OK, so I wished we could have had all winners and no losers for #SBC18 but, alas, didn’t happen. There were many winners though. Here they are:
J.D. Greear: The election wasn’t close. The Convention coalesced around a next-generation candidate with a stellar church growth and mission support record. OK, so he talks so fast I have to try and understand what he’s saying while catching only every third or fourth word. I’ll manage.
Ken Hemphill: Quality and integrity from crown to cowboy boots.
Women in general and not just in the context of abuse.
SWBTS trustees. The absolute and ultimate vindication by the entire SBC in annual session (it doesn’t get any higher than that), enhanced by one trustee deciding to be open and transparent with the convention assembled. I don’t doubt that all of our trustees ‘trust the Lord’ but wish more would embrace transparency and ‘tell the people,’ as did…
Bart Barber SWBTS executive committee trustee who spoke plainly and forcefully about the Patterson decision. He was obviously nervous and understandably so. But why him and why not the others? No doubt the Hatley motion would have failed anyway but it’s about time for trustees to be more open and transparent with those who pay the bills…which brings up…
Jeff Bingham, SWBTS Interim President. Had the hottest seat for questions from the floor. Did great. Trusts the trustees. That’s the gold standard.
Social media. Pass all the resolutions you want against social media in general but this is how folks get their information. If it’s not always pretty or proper it does force conversations out of hallways and back rooms.
Next generation Southern Baptists. I still don’t get the tattoos and other oddities about these brethren and sistren but this is where we are. Generational change is good. Did you take a taxi or an Uber? I’m curious about the messenger survey results. Looked like a younger crowd and the codgers have been sniffing that the younger SBC pastors and others just weren’t into mass meetings and such.
Cooperative Program. OK, so the numbers are down. Convention results should prove positive (one hopes). Lots of factors at play, though.
Minority participation and diversity. Evidence abounded at the meeting. Let’s hope the politician debacle didn’t do any lasting damage. I suspect we can have Trump/Jeffress/Graham along with all the ethnic SBC subgroups only if we don’t kick the latter in the teeth as happened Wednesday.
Southeastern Seminary, which is not above bragging about their grads being SBC president and first vice president this year. That’s what we SBCers do, brag a lot.
Wait staff all around the convention center, at least when I was doing the tipping. I came late in life to the position that it’s good to be an above average tipper. This parson repented of his earlier parsimoniousness. I can’t speak for the other ten thousand or so convention attendees.
Augie Boto, unexpectedly pressed into service as SBC Executive Committee interim leader. Did a great job.
Bellevue student choir, super.
New system for keeping speakers within time limits. If you were there, you need no more explanation.
The Vice President’s Secret Service detail. Efficient, professional, polite.
There are more…you may think of them. I don’t have every good thought that ought to be thunk.
