZbN7LB

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April 11

Luke’s question to all of us! Luke 9:20 (CSB): “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”

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April 9

Sometimes the best place to “go” is to people closest to you, “Go back to your home, and tell all that God has done for you”. Luke 8:39