Slow to Blog

October 11, 2010 in Uncategorized with 1 Comment

I have a blog. It seems like only recently that I got my first e-mail account but it was 14 years ago! The address was a random series of numbers and letters that defied logic and memorization. My blog site is simply my name. I don’t mention my blog as a matter of pride. Just about everyone has one.

 The explosion of social media continues apace. A report last week noted Facebook has 500 million participants. (My grandkids got me to sign up). And then there’s texting, Twitter, YouTube, and on and on. The Internet has opened the floodgate of electronic communication and everyone can play.

 I am benefited by the easy access to information the Internet provides. In one fell swoop, it has replaced my dependence on the newspaper, Webster’s Dictionary, some of my commentaries, my 1965 World Book Encyclopedias and my memory. I enjoy having so much data at my fingertips. I’ve even become accustomed to purchasing things on line.

 What about the interactive features of the Internet, the “social media”? As of yet, I don’t tweet or follow anyone on Twitter or surf through the blogs or post every day. I can feel it coming, though. But I also have some hesitation, not from the positive things, but from some negative things.

 The Apostle James wrote, “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” E-communication is so rapid. It may have as much in common with oral communication as it does with written. Perhaps the Apostle’s admonition would serve us well here. If James lived today, he might say, “Be slow to blog!” Slow down. Before you blog, make sure what you write is not: 

  1. Inadvertent. Internet communications can be widely read. Make sure you don’t mind what you write being widely disseminated. One recent denominational blogger seemed surprised that his unhelpful remarks on his blog could be read by everyone. Don’t expect privacy or confidentiality with blogs, tweets, FB, etc. Be prepared to live with what you write.
  2. Intemperate. The whole idea of writing is that it can be more thoughtful, dispassionate, and measured than what often occurs in the give and take of verbal exchanges. The temptation with interactive media is to fire back immediate responses that have not been thought through. These can be hurtful, insensitive and slanderous. Count to ten. Sleep on it. Get a second opinion. Then write.
  3. Inaccurate. Wikipedia is a great site, but they have had to beef up the review of information that has been proffered. Some of it was simply not true. Untruths can now be promulgated at the speed of light. Don’t contribute to misinformation and don’t pass it on.
  4. Inappropriate. What a sad outcome to the posting of the video of the gay Rutgers student who, as a result, committed suicide. Or the shameful exploits of a Duke coed that irreparably damages the lives of people. There are hundreds of other inappropriate postings: bad language, insensitive humor, thoughtless remarks, and a myriad of other careless, crass, coarse words and pictures. Teenagers need to be especially careful!  Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”  I don’t want to be a spoilsport or a nanny, but could we at least have some good manners?
  5. Inane. Don’t contribute to the blather. Have something thoughtful to say. Comedian Dave Barry, in noting the Twitter site being out of commission for several hours last year, opined, “Hundreds of people didn’t know where the Kardashian sisters had lunch.” There is probably some value in just saying, Hey! or Atta boy! on line. Every posting doesn’t have to be Pulitzer quality, but try to be meaningful.  Just because it is rapid doesn’t mean it has to be vapid.

 I often sign off my communications with “keep in touch.” Keeping in touch is getting easier all the time. Perhaps, if we slow down, we can maximize our communication while minimizing any harm.

P.S. Check out www.LBC.org for the latest on the Louisiana Baptist Convention’s Annual Meeting. Hope to see you there.

An Open Letter to the North American Mission Board Trustees

September 9, 2010 in NAMB with 37 Comments

I am conflicted about writing this letter. I have been a cooperating Southern Baptist all my life, and since being given leadership responsibilities, I have endeavored to cooperate with my fellow Southern Baptists at every level, especially those who have been given particular leadership assignments. I want to support leaders and pray for them as they carry out their assignments rather than presume to do their jobs for them.

