Didn't "Resurgence" once mean "Takeover"?
Thursday, July 9, 2009
New names for old games?
In the Southern Baptist Convention, is "Great Commission" the new "Inerrancy"?
Saturday, July 4, 2009
GCR leaders and the 'Cooperative Program'
From a friend of a friend of a friend, one more thought about the "Great Commission Resurgence Task Force" committee:
The Cooperative Program is the unified approach Southern Baptist churches take to jointly fund large-scale projects (like missions and seminaries) that they could not accomplish separately. I seem to recall reading that megachurch pastors like Rev. Floyd and Rev. Johnny Hunt chafe at observations like the one above because their churches - virtual denominations unto themselves - invest large sums of money into direct missions while sending small percentages to the "CP." I seem to recall that some megachurch pastors, in fact, have complained that their missions spending "outside the structure" of the Cooperative Program is not given enough weight in evaluating their commitment to the Southern Baptist cause.
I can understand that concern. Any pastor who is leading a congregation to invest in missions activity what for them is a large sum of money ought to get credit for such visionary leadership.
My friends who are Southern Baptists, however, tell me that it was the creation of the Cooperative Program that freed individual congregations from a constant barrage of fund-raising requests brought by visiting representatives of missionary societies. The more persuasive fund-raisers raked in the dough for their causes; the less glamorous causes struggled. Small congregations were torn, unable to respond meaningfully to all the pleas for money. The decision to pool resources for missions causes - and ignore pleas from societies - set loose one of the greatest engines for Christian missions the non-Catholic world has ever seen. Most Southern Baptist churches measure their commitment to cooperative missions by the percentage of their budget they donate to the CP.
No doubt the proponents of the "Great Commission Resurgence Task Force" committee want to see renewed passion for the missions mandate among Southern Baptists. Any believer with a heartbeat wants to see that.
Given the track record of some of the GCR leaders, however, a person couldn't be blamed for wondering whether they aren't actually hostile to the Cooperative Program approach to doing missions.
And if you aren't a Cooperative Program Southern Baptist, what makes you a Southern Baptist at all - as opposed, say, to an Independent Fundamental Baptist? Could this committee be used to dismantle the Cooperative Program framework or at least do serious damage to it?
Just asking. What does an outsider like me know anyway?
The chairman of the committee, Ronnie Floyd (pastor of a megachurch in Springdale, Ark.), has already been rejected by Southern Baptists for his pitiful, disgraceful Cooperative Program giving. I use the strong word 'disgraceful' because he attempted to become our president while giving 1/3 of 1 percent to our cooperative work. Why do we keep putting these guys in such key leadership positions!?
The Cooperative Program is the unified approach Southern Baptist churches take to jointly fund large-scale projects (like missions and seminaries) that they could not accomplish separately. I seem to recall reading that megachurch pastors like Rev. Floyd and Rev. Johnny Hunt chafe at observations like the one above because their churches - virtual denominations unto themselves - invest large sums of money into direct missions while sending small percentages to the "CP." I seem to recall that some megachurch pastors, in fact, have complained that their missions spending "outside the structure" of the Cooperative Program is not given enough weight in evaluating their commitment to the Southern Baptist cause.
I can understand that concern. Any pastor who is leading a congregation to invest in missions activity what for them is a large sum of money ought to get credit for such visionary leadership.
My friends who are Southern Baptists, however, tell me that it was the creation of the Cooperative Program that freed individual congregations from a constant barrage of fund-raising requests brought by visiting representatives of missionary societies. The more persuasive fund-raisers raked in the dough for their causes; the less glamorous causes struggled. Small congregations were torn, unable to respond meaningfully to all the pleas for money. The decision to pool resources for missions causes - and ignore pleas from societies - set loose one of the greatest engines for Christian missions the non-Catholic world has ever seen. Most Southern Baptist churches measure their commitment to cooperative missions by the percentage of their budget they donate to the CP.
