On The Great Commission Resurgence

One of the most prominent things to come out of this year's Southern Baptist Convention which met in Louisville, KY June 23-24 was the formation of a Great Commission Resurgence Study Committee.

Given the decline of membership and baptisms for the SBC, many people - and I among them - have been concerned about the future of our Convention. To the best of my knowledge, Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, fired the first shot. He delivered a message in his seminary's chapel service outlining 12 "Axioms Toward a Great Commission Resurgence." I believe he was deliberately attempting to be provocative, and he was. Several State Convention directors shared their concerns and problems with Akin's Axioms. Morris Chapman, head of the SBC Executive Committee has also been outspoken in his criticism.

One of the sticking points has been the use of the term "bloated bureaucracies" to describe agencies and boards of the SBC. Naturally, many on those agencies and boards took offense. Those initial statements have been reviewed, considered and even revised.

The upshot of Akin's challenge has been that the SBC authorized and president Johnny Hunt has appointed a panel of 18 people:

Ronnie Floyd of Springdale, Ark., chair; Jim Richards, executive director, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention; Frank Page, of Taylors, S.C.; David Dockery, president of Union University in Jackson, Tenn.; Simon Tsoi, IMB trustee from Arizona; Donna Gaines of Cordova, Tenn.; Al Gilbert, Winston-Salem, N.C.; J.D. Greear of Durham, N.C.; Tom Biles, director of missions, Tampa Bay Baptist Association; Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; John Drummond, layman from Florida; Harry Lewis of the North American Mission Board; Mike Orr of Chipley, Fla.; Roger Spradlin of California; Bob White, Georgia Baptist Convention executive director; Ken Whitten of Tampa, Fla.; and Ted Traylor of Pensacola, Fla.

I am certainly for investigating ways to carry out the Great Commission as Southern Baptists. I voted for the appointment of the committee on the Convention floor. I can't imagine any Baptist voting against the Great Commission. :) However, if Jesus had put it up for a vote, I am sure there would have been opposition.

I also believe in and trust president Johnny Hunt. He is one of my favorite preachers. I listen to podcasts of his sermons every Saturday as I exercise to help motive me to preach the next day. I have said many times that I would be willing to move to Atlanta just to attend his church. First Baptist Woodstock, is a dynamic and growing church.

I also think that any organization needs to periodically examine itself to see if it is functioning efficiently and effectively. Self evaluation keeps the lifeblood flowing in any enterprise.

However, I have somewhat against this committee.

First, I am concerned about the representatives. Most of them are from larger membership churches. Only one of them is from a smaller membership church. Our mission boards and agencies are not well represented. There are no missiologists to my knowledge on this committee. Ed Stetzer, though I think he is already way too busy, would have been a good choice. The representation already looks like a "top down" move instead of a "bottom up" effort. Too many times, we have seen good programs and efforts birthed by our agencies and boards, only to see them slowly die because the churches, which are the bottom line, never embraced them.

Second, how will the work of this committee dovetail with the committee formed by the North American Mission Board? Will efforts be reduplicated?

Third, and parallel to thought #1, the formation of the Great Commission Resurgence Study Committee did not come as a local church concern, but as an institutional one, as Danny Akin, president of one of our seminaries took the first step. Again, the effort looks more like the tail wagging the dog. It should be more of a local church effort instructing the Convention toward a Great Commission Resurgence. The original thrust, to my knowledge, came from an institutional level. It can be argued that by a vote of the messengers, this committee became a local church issue, or that Akin gave voice to local church concerns. But again, I have not heard concern voiced by pastors or anyone else about a need for a Resurgence until Danny Akin spoke.

I say these things with love and concern. Southern Baptists have evangelized, discipled, trained, ordained, and employed me most of my adult life. I am a Southern Baptist by conviction and choice. I want to see us resurge and expand the kingdom.

I just hope that for all the efforts being made, this one does not end up like a lot of much hyped whizbang programs that have come down the pike from the denomination, across my desk, into a file (round or rectangular) and out of memory after a time.

One reason the Conservative Resurgence was successful was that it was initially a grassroots movement. Institutions were often reluctant to get on board. They themselves were the target. In the end the effort succeeded as the conservatives worked from the "bottom up."

The genius of the Southern Baptist Convention is just that- we are a "bottom up" organization. The heart of the Convention is the local church, not the institutions created to serve it. I just hope the member of the committee remember that.