While I anticipated having this same mindset with respect to the search process for a new North American Mission Board president, I find that I must make an exception because I believe that principled convictions are being ignored. Certainly, it would be easier not to say anything, not ruffle feathers, and not risk the criticism from those who disagree with me. I have spoken with some of your leaders and your candidate privately. They have been cordial, open, and helpful. That makes it even more painful to speak publicly. But I have a duty to Louisiana Baptists and others to raise unresolved objections before a larger audience.

Let me come right to the point: I believe you are being asked to elect a candidate who, while having many admirable qualities, is unqualified in one significant way.  Dr. Ezell’s excellent credentials in areas such as character, family, leadership, and theology do not compensate for the demonstrated lack of support for the mission of NAMB.

Under his tenure, the income of his church has tripled to more than $6,000,000. Yet the financial contribution of the church, through the Cooperative Program and Annie Armstrong Offering, has been marginal, at best.  Consequently, one has to believe the anemic support of cooperative ministries has been a purposeful decision by the pastor and the church leadership. Dr. Ezell has indicated he believes this was a better way to reach their congregational objectives. Is that what Southern Baptists believe and what they expect from the leader of the North American Mission Board?

While each local Southern Baptist church has the right to do whatever it decides about denominational mission support, those who would presume to lead Southern Baptist entities ought to have a track record of supporting those entities.

This is not meant as a personal attack on Dr. Ezell. I would have the same concern about any candidate for NAMB who had a similarly poor record on cooperative giving. There are many excellent pastors with an SBC affiliation who have chosen to go a more independent route with their churches’ mission spending. I am thankful for every success they have brought to the Kingdom but I believe, by their negligible cooperative denominational giving, they have removed themselves from consideration as SBC entity leaders.

I know the search committee must have had some criteria that potential candidates had to meet before they received consideration. For example, I’m sure a candidate, no matter how exceptional his leadership skills, would not have been considered if he lacked theological soundness as articulated by the Baptist Faith and Message.  A candidate, no matter how fast and large his church grew, would not have been considered if there were questions about his Christian character.  Why is demonstrable support for the North American Mission Board, and leading by example in denominational cooperation, not a prerequisite for the NAMB presidency?

What is at stake here? The methodology of cooperative missions is at stake! Some among us have proposed that Southern Baptists de-emphasize cooperative missions (i.e., all churches being encouraged to support ministries they decide upon together in their respective conventions).  These brothers propose a more independent model (i.e., all churches being encouraged to give funding primacy to their own congregational mission enterprises).

While your nominee has chosen the more independent model for his church, Southern Baptists reaffirmed in June the cooperative missions model, especially with regard to Cooperative Program support.  The SBC messengers approved amendments to the original GCR report regarding CP thusly: “…to continue to honor and affirm the Cooperative Program as the most effective means of mobilizing our churches and extending our outreach. We affirm that designated gifts to special causes are to be given as a supplement to the Cooperative Program and not as a substitute for Cooperative Program giving.” Given the opportunity to elevate designated giving, Southern Baptists chose instead to elevate cooperative giving. I voted for the GCR report at the 2010 SBC because it came down on the side of increased, rather than decreased, cooperation among Southern Baptists.

I am concerned that a NAMB president who has chosen the independent model will send a chilling message to the thousands of Southern Baptist congregations who have been led by their pastors and their denomination to believe that generous support for our cooperative mission funding processes is the good and right thing to do.

How will such a president have the moral authority to carry out the conclusions of the GCR report that “The greatest stewardship of Great Commission investment and deployment is giving through the Cooperative Program” and “that we call upon Southern Baptists to adopt goals of giving no less than …$100 million annually through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions”? How can he challenge cooperative support if he has led his church in the opposite direction?

Which philosophy do you believe is best for Southern Baptist mission work? I believe NAMB trustees want Southern Baptists to continue to vigorously support NAMB ministries and not divert millions of dollars for use in independent projects. Sadly, the average Cooperative Program percentage (which was over 10% in the mid 1980s) dropped again this year to an all time low of 5.86%.  I believe this is directly attributable to the example set by certain prominent Southern Baptists. Our congregations don’t need any more signals that discourage cooperative giving.

