This just breaking…The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention is announcing consideration for a name change for the convention.  SBC President Brian Wright is addressing the press.

photo by Albert Mohler

Al Mohler has been tweeting events as they’ve been developing…

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Main impetus of SBC name change study: Reports from church planters outside South & Southwest. Concern to remove any artificial barrier #SBC

13 minutes ago

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Bryant Wright says he brought this report the way he did tonight “out of respect for the SBC Executive Committee.” #SBC

14 minutes ago

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SBC President Bryant Wright holding press conference, telling reporters of process and his hopes. #SBC lockerz.com/s/140315194

15 minutes ago

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And Page Two: #SBC Press release on SBC name change task force. lockerz.com/s/140313775

23 minutes ago

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Here is the press release on the SBC name change task force. Page One. # SBC lockerz.com/s/140313415

24 minutes ago

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Press conference with SBC President Bryant Wright to begin momentarily. Your friendly reporter is standing by. Literally. #SBC

27 minutes ago

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Motion to request SBC President Bryant Wright to withhold action fails overwhelmingly after floor confusion. #SBC

35 minutes ago

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New motion asks SBC President Bryant Wright to withhold action until an SBC-elected committee can be formed to consider SBC name change #SBC

42 minutes ago

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Orman motion failed after passionate debate. Way cleared for Wright task force. Vote was 39-20. #SBC

44 minutes ago

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Question called and vote on Orman motion coming in moments. Chair clarifying motion. Lawyers explaining now. OK, might take longer… #SBC

47 minutes ago

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SBC President Bryant Wright is a statesman, responding with great composure & care. Folks are speaking very honestly. #SBC

57 minutes ago

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There is much emotion & memory invested in the SBC name question, as well as hope among others. Hard family talks are the hardest. #SBC

59 minutes ago

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Vigorous and emotional discussion over potential SBC name change now on floor of SBC Executive Committee. #SBC

1 hour ago

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SBC Executive Committee member Darrell Orman of FBC Stuart, FL calls for a one year legal study prior to any other consideration. Speaking.

1 hour ago

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Jimmy Draper to serve as chairman of task force to consider name change. Others named in minutes. #SBC

1 hour ago

http://chaplainandrews.com/thoughts-regarding-southern-baptist-name-change

*Update* Baptist Press just released the story:  http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=36156

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I was unfriended yesterday.  It wasn’t a discreet unfriending either (you know…the kind where you wait until you know the unfriendee isn’t online and might not notice for a while).  No, this was nothing like that.  This was the type of unfriending where the unfriender posts a comment to let everyone know about the unfriending.  It might take some time to get over it (or not), but I’ll be ok.  The whole exchange reminded me of a kid in middle school sending a note to let someone know that they’re not friends anymore.  Here’s what happened:

Name has been concealed to protect the ignorant.

I posted a status update that noted I was reading Fundamentalism and Freemasonry:  The Southern Baptist Investigation of the Fraternal Order…

Apparently, one of my “friends” (that I haven’t spoken with face to face in years and maybe twice on Facebook in the last couple of years) didn’t like me reading this book.  And then the return to adolescence began…

Overall, I’m a pretty patient guy, with one major exception – ignorance.  Ignorant people just set me off.  I mean, they really irk me to the core.  I’m not talking about garden variety ignorance from a lack of education or experience.  I’m talking about the people who make ignorance a lifestyle choice.  Of course, I had to respond with at least an attempt to shine a light in the darkness…

I got this reply…

I probably should have left it alone at this point…but…

I should have remembered one of my favorite quotes – “Never argue with a fool.  They’ll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.”  Case in point…

Unfriended.  Oh, the humanity!  And of course, since the exchange was on my Facebook page, I had to get in the last word…

And now I have one less friend because I like to read.

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I just finished reading Dr. Chuck Lawless’ Open Letter to Young Southern Baptists. I found it posted at Between the Times. You can also read the letter at Dr. Lawless’ website. Dr. Lawless honestly notes some of the difficulties facing the denomination while encouraging young Southern Baptists to support the Cooperative Program, remain focused on the Great Commission, and become engaged in SBC life. I found his letter very encouraging. It is definitely worth reading. There are many exciting things going on in the SBC and I’m glad to be a part of our denomination. I just wish that more of our folks knew what the SBC is about.

I wasn’t raised in a Southern Baptist Church. I came to the SBC as a teenager out of an independant, fundamental, baptist church and knew very little of the Southern Baptist Convention. Even after joining a SBC church, I still wasn’t aware of what the Convention did. I didn’t know a lot about the International Mission Board, the North American Mission Board or any other of the agencies or programs of the convention. Very little if anything was mentioned of these efforts in church services. I just wasn’t aware of what the SBC did. It took a seminary education at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary to make me aware of what the convention has to offer. I believe that more of our folks would become involved and contribute if they were aware of SBC activities.

We could learn a thing or two from our independent baptist brethren. I distinctly remember missionaries visiting the independent baptist church in which I grew up. I remember them speaking to Sunday School classes, our children’s ministry, and the congregation. They told of the wonderful things that God was accomplishing on the mission field. People gave, in part, because they made a personal connection with both the missionary and the mission. When I joined the SBC, I rarely heard from the missionaries and evangelists. Instead, I read bulletin notes and occasionally heard a plea from the pulpit to give money when we took up a collection for Annie Armstrong or Lottie Moon, neither of which I knew anything at the time. We could benefit tremendously by intentionally keeping our congregations informed about SBC life, particularly concerning foreign and home missions.

