As the GCRTF meets this week to finalize their recommendations before presenting them to the EC in February, I suggest that the Task Force ask the following question of all of their recommendations:
“How is this going to help the average church with 80 people (our median size church) accomplish their part of the Great Commission?”
How will the GCR help the average SBC church of 80?
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I have asked a representative of the task force to ask this question in their meetings. If their recommendations do nothing practical to assist the majority of our churches with being Great Commission churches, then I think we will have a problem.
Les
Agreed… It will be a very bad sign. (which is why I stole your post- I hope you dont mind!)
No problem.
That’s a good question. I love Les’s constant call for the SBC to remember the majority of its churches.
I’m always thankful for Les’s perspective, even when I’m not in agreement. I’m in full agreement on this one.
JD Greear commented on this question on my blog. I am encouraged.
Check out his comment at http://lesliepuryear.blogspot.com/2010/01/question-for-gcrtf.html#comments.
Les
I left a comment on the ” average church of 80″ under “women and SBC ministry” and can’t copy and paste it over. Win some -lose some! 02/04/10
Small churches in carrying out the Great Commission.
In the midst of all the “Church Planting” going on,
don’t forget the small churches which make up
most of the SBC.
We need SIMPLE tools to work with.
Too many resources are designed for large churches,
which have the personnel to develop their own.
We need more emphasis on Sunday School as
the outreach arm of the church.
Bring back Training Union. It was the greatest
help to building up churches ever.
Maybe the better question is “How will the average SBC church of 80 nurture a GCR with or without any help?”
Why are we always looking to this giant bureaucracy for the answers? The reason the SBC is declining is because it’s full of a bunch of petty politics that have absolutely nothing to do with actually fulfilling the great commission. It’s more like congress every day. There are so many special interests to not tick off that every new “initiative” and “proposal” is nothing but the same sterilized drivel that came before it. The GCR proposals sound little more substantive than the typical SBC resolution, “whereas the bathrooms were really clean at our convention, resolved, we will send thank you cards to the cleaning staff.” Now where’s the nearest Texas Roadhouse?
Deciding where to readjust a couple million dollars without stepping on toes is not the GCR I was anticipating. Actually, it probably is. Our Lord and Savior does not need a welfare check from Nashville or North Carolina or anywhere else to save his sheep. He’s content to use everyday Christians who finally decide that to live is Christ and to die is gain. Surely there are pastors who still believe this.
I should clarify that I was using Nashville or North Carolina for literary effect. It flowed more smoothly than Atlanta or Richmond or anywhere else….
“How is this going to help the average church with 80 people (our median size church) accomplish their part of the Great Commission?”
Apparently, not at all.