I am certain that Dr. Ezell did not seek this nomination. The burden is on the board, not on him, to set the appropriate prerequisites. I believe the NAMB trustees understand the SBC’s wishes. And I believe the NAMB trustees are people of integrity.

Friends, this is a matter of integrity. Will you keep faith with the Southern Baptists who are generously supporting the work of the North American Mission Board?

I have been told that there are no candidates who have all the credentials of the current nominee and an exemplary track record of Cooperative Program and Annie Armstrong support. I do not believe this. There are any number of leaders who possess outstanding leadership skills and meet all the prerequisites, including denominational cooperation and support.

This is serious business at a serious juncture. No one needs to remind you of the struggles that NAMB has had due to conflict at the executive level.  I know you want to get this decision right. Compromising on cooperative missions methodology is not the pathway to getting it right. Please, seek a candidate to lead our national work who possesses all the prerequisites your Southern Baptist family expects and deserves.

May the peace of God, the grace of the Lord Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit be upon you in this great task.

Fraternally,

David E. Hankins
Executive Director, Louisiana Baptist Convention

Mission: Louisiana

September 8, 2010 in Louisiana Missions with 1 Comment

 The Apostle Paul was the church’s premier international missionary. Nearly every Bible I own has maps of Paul’s missionary journeys that trace his steps from one country to another. He was always looking outward to unreached territories where he would not duplicate another’s gospel work already in progress. He was keenly aware of his special calling. Even though he had a Jewish heritage, he was the apostle to the Gentiles. 

None of these facts, however, should cause us to conclude that Paul was not vitally interested in the salvation of those close to home. He writes, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race.” (Rom. 9:2-3, NIV). I believe, as Paul penned these words, he was thinking of real people with real names and faces; people from his childhood: relatives and friends, classmates and co-workers, leaders and heroes of the Jewish community. He desired that they be reached with the gospel. I think Paul would insist that reaching to other peoples did not preclude reaching his own people. It was not a case of either/or but both/and.

Louisiana Baptists are missionary people. We know our commission is to be witnesses to the ends of the earth and we gladly sacrifice to get the gospel beyond our own parishes. However, Louisiana is our special strategic mission. Like Paul, we have relatives and friends, classmates and co-workers, leaders and heroes in Louisiana that need the Lord.

Our most recent demographic studies show that we have over 900,000 people residing in the greater New Orleans area. Another 900,000 border the I-12 corridor from Baton Rouge to the Mississippi line. The vast majority of these Louisianans do not go to anyone’s church. Our LBC membership is only a few percentage points of this vast population.  While our work is stronger along our northern interstate as a percentage of the population, there are still 100s of 1000s of Louisianans without Christ in this region as well.  The Lord has many people in Louisiana yet to be reached.

We are making progress. Early reports indicate baptisms among LBC churches will be up for the second year in a row. Some of our churches in the south are experiencing record highs in baptisms. Also, our Louisiana College has just announced Shreveport as the location of its new Paul Pressler School of Law. This school will have tremendous gospel implication for our entire state and the Arklatex region. We are also revamping our LBC church planting process to make it more fruitful in starting successful evangelistic new churches across our state. Space limits me from sharing with you the progress our other cooperative ministries are making in our state.

But we do have some challenges. The economy continues to repress incomes which reduces our income as well. We are thankful for all the faithful financial support. However, if Louisiana Baptists are going to fulfill the Great Commission in our own state, we must aggressively and sacrificially increase Cooperative Program giving.

Then, there is another significant change that could negatively affect our cooperative work. The SBC is urging Louisiana and all Southern states to relinquish the financial mission partnership we have had for decades though the North American Mission Board (formerly, HMB). This means an annual loss of over 800,000 mission dollars in Louisiana over the next several years. The reason for the change is to free these resources for use in the population centers in the Northern USA where Baptist work is much weaker than the South.

We in Louisiana are being asked to take care of the gospel work in our state by ourselves. I believe we want to do it and can do it. It will require us to be more generous as individuals through our churches and churches more generous in mission giving to Louisiana causes.

