I am going to be in Des Moines on Friday and Saturday for the the Baptist Convention of Iowa 2013 annual meeting. It doesn’t look like ours will be particularly eventful this year. Last year was an anomalous and tumultuous year for the BCI, but this year looks to be a return to the norm.
I will mention if anything significant happens here over the weekend, but the trip got me to thinking and wondering – what is happening in State Conventions? Are they trending up or down in attendance? Are there a lot of issues? Do some of the issues at the national level find their way down to the state level?
What happened at your state convention this year?
The Missouri Baptist Convention was great (Oct 28-30). A very upbeat meeting focused on promoting Partnership Missions, Moving the MBC towards a 50/50 Cooperative Program split and hearing great inspiring preaching/teaching from Dr. Robert Coleman.
I agree with Allen. The MO convention was great we had the great joy of hearing from Robert Coleman, Thomas Schriener, Bruce Ware, and DA Carson. A lot of unity among MO Baptists as well. We had over 1,000 in attendance
Our Iowa Convention went very well, I thought. Really enjoyed seeing and hearing from Micah Fries. Lots of changes in the works, but it looks like we’re headed in the right direction, thanks to the selfless service of men like Dave Miller 🙂
As interested as I am and have been in the SBC, I have never attended a state convention meeting. So I got no news. Sorry.
Our State Convention meeting starts a week from tomorrow, but I won’t be able to go this year. I’m sure it will be fairly well attended and the preaching will be great. There are no controversial items that I’m aware of on the agenda.
Florida starts next on the 11th. We are celebrating Dr. John Sullivan’s 25th anniversary as Exec Director. There might be some fireworks in terms of the GCR’s insistence on going to a strict 50/50. There might be something else, but it is only a possibility. (spooky musical background beginning)
Haven’t ever been. My church supports the BGAV. Sadly this 190 year old state convention has slid off into liberalism. I hope one day we can move toward leaving the BGAV and uniting to the SBCV.
The BGAV did not “slide” into the deep end of the liberalism pool. The dive was a perfect 10 with hardly a cup full of back splash.
Long live the SBCV and the boys who brought her to be. They brought hope to the most liberal state convention in the SBC.
cb! You’re alive!
Agreed. Taking the long view that we’ll eventually leave it. Not a fight to pick right now. One battle at a time.
The Baptist State Convention of Michigan met last week and for the the 2nd straight year voted “No” to the proposed constitution. Most will admit that the document itself is not flawed. Instead, these votes reflect a clear rejection of the direction, vision, and leadership of the Executive Director of our state. He has forced out well-loved, highly productive and faithful leaders of our state, including our State Director of Missions and our Evangelism Ministries leader. This has and is hampering the work of our convention. There is a basic feeling of dissatisfaction, disillusionment, and disgust among the churches of… Read more »
The rest of the story is that Michigan Baptists have slid further and further behind over the previous decades. A Michigan pastor once said to me that when Southern Baptists went to Ohio, they went with a will to reach the people with the gospel, but when Southern Baptists went to Michigan, they went to start churches they were comfortable meeting in. BIG difference — the difference between outreach and inreach. The result can be seen in the differences between Ohio, which has become a main SBC state, and Michigan, which remains a “pioneer missions” state. I have talked at… Read more »
Karen, you may be convinced. I am not… and from the last 2 votes at our convention meetings, neither is our state. I do agree with you, though, that fighting doesn’t advance the Kingdom. Similarly, burying our heads in the sand won’t make the issues go away! Just as there may come a time in a church in which the pastor no longer has the support of the people he is shepherding, there can come a time in which the state’s leader no longer has the support of the churches of the state. That is the case here and now.… Read more »
I didn’t respond to your initial post to fight Bobby’s battles for him, Kyle. I agree that he is a micro-manager. But at least he’s doing something more than just appeasing everybody. He’s got a plan. He was hired to refocus Michigan Baptists, so why not let him do it? Why not HELP him do it? Your biggest objection to what Bobby is doing is that “he doesn’t respect people.” I am as guilty as the next person of being ego-centric, so I understand what you’re saying. Matter of fact, he once apologized beautifully and ever so sincerely to me… Read more »
The Dakota Baptist Convention met the last week of September (after the great blizzard convention of 2009, I would be surprised if we try to do another convention in November anytime soon). It was fairly well attended and mostly non-contentious. We did vote to adopt a fairly aggressive set of goals from now through 2020 which are not based on anything required by the GCR or NAMB but are instead the result of the work of our own task force and the recommendations we brought to the convention this year. I am pretty excited to see what God has in… Read more »
Did you hear anything about that guy they elected president?
I heard he was kind of a yahoo!
They elected an Iowa Baptist Yankee Fan? 🙂
Doug Hibbard – you are Quick!
I vote for you for next SBC President!
He’d actually have to attend.
But if he attends, I will nominate him for the meaningless position of 2nd VP.
If can get to Baltimore, we’ll see what happens. Anybody coming through AR want to give me a lift?
I do appreciate the sentiment. It would be the best assurance of protection that an SBC pres and 1VP could have.
In Arkansas, we voted to…well, I’m not sure. We heard from church planters, campus ministers, and children’s home folks about the work they all do. We heard about lost people saved, saved people set right, and people stepping forward to carry the Gospel. We resolved that we appreciated people, resolved that we aren’t fans of marijuana, resolved that churches should reach all people, and resolved that the church should teach/uphold that marriage should be for life between one man and one woman. We elected a guy named Archie as President–MABTS grad, I think. He’s a good guy, though Greg will… Read more »