No doubt the proponents of the "Great Commission Resurgence Task Force" committee want to see renewed passion for the missions mandate among Southern Baptists. Any believer with a heartbeat wants to see that.
Given the track record of some of the GCR leaders, however, a person couldn't be blamed for wondering whether they aren't actually hostile to the Cooperative Program approach to doing missions.
And if you aren't a Cooperative Program Southern Baptist, what makes you a Southern Baptist at all - as opposed, say, to an Independent Fundamental Baptist? Could this committee be used to dismantle the Cooperative Program framework or at least do serious damage to it?
Just asking. What does an outsider like me know anyway?
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Oh, good! A committee!
The boys in the new club - the Southern Baptist "Great Commission Resurgence" Club - are so excited that delegates (sorry. "messengers") to the annual meeting voted for their committee. Everyone knows that the best way to spark renewed passion for the Great Commission is to appoint a committee to study the situation and bring back recommendations.
What a bunch of Baptists.
If you want to see real change in Southern Baptist churches, you can start with about two-thirds of their members getting saved.
Then you need to talk to the backsliders about lordship.
Then you should to talk to the superficial Christians about discipleship.
Then you ought to get everybody on their knees at the altar, confessing their sins and righting wrong relationships. (The Calvinists should set the example for the "weaker brothers" and be the first to apologize - for being arrogant know-it-alls.)
Then you should get each member to pick five unsaved people with whom to develop Kingdom relationships and pick five new believers to disciple.
Then you should all get on the church van and head over across the tracks and see how things are going in the real world.
Then some of you get on a bus and head cross country to help start a new church. And some others get on a plane and fly overseas to sit with people dying of AIDS.
Then everyone meet back here one year from today and we'll talk about all the great things God did while the GCR Committee was spending buckets of money, deliberating how to keep God's Southern Baptist Kingdom out of the crapper. (Mark Driscoll told me it was "missional" to use that word in this context.)
These boys make all kinds of noise about passion for the Great Commission. Then they form a committee to talk about reorganizing the denomination.
Oh, yes, that ought to work. I mean, it worked for Jesus, right?
What a bunch of Baptists.
If you want to see real change in Southern Baptist churches, you can start with about two-thirds of their members getting saved.
Then you need to talk to the backsliders about lordship.
Then you should to talk to the superficial Christians about discipleship.
Then you ought to get everybody on their knees at the altar, confessing their sins and righting wrong relationships. (The Calvinists should set the example for the "weaker brothers" and be the first to apologize - for being arrogant know-it-alls.)
Then you should get each member to pick five unsaved people with whom to develop Kingdom relationships and pick five new believers to disciple.
Then you should all get on the church van and head over across the tracks and see how things are going in the real world.
Then some of you get on a bus and head cross country to help start a new church. And some others get on a plane and fly overseas to sit with people dying of AIDS.
Then everyone meet back here one year from today and we'll talk about all the great things God did while the GCR Committee was spending buckets of money, deliberating how to keep God's Southern Baptist Kingdom out of the crapper. (Mark Driscoll told me it was "missional" to use that word in this context.)
These boys make all kinds of noise about passion for the Great Commission. Then they form a committee to talk about reorganizing the denomination.
Oh, yes, that ought to work. I mean, it worked for Jesus, right?
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
A few more GCRD questions
It appears to be a cause for celebration in some circles that the Great Commission Resurgence Declaration now has 3,374 signatories.
That is out of how many Southern Baptist church members?
And how many of those signatories are students at Southeastern Seminary or members of Woodstock Baptist Church?
And how many of those 3,374 will actually be delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting? (I'm sorry. Messengers. I've been told there is a difference.)
That is out of how many Southern Baptist church members?
And how many of those signatories are students at Southeastern Seminary or members of Woodstock Baptist Church?
And how many of those 3,374 will actually be delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting? (I'm sorry. Messengers. I've been told there is a difference.)
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