One of the best places to start is the Georgia Barnette State Mission Offering. This offering is used exclusively for cooperative missions work in Louisiana. It makes a great impact every year. We could not do what we do if it were not for Louisiana Baptists generosity through this offering. Now, we need to give more to make up for the NAMB shortfall.

I am challenging the LBC churches who have not been receiving a Georgia Barnette Offering to begin this month. I also challenge every church to make this year your best offering. Louisiana Baptists must reach Louisiana. Let’s commit ourselves to do it.

Great Commission Resurgence Ministry Opportunities

September 8, 2010 in GCR,Louisiana Missions with 0 Comments

In my first installment on the implications of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force Report, I noted that the SBC, in its vote, affirmed the importance of 1) proclaiming the gospel world-wide, 2) the ministry of the local church, 3) the Cooperative Program, and 4) denominational partnerships. If you missed them, you can read my remarks at: GCR Creates Opportunities for Louisiana Baptists.

In part two, I plan to address implications from other aspects of the report. 

The GCR report emphasized the primacy of the work of the International Mission Board. We Southern Baptists, who have prayed fervently, labored mightily and given generously for our overseas missions, enthusiastically expressed our continued commitment to take the gospel to all the peoples of the earth.

The report recommends two new initiatives to accelerate the work of the IMB 

The first calls for utilization of IMB expertise with international peoples who reside in the USA. This needs to be executed carefully so there is not duplication, miscommunication and loss of resources for the overseas mission. However, it has potential for helping existing churches and denominational ministries. It could more affectively and aggressively accelerate evangelism efforts to reach the “world” that has come to our doorstep. IMB leaders would be wise to purposely involve local Southern Baptists in these stateside endeavors.

The second initiative calls for CP allocation to “break the fifty percent barrier” by assigning 51 % of the CP receipts to the IMB. The report recommends the 1% reallocation come from the Executive Committee budget. If Southern Baptists will increase their gifts though the CP as called for elsewhere in the report, the increase would be a much easier step. I hope accelerated giving makes possible even more dramatic allocations to IMB while keeping appropriate funding for the rest of our cooperative work and the ministries of our local churches.

Another recommendation challenges state conventions to take the lead in Cooperative Program promotion and stewardship education. 

State conventions already are heavily involved with this. At the same time, the report implies a lessened role for the SBC Executive Committee and actually recommends removal of funds budgeted for CP and stewardship work. This could be problematic. I am enthusiastic about a nationwide CP emphasis (which the report calls for by 2013). I’ve been pushing for this for years.

To do this successfully, we need to provide enough resources to execute the promotion effectively. I know money is needed for an array of ministries (e.g., IMB as above), but if we are not careful we will “eat our seed corn.” The SBC needs to look at other parts of the budget, in addition to scrutinizing the Executive Committee, for inefficient spending and reallocate those resources appropriately, especially to CP and stewardship emphases. This could actually help procure more funding.

My final comments will address attitudinal implications rather than the specific “structural” measures the report proposed. 

Southern Baptists will find a way to adjust ministry assignments and budget allocations, such as these most recently adopted by the convention. The weightier matters concern our hearts.

One attitude that concerns me is related to the spirit of cooperation among Southern Baptists. The GCR report touches on this. The values the convention adopted include: Unity (We work together in love for the sake of the gospel); Relationships (We consider others more important than ourselves); Trust (We tell each other the truth in love and do what we say we will do); and Future (We value Southern Baptists of all generations and embrace our responsibility to pass this charge to a rising generation in every age, faithful until Jesus comes).

These values are embodied and expressed when Southern Baptists cooperate. Everything about them insists that we love each other, and that we embrace the other’s ministry, and that, setting aside personal preferences, we seek the good of the whole.

However, some voices in Southern Baptist life, even among those most enthusiastic about the GCR, are speaking in ways that undermine this spirit. When I hear things like “if the music doesn’t suit me, I’m not going to attend,” or “if the convention’s budget allocation isn’t what I want, I’m going to discourage my church from giving,” or “if I can’t be personally involved in the decision-making or the implementation of the ministry, I’m not going to participate,” I wonder if we understand what cooperation means.

