At the Illinois Baptist annual meeting in November, two people mentioned that I write for SBC Voices. Both said that SBC Voices comment section isn’t what it once was.
Controversies in the past provoked comments and discussion. I imagine a lot that kind of back and forth is on social media. There are still controversies. I don’t miss reading comment threads about them and won’t try to make them come back here.
I’m curious, though, for some discussion about what we as Southern Baptists (Great Commission Baptists if you prefer) are praying for and working for. What are you praying for?
What are you praying for personally?
What in your church needs prayer?
What in your community needs prayer?
How can we pray for our cooperative work?
In Myron Dillow’s book Harvesttime on the Prairie, I discovered a commitment that Illinois baptists made in the 1800’s that I use to guide how I pray and how I ask our church and local association to pray. They committed to share the gospel with every person in Illinois, start a church in every community, and raise up godly and faithful pastors for every church. That goal has never been accomplished in Illinois.
I imagine it hasn’t been done in your community and state either. Sometimes, we would be happy with 10 more members, 10 more baptisms, or 1 more church plant. I love the vision of the early baptists in my state that wasn’t content with one church flourishing.
My prayer right now is that Southern Baptists would make it our goal that every person in our communities hear the gospel, every community around us have a gospel-preaching church, and every church have a godly pastor.
