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 21st 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.”
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 21st 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 21st 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: 21st Century Lessons from 19th 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.