Our larger Southern Baptist enterprises, our far reaching, global and generational ministries require that I be enthusiastic not only about the part I’m in charge of but also the part my brother is in charge of. SBC work will fail if I only support my preferences and not those we decide on together.

While I appreciate the measure of independence we Baptists prize, I worry it will be the undoing of our common gospel mission as Southern Baptists. I hope the call for renewed gospel proclamation contained in the GCR report is also a call to do it together.

My last comment concerns another heart issue. 

The GCR report names Christ-likeness as the first core value: We depend on the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and prayer to make us more like Jesus Christ. I believe this value is central to a Great Commission Resurgence in our context. It is so easy to move right ahead with our plans of action without getting our hearts, our families, and our churches right with God.

No amount of structural changes can fix what ails our culture or our convention. We need God. We need a revival of holiness, submission, and sacrifice.

 I pray the GCR report has caused Southern Baptists to consider the seriousness of our need and will cause us to humble ourselves before God. I know you join me in this heartfelt hunger. Let’s pursue God.

Part of our pursuit involves collectively seeking the Lord. Our president, Dr. Mastellar has invited our LBC pastors to join him August 9 at Summer Grove Baptist Church, Shreveport for a special time of prayer from 10 am until 3 pm. Pray that this will be the start of a Great Commission Resurgence in our state.

Thanks for your prayers and comments.

GCR Creates Opportunities for Louisiana Baptists

September 8, 2010 in GCR,Louisiana Missions with 0 Comments

Implications of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force Report (part 1)

The much debated and prayed-for report of the SBC’s Great Commission Resurgence Task Force was presented to the Southern Baptist Convention at its annual meeting in Orlando last month.  The report, which can be read in its entirety at www.baptist2baptist.org, contains findings, opinions, challenges, and seven recommendations.  After one amendment to elevate the value of the Cooperative Program, the recommendations were overwhelmingly adopted by the convention. 

Allow me to reflect on some of the implications of this report for the future of Southern Baptists and especially for Louisiana Baptists.

Implication 1: Southern Baptists remain a gospel-centered denomination. The report identified our mission as presenting “the gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and to make disciples of all the nations.” This is not news to anyone vaguely familiar with Southern Baptists and might seem redundant to some. But it is good to be clear about our aims and to say definitely, after an intense period of evaluation, “ We know what we are here to do, and we intend to do it.” We ought to be cheered by the knowledge that, while other denominations are mired down in discussions about the truth of Christianity or whether to maintain a rigorous biblical character, Southern Baptists are having a discussion about how to be more effective in obeying the Great Commission.

Implication 2: Local churches are “ground zero” in our efforts to be more faithful to the Great Commission task. The report reads in part, “We believe the local church is given the authority, power, and responsibility to present the gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world.” We regularly gather in convention meetings and vote on things. But we realize that a whole raft of convention votes, even the recent ones in Orlando, will not advance the Kingdom one iota if the churches who form our conventions do not accomplish gospel work in their own locales and band together to foster gospel work throughout the earth. I am thankful for the serious and substantial efforts being made by Louisiana Baptist churches for the sake of the gospel.

In the face of many, many challenges our pastors and people are “penetrating lostness” at home and abroad. I believe we are ready to advance. I believe those churches who may be struggling can be helped to succeed. I believe we can strengthen the feeble, straighten the crooked, and encourage the oppressed among us.

I am confident our churches – large ones, small ones, old ones, new ones, all of them- want to be their best and will find a way, by God’s grace, to succeed in gospel work.

It is the privilege of your LBC staff to pray for and assist our churches. We know you are the key to Kingdom success.