I think many of our folks, especially younger Southern Baptists, share the confusions that I had prior to seminary. They don’t know what it means to be Southern Baptist. They haven’t heard anything about Southern Baptist History. They don’t know what Southern Baptists do. No wonder they view the SBC as irrelevant. I hope that Dr. Lawless’ Letter encourages our younger leaders to become engaged with the SBC, capturing the Great Commission vision which has defined the convention. I hope that we capture that vision and keep it before our congregations as we cooperatively reach out to world in dire need of Christ.

Technorati Tags: Great Commission, SBC, Southern Baptists, Missions, Evangelism, Dr. Chuck Lawless

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As I write this article, the 2008 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting is in progress. This year’s Annual Meeting theme is “Fulfilling the Mission.” A reminder that we, as churches and individuals, are called to be on mission with God. But, what does that mean for us in a practical sense? How does this work in our personal lives? At work? As a church body? If you’ve been attuned to Southern Baptist news, you may have heard a grim forecast for the denomination concerning membership and baptism numbers. Many of our churches certainly don’t reflect the testimony of Acts 2:47 “and every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved.” (HCSB) We can’t share in this testimony because we have neglected the Great Commission. Instead of sharing our faith personally, we have delegated the task to the “professionals.” We expect our pastors, evangelists and missionaries to carry the message to the world. I’m afraid that the forecast for our Baptist churches will prove to be true if we don’t have a shift in mindset at the individual level and begin to take ownership of a personal call to fulfill the great commission. The same holds true for our churches. I hope that, as the Convention’s Annual Meeting winds to a close, the emphasis on fulfilling the Great Commission will encourage our churches and people to enthusiastically share Christ both in their communities and around the world.

Here are some recommended books on fulfilling the Great Commission through missions and evangelism:

Let the Nations Be Glad! 2d ed.: The Supremacy of God in Missions By John Piper / Baker Why do we do missions? We are told, by Jesus, to preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations. So missions is duty, right? Wrong. If you do missions purely from a sense of duty you will not honor those you are reaching out to, nor will you truly honor God. Duty is the wrong place to look, so where do we find the answer to why we do missions? We turn, according to John Piper, to worship. In our worship of God we encounter God’s glory. The overflow from our worship is a desire to share God’s glory with others (the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever), and we naturally become missional. When Jesus was asked what the kingdom of God was like, he compared it to a pearl so valuable that one would sell all they owned simply to possess it. Does that seem like duty to you? Instead, Jesus calls us to a new mindset, which flows from the mindset that worship creates in us. Thus, according to Piper, does worship become the goal of missions and the fuel which makes missions possible. Worship as the fuel for missions makes sense to a lot of people, but worship as the goal of missions? Piper reminds us that the true reason we share God with others is to make them worshippers (and sharers) as well. He feels that the true goal of missions is “the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God.” If it is true, (as Piper states) that “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him,” then increasing the number of people who are satisfied in God will bring God more glory. And missions is the way we can do that. Missions must be seen as more than simply saving people from sin, though that is a very important aspect. And missions is not just about getting people into heaven, although that is important as well. Instead, through missions we should always seek to make as many people as possible into true worshippers, into those fully satisfied with the greatness of God. With that mindset, missions becomes a joyous experience, as we joyfully share the life-changing presence of God in our lives with those who don’t know God. When we have made worship both the fuel and goal of all our missionary endeavors, we realize that “missions is not a recruitment project for God’s labor force. It is a liberation project from the heavy burdens and hard yokes of other gods.” Missions is never a burden, because it comes out of our overwhelming joy in God’s grace and mercy, and we just want to share that joy. So make God the center of your missions work, and joyfully share what He has graciously given to you.

Becoming a Contagious Christian By Bill Hybels / Zondervan People matter to God. That foundational truth is why Bill Hybels planted a church where people can hear a clear, contemporary presentation of the gospel, relate to others who have decided to follow Jesus and respond to the life-changing good news of the gospel. In Becoming a Contagious Christian you will discover why we are called to be Contagious Christians, how authenticity, compassion and sacrifice help us relate to seekers and how to clearly share the gospel with those you love. This resource is designed for Sunday school, small group and individual study. Let Becoming a Contagious Christian revitalize your passion for evangelism and enable you to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission!

The Soul Winner By Charles Spurgeon / Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Winning souls is ”the chief business of the Christian minister” and of every believer in Jesus, wrote Spurgeon. The most compelling preacher of the 1800s, Spurgeon continues to challenge today’s believers. In this classic work, he gives you effective, encouraging instruction on how to share ”the exciting, disturbing, even sensational news” of the Great Commission. 319 pages, softcover from Eerdmans.

Ashamed of the Gospel By John MacArthur / Crossway Books & Bibles Ashamed of the Gospel bears a message the church just can’t ignore: that we dare not be ashamed of communicating the convicting message of the Gospel. That we dare not candy coat it. Or make the church so user-friendly that the preaching of God’s Word is compromised. MacArthur reminds today’s church of the inevitable spiritual consequences if Christians continue to compromise biblical doctrine and the preaching of the Gospel. This masterful work challenges the church to return to the roots of the Great Commission and encourages a steadfast preaching of the Word of God.

Radically Unchurched: Who They Are & How To Reach Them By Alvin L. Reid / Kregel Publications In America today, the ranks of the radically unchurched are growing. How can we effectively communicate the gospel to an indifferent culture who regards the church as irrelevant? Examining the causes behind the loss of America’s Christian identity, Reid provides proven strategies for touching people who desperately need to be confronted with Christ’s life-changing truth. 219 pages, softcover from Kregel.

Technorati Tags: Fulfilling the Mission, Great Commission, SBC, Southern Baptist Convention, Mission, Missionary, Evangelism

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