On June 15, at the Southern Baptist Convention, the Great Commission Resurgence task force recommendations will be presented for adoption. Arguments have been championed from all quarters and conflicting eruptions of fiery rhetoric have polluted the blogisphere with dire warnings.
It seems to me that the GCR task force has made the right observations. Members of the task force and others who were instrumental in promoting GCR observed, “There are almost 7 billion human inhabitants of planet Earth. At the most generous estimate, somewhere around 1 billion are believing Christians. That means that over 6 billion people are lost, without Christ, and thus without hope. Of these 6 billion, over 3.5 billion have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. Over 6,000 people groups are without any Christian witness.”
Jim White
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This is, indeed, a sobering statistic. But it is not the first time Southern Baptists have been concerned about global lostness. In 1976 Southern Baptists adopted the most courageous, energetic and faith-dependent world-wide witnessing plan the world had ever known. It was called “Bold Mission Thrust.” The SBC was preparing for a 25-year global effort to share the name of Jesus with every people group in the world by the turn of the century.
But some very vocal and highly visible Southern Baptists believed that it was more important to demand a rigid conformity to claims about the Bible and to drive out those mythical “liberals” than to reach the world for Christ. So in 1979 the “conservative resurgence” began. We lost our missional focus and Bold Mission Thrust died from neglect. So did millions of lost people.
I wish I could say “Father, forgive them for they knew not what they were doing.” But they did know. Their own agenda was more important than God’s and the majority of the Southern Baptist Convention messengers through the years were complicit, or duped or clueless and let it happen. Southern Baptists have a lot to answer for. Many sins to atone for.
Now some vocal and visible Southern Baptists are challenging the SBC to adopt the Great Commission Resurgence task force recommendations out of concern for the lost and dying world. It’s a bit late; but not too late. Sharing Christ with the world is the right thing to do and it is never wrong to do the right thing.
The task force made other observations as well. They noted that, “In our own congregations, we see falling rates of baptism and other signs of concern. In 2008, Southern Baptist churches baptized more than 33,000 fewer people than in 1950 – and that was with more than 17,000 additional churches. Baptism rates among teenagers have fallen dramatically, and many young people become disengaged with the church soon after graduation from high school. In 2008 we baptized only 75,000 teenagers. In 1970 we baptized 140,000. Why?”
Actually, in 2009 baptism figures rose slightly. Last year we baptized only 25,400 less than in 1950. Clearly, the Southern Baptist Convention has begun a statistical slide. The first step in correction is acknowledgment.
The task force members also observed that the average Southern Baptist family gives only 2.5 percent of its income to the church and that the average SB church forwards only 6 percent to the Cooperative Program. The average state convention keeps 63 percent of these CP monies for use in state-initiated missions, they point out.
They also asked the right questions. “Why?” And, “What is holding us back?” Unfortunately, in my opinion, they arrived at the wrong conclusions. Not all of them, of course. In fact, I believe they began by hitting the nail exactly on the head. Unfortunately, it was a glancing blow.
They said, “We believe in order for us to work together more faithfully and effectively towards the fulfillment of the Great Commission, Southern Baptists need a renewed commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the message of missions and evangelism, the message that is found only in Jesus Christ and his atoning death for sinners. These are first and foremost.”
I couldn’t agree more. We need to “work together more faithfully and effectively towards the fulfillment of the Great Commission.” We need a renewed commitment to the gospel of Christ. Amen. And, I must point out, not just for “those” lost sinners, but for us saved ones as well.
They continue exactly on point: “So, how can we make a Great Commission Resurgence happen? In truth, only God can bring this about. At the same time, our Lord has given this assignment to His church, and we are commanded to get to this work.”
So what is this work to which we are urged to get? Confession? Repentance? Restoring broken fellowship? Repairing the damage created by haughty spirits and crusader tactics? No. Here’s the work they say we are to be about: “We believe that Southern Baptists will rally to a mission statement that offers a clear, concise, and deeply biblical vision of who we are and what we are to be about: As a convention of churches, our missional vision is to present the gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and to make disciples of all the nations.”
Well, then! The gates of hell don’t stand a chance. Southern Baptists are going to vote on a mission statement. Fill up the baptismal pools, ye facilities managers! Is my cynicism showing? We can’t fix our lack of evangelism with a vote.
That’s my problem with the GCR task force report. It sends a dermatologist when a cardiologist is required. They are dealing with surface issues like reorganizing structure when our problems are more fundamental.
The task force is asking good questions, but in my opinion we need more time to carefully consider the merits or consequences of their recommendations. A year to thoughtfully and prayerfully study them would seem to make sense before forcing a vote.
In addition, some group needs to give more serious academic thought to global cultural shifts, how they have impacted the spread of the gospel particularly in the west, and to present response options.
The task force is right in saying that only God can make it happen. The grim reality, however, is that we can keep it from happening. I do not doubt the motives of the task force. I believe whole-heartedly that each member wants to honor Christ and to see the lost find salvation in Christ. I want that, too.
But the place to start is by getting on our knees not by holding up our ballots.
For my evaluation of the specific recommendations made by the task force, go to my blog.
Jim White is editor of the Religious Herald.