Implication 3: The Cooperative Program is the best means to fund the Great Commission Resurgence. These are not my words; they are the words of the report adopted by the Convention.  The recommendation, which already identified the Cooperative Program as the “preferred” method for churches to support missions, was amended by a nearly unanimous vote to read “continue to honor and affirm the Cooperative Program as the most effective means of mobilizing our churches and extending our outreach” and  “We affirm that designated giving to special causes is to be given as a supplement to the Cooperative Program and not as a substitute for Cooperative Program giving.” Some feared (and others hoped) that Southern Baptists would say designated giving is just as effective and desirable as Cooperative Program giving. Southern Baptists said just the opposite.

It is my opinion that the report (prior to the convention and at the convention) would not have passed without the strengthening of the language affirming Cooperative Program.

What does this mean for Louisiana Baptists? It means the SBC has once again affirmed the process whereby Baptist churches give one gift to support all our causes at the state and national level. It means the SBC has once again affirmed the process whereby the state convention sets the allocation division and collects the receipts.

What are the challenges?  LBC needs to continue to follow the CP Advance plan that is constantly moving toward a 50/50 allocation with the SBC.  Our churches need to be more aggressive in increasing their support for missions through the CP by increasing the percentage of undesignated receipts sent through this process. I would say to all our pastors and other church leaders that, while we recognize your right to designate your giving, our convention of churches prefers we all give to the whole budget. I hope this strong reaffirmation by the SBC will spur us on to new heights in mission support.

Implication 4: The Louisiana Baptist Convention is a valuable ally in Southern Baptist advance of the gospel. The report recognized that partnership with the state conventions, especially by the North American Mission Board, is critical for reaching North America with the gospel. My support for the Task Force Report was predicated on the expressed commitment by the Task Force members to future partnership with Baptist state conventions.

The report makes several challenges to state conventions. You will be glad to know that the LBC has already accomplished or was already pursuing every suggested challenge (except for the one setting aside the month of January for prayer, which is a brand new idea). The Task Force was not persuaded by those voices that attempted to minimize state convention missions. Instead, the report calls for “a new pattern of strategic partnerships with state conventions.” This does not mean there won’t be changes.

Emphases of the report will affect LBC work in at least two distinct ways in regard to evangelizing North America: 1) We are being encouraged to relinquish NAMB resources which have been used in Louisiana (over $800,000 per year) so they may be reallocated, over the next several years, to parts of the country with fewer gospel resources per capita; 2) We are being encouraged to consider additional partnerships with state conventions outside the south.

I believe Louisiana Baptists view these emphases as positive opportunities to be more effective in reaching North America. It will require sacrifice on the part of our churches.

We will need to aggressively grow our gifts through the Cooperative Program and the Georgia Barnette Offering for Louisiana missions. Not only will we be called upon to help outside our state, but the burden for our on-going Louisiana mission work must now be borne by us alone. The SBC is counting on Louisiana churches to take care of Louisiana’s gospel work. I look forward to working with the churches to develop strategies for meeting this important challenge.

Embracing the Brand

September 8, 2010 in SBC Heritage with 0 Comments

The Southern Baptist denomination is presently engaged in serious, widespread and hopefully, fruitful discussions about our identity, our purpose and our future. One subject getting ink, airtime and “cyber”-space with regularity is our name: “The Southern Baptist Convention.” Many are wondering whether this historic name is still useful as our identifier.

Does the name, The Southern Baptist Convention, properly position us in the 21st century? Does it portray the right image? Some suggest the term “southern” is too regional for a nationwide organization or marred by racism of the past. Some, likewise, worry that “Baptist” is too restrictive or otherwise off-putting in a trans-denominational age. There are even those who believe “convention” is not as accurate a description as the more relational “fellowship” or the less confining “network.” It seems the only part of the name receiving no objection is “The.”

I wondered to myself whether we ought to do as the rock star Prince did (I was dreaming when I wrote this) and adopt an “icon” instead of a name. A cleverly crafted, inarticulate, unpronounceable, ineffable icon which, when seen, would evoke the comment “the group formerly known as The Southern Baptist Convention.” Probably not.

It is certainly prudent to take a look at ourselves, even our name, to see if change is warranted. But, if we find a new, better name, I hope we will not lose the important things the name “The Southern Baptist Convention” stands for.

