We are less than one hundred days out from the SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando and from a contested presidential election between Al Mohler and Randy Adams. Mohler is ubiquitous in SBC life from his position as president of our oldest seminary, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Adams is CEO of the Northwest Baptist Convention which covers Oregon, Washington, and northern Idaho and was listed as having 417 churches in 2018. Adams has been active in writing and tweeting about SBC matters and his personal positions. I'd say that I haven't seen a candidate as actively campaigning for SBC … [Read more...] about One good thing about Randy Adams’ SBC presidential candidacy: No use of Non-disclosure agreements
The bad idea that keeps coming back: remote voting for the SBC Annual Meeting
Attendance at the SBC Annual Meeting in my active SBC lifetime has ranged from under five thousand to over forty-five thousand. We can expect less then the convention is outside of the traditional southern cities that regularly host the meeting (Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Atlanta, Orlando, St. Louis, Kansas City, San Antonio; more recently Louisville, Birmingham, Greensboro and others). We Baptists like to travel and it's a boost for SBC work outside of the traditional south for the meeting to be held in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Portland, and other cities. The farther from where the … [Read more...] about The bad idea that keeps coming back: remote voting for the SBC Annual Meeting
Baptisms are down. Woe is us. Can this be explained?
Doesn't really need an explanation. The numbers of baptisms by churches affiliated with the SBC is a decent measure of what's going on in evangelism in our churches and the number of dunks is in a long term, persistent, consistent slide downward. The last reporting year, 2018, showed 246,442 baptisms. Reporters who are fond of comparisons harken readers back to the 1940s for such baptism numbers as we see today, lowest since 1944 ("since Roosevelt was president! "since D-Day" "since sunscreen was invented"). So, J. D. Greear explains why baptisms are down and in his view "the primary … [Read more...] about Baptisms are down. Woe is us. Can this be explained?
The Southern Baptist Convention is in a pretty sorry state…
...or is it? Depends on whose describing it and what they look at. I have grave reservations about these parts of SBC life: The long running decline in baptisms. This is a trend that precedes any current controversy, wasn't caused by Cals, Trads, Cons, the secret CBN, NAMB, the ERLC, or anything else along these lines. Decades old demographic trends, aging churches and leadership, greater secularization of our society, loss of respect for churches and clergy, lower birthrates, declining percentages of WASP populations in the South all contribute. Every party in the SBC can point … [Read more...] about The Southern Baptist Convention is in a pretty sorry state…
The Executive Committee’s investigation of the ERLC should be scrutinized
The Pastor's Conference has been a slow-motion train wreck from the start. One would expect the Executive Committee to exert control over what happens at the venue identified as the Southern Baptist Convention in annual session. I still have gripes about who gets display space in the exhibit hall for the SBCAM even though the EC has guidelines for that. If the EC establishes guidelines for the PC if they want to meet in the same space that is to be expected. But, I'm not all that heavily invested in the SBCPC, so I yield to Dave Miller and those who are. But the investigation of the ERLC is … [Read more...] about The Executive Committee’s investigation of the ERLC should be scrutinized
Count me in on Vision 2025
Baptist Press reports on Executive Committee CEO Ronnie Floyd's report to the EC yesterday: Floyd issue Vision 2025 call to reach every person with the Gospel Five "strategic actions": Increase the total number of full-time, fully funded missionaries by a net gain of 500, giving the SBC 4,200 full-time, fully funded missionaries through the International Mission Board (IMB). New IMB leader Paul Chitwood has already outlined this goal for our oldest, largest, and most important entity. Glad we are together on this one. Add 6,000 new churches to the Southern Baptist family, giving … [Read more...] about Count me in on Vision 2025
I don’t think I’ll join Brad Jurkovich’s secret group with undisclosed funding
People sometimes declare themselves to be 4 point Calvinists, or 3 1/2 point Calvinists. I'll describe myself as a 4 point Jurkovichist. That is, I'll fully take three of Jurkovich's five points listed under "our purpose" and half of two others making me a four-pointer. Shoot, I'd join the group but you have to give assent, check a box, about "affirming" the CBN purpose. At this stage in life, I'm all for capital preservation, not wild risk-taking and I'd hate to be tied to every statement that comes out of Brad Jurkovich's mouth. He is the only leader of this group at this stage. Plaudits … [Read more...] about I don’t think I’ll join Brad Jurkovich’s secret group with undisclosed funding
Perhaps this is why abuse victims and their advocates always seem to be spittin’ mad at the SBC
Those of us who follow these things have probably thought that abuse victims and their advocates are in a perpetual state of anger at "the SBC." Two abuse victims wrote here that "There is a tipping point, though, at which genuine advocacy slips into routine outrage..." I thought that to be a cogent statement at the time...but then, cases keep coming forward. There are a number of abuse stories involving the SBC that feature megachurches, celebrity pastors, and notorious cases that are years, decades old. The SBC is a convention of small churches. USA Today has a lengthy story on a small … [Read more...] about Perhaps this is why abuse victims and their advocates always seem to be spittin’ mad at the SBC
Is it worth it? SBC resolutions and SBC Pastor’s Conference
The Pastor's Conference is the largest and easiest target around. Make all SBCers happy? Sort of like making all of your church members happy. Not a snowflake's chance in Gehenna of that. Back when Adrian Rogers would always close the Pastor's Conference it was a thrilling event indeed. Not so much now. Dave Miller and his gang had the last, best PC. It was innovative, focused on the ordinary SBC pastor rather than celebrities, an authentic grassroots enterprise. It was that PC, one should remember, that actually took money and gave it to a number of pastors who couldn't afford to attend … [Read more...] about Is it worth it? SBC resolutions and SBC Pastor’s Conference
Randy Adams will make history if elected SBC president
If Randy Adams is elected SBC president this June he will make some history in a couple of ways. It's been a long time since a state convention CEO was elected president of the SBC, maybe never (I'll let some SBC history person fact check me on that). I'm certain that we haven't had a non-celebrity, non-megapastor as SBC president since the 1970s. Adams would be both of those. His only announced opponent, Al Mohler, is a first order SBC celebrity. Either way the election goes, we will have a denominational employee as SBC president. This isn't an issue for me, since his power is … [Read more...] about Randy Adams will make history if elected SBC president