I’m convinced our name is not the primary issue. Our image is. Sometimes name changes help image. Sometimes a new name merely conveys the same image. Humorist Dave Barry recently reported that the nearly bankrupt state of California, in order to hide from its creditors, was changing its name to South Oregon! New name-same problems.

If we Southern Baptists are sensitive about our image, and we ought always to be, I would recommend we do two things:

One. Forget we are the largest evangelical denomination in the USA. It surely must grate on the sensibilities of our Lord to hear us proclaim to ourselves that our “great denomination” is the last, best hope for the advance of God’s kingdom on earth.

We may be wringing our hands about our recent declines in effectiveness but I doubt either the Almighty or his church dispersed in faraway places (e.g., in China where people are coming to Christ by the millions) is in a state of anxiety waiting on The Southern Baptist Convention to provide otherwise unattainable spiritual successes in those places.

Could it be that our God, who humbles the exalted and exalts the humble, will sit us on the bench while he executes world revival by other means?  We ought to humble ourselves, ask God to renew a right spirit within us and beg for the privilege, if he could possibly use the likes of us to have a part in his redemptive purposes.

Two. Remember we are the largest evangelical denomination in the USA.  As just noted, we are not everything. But we are not nothing. By God’s grace, we as Southern Baptists have been allowed to see wonderful accomplishments for Jesus’ kingdom. Millions have been led to Christ, thousands of churches preach the gospel, ministries of education, influence, mercy and goodwill are flourishing here and around the world-all by Christians under the brand name “Southern Baptist.”

We know our first allegiance is to Jesus, not a denomination. We know we are not the whole church. We are not and have never claimed to be, the only ones serving the Lord. But we have made a difference. Based on strong biblical convictions, we have brought a needed perspective to American and world Christianity. We have contributed. Our unique perspectives and our creative contributions have helped other church groups in ways too numerous to recount here. 

While we should strive to cooperate with godly enterprises other than our own and seek the welfare of other Great Commission Christians, we should not minimize the distinctives that mark us nor give away the strengths of number, history, and affinities that have allowed us to excel.

The Southern Baptist Convention is a blessing, not a curse, and we must not regard it lightly. Don’t despise it. Don’t neglect it. I challenge all Southern Baptists to embrace the brand.

I am Southern Baptist. I am committed to Jesus Christ as the wonderful, unique son of God and only savior for the world. I find my purpose as a human in knowing and serving him with all of my being. I am humbled and helped by the 165 year heritage of faithful men and women who have marched in the Kingdom’s cause under this banner.

I am Southern Baptist. I am guided by his revealed written word, the Bible. I am convinced of its absolute truthfulness, trustworthiness, and sufficiency and am committed to knowing its content and obeying its precepts. I affirm God’s teaching on creation and human existence, marriage and family, life and death, heaven and hell.

I am Southern Baptist. I am committed to Jesus’ church. I am a member of a local congregation that is led by his spirit, populated by his regenerate followers after believer’s baptism, governed by its members under his Lordship, dedicated to loving and serving every tribe and race and tongue in Jesus’ name and pursuing his mission. I put a primacy on preaching the gospel to anyone, everyone, everywhere, all the time.

I am Southern Baptist. I am a sinner saved by grace and in constant need of renewal and reformation. Like me, this convention has made serious blunders, foolish mistakes and has come dangerously close to losing its way. But by God’s grace, we’ve responded, if sometimes slowly, to his rod of correction and continue to cultivate that old Protestant motto: “ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda” and that old Baptist commitment to “further light.”

I am Southern Baptist. I believe in cooperation. I believe congregations can do more together than they can by themselves.  I make it a priority to partner and give with other Southern Baptist churches for the furtherance of the gospel.

Bless God for every Bible-believing, Christ-honoring, mission-minded believer and church. Let’s lock arms every way we can. But let’s not thoughtlessly dissipate our convictions and strengths and effectiveness because we don’t know who we are, or for the mere appearance of common cause, or for short-term gains.

We are Southern Baptists. Embrace the brand.