Monday, June 25, 2012

Report to Harvey Baptist Church on Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting 2012 Convened at New Orleans, LA by Messenger Richmond Goolsby


Upon arrival late Monday evening we heard a challenging message from James McDonald, Pastor of Harvest Bible Fellowship in suburban Chicago, during the closing session of the Pastor’s Conference.  The final sermon of the evening was delivered by Fred Luter, Pastor of Franklin Ave. BC in New Orleans.  He preached a passionate and stirring message declaring the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We are not ashamed because it is the power of God!  Luter proclaimed, “If the Word of God has changed you, it can change them!”  Frank Page, President of SBC Executive Committee, declared a wonderful message in which he stated that the headquarters of Southern Baptist life is the local church, not the Convention or its entities.  He made an earnest plea for unity regarding the discussions concerning the doctrine of salvation.  
Many motions were made about practices of the SBC and its entities with approximately 7,500 messengers registered.  I will only highlight the few I thought were most significant.  
  1. A motion was made by Richard Tribble, Pastor of Emmanuel Southern BC Decatur, Illinois, that the convention “establish a policy and procedures manual for convention officers, including procedures to investigate allegations of misconduct by officers.”  Under current practice any research regarding practices of officers would not occur until the end of their term rather than before.  If I remember correctly, the motion was forwarded to the Executive Committee for further action.
  2. A motion was made by Tim Overton, Halteman Village BC Muncie, Indiana, that LifeWay reconsider its decision to sell the 2011 NIV.  The motion asked trustees to allow Paige Patterson and Louis Markos to address trustees on the matter, they agreed to do so.
  3. A motion by Channing Kilgore of South Whitwell BC Whitwell, Tennessee, that the convention establish a “historical research committee” to study the views of SBC founders “regarding predestination and election and how they understood these terms”.  The motion was referred to the six SBC seminaries.
  4. A motion by Todd Littleton of Snow Hill BC Tuttle, OK, that the Convention agree with Richard Land, president of ERLC, that statements he made regarding the Trayvon Martin killing were harmful and that the SBC “publicly affirm the reprimands” of Land by ERLC trustees.  The purpose stated for the motion was that this would authoritatively speak to our desire for racial reconciliation and prevent newly elected president of SBC Fred Luter from being required to redundantly respond to the SBC’s position concerning the issue.  After much discussion, the motion was ruled out of order.
  5. A motion by Luke Johnson of Highland BC Laurel, Mississippi, that salary packages of all SBC entity and state convention employees be disclosed to Southern Baptist messengers and churches.  After much debate, the motion was ruled out of order with the reason stated as the SBC has no authority over the state conventions.
  6. A motion by Ron Wilson of Wynnbrook BC Columbus, Georgia, that the SBC president appoint a committee to audit NAMB’s “Mega-Focus Cities: San Diego” program due to a concern of approximately 1 million dollars.  The motion was ruled out of order.
  7. A motion by Steve Bailey of Earle BC Arkansas, that “no entity of the SBC be allowed to use the name Great Commission”.  The motion was ruled out of order.
Many resolutions were offered but only some were accepted.  I shall mention 4 that I thought were most significant.
  1. On Cooperation and the Doctrine of Salvation.  While Southern Baptists have always represented a variety of views regarding the exact process of salvation we resolved to “celebrate our history of cooperation for world evangelism and missions” and “affirm the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message as a sufficient statement of the doctrine of salvation” and “encourage all SBC churches to continue in faithful cooperation to equip the saints and reach the lost with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
  2. On Biblical Scholarship and the Doctrine of Inerrancy.  Since there are some scholars that consider themselves evangelicals and yet deny the doctrine of Inerrancy as well as deny the historicity of Adam and Eve and the fall of mankind into sin, we affirm what the Bible asserts for itself.  It is “God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16), the authors were “moved by the Holy Spirit, men spoke from God” (2 Pt. 1:21), and as such it is entirely “truth, without any mixture of error” and “totally true and trustworthy” (as previously stated in the Baptist Faith and Message).  Therefore, we reaffirm our belief in and adherence to the doctrine of the Inerrancy of Scripture and call all biblical scholars in Southern Baptist institutions to carry out their work in submission to Jesus Christ and in the service of the inerrant Word of God.
  3. On “Same-sex Marriage” and Civil Rights Rhetoric.  Marriage is a covenant relationship and an institution established by God rather than a social construct and we affirm the biblical definition of marriage as the exclusive union of one man and one woman.  We deny that the effort to legalize “same-sex marriage” qualifies as a civil rights issue.  We express our love to those who struggle with same-sex attraction and stand against any disrespectful attitudes as we affirm that we must preach the truth of God’s Word on human sexuality, marriage, and purity.  We proclaim that Christ offers forgiveness of sin to those who turn from their sins and believe on Christ for the forgiveness of sin.
  4. An Affirmation of a “Sinner’s Prayer” As a Biblical Expression of Repentance and Faith.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ offers full forgiveness of sins to anyone who repents of sin and trusts in Christ.  The “sinner’s prayer” is not an incantation that results in salvation merely by its recitation and should never be manipulatively employed or utilized apart from a clear articulation of the Gospel but it is biblical for a sinner to cry out for the mercy of God.  We promote any and all biblical means of urging sinners to call on the name of the Lord in a prayer of repentance and faith.
Other significant actions occurring during the SBC Annual Meeting were as follows.
  1. Jimmy Draper presented a motion as Chairman of a Committee appointed by SBC President Bryant Wright to add the name “Great Commission Baptists” as a descriptor to be optionally used with the name Southern Baptist Convention.  Messengers were reminded that no SBC entity can legally change its name without approval from the messengers of the Convention and that churches already have the option of calling themselves whatever they desire as each church is autonomous.  The reasoning of adding such a descriptor was stated that it would be helpful for churches located in parts of the nation other than the south and for churches of various ethnicities.  After much debate the motion passed on ballot by 2546 (52.78%) affirmative and 2232 (46.27%) negative.
  2. Fred Luter, Pastor of Franklin Avenue BC New Orleans LA, was elected President of the SBC.  He is the first African-American President of the Convention and ran unopposed.  He has been a faithful pastor and preacher of the gospel.  The Convention Center was filled with emotion when he was elected.  Although a vote was unnecessary, we were allowed to cast our ballots with a repeated standing ovation granted by a standing-room only crowd.
I greatly enjoyed our participation in the SBC Annual Meeting.  I was challenged and strengthened by some great biblical sermons and discussions with some wonderful brothers in the Lord.  There were a few disappointments but overall I am glad to be a part of a group of churches that are seeking to stand for God’s truth in the midst of a sinful world.  God is blessing our cooperative work in so many ways.  We now have over 16,000 students preparing for gospel ministry in our 6 SBC seminaries and the 2011 Lottie Moon Missions offering was the 4th largest offering ever, totaling $146.8 million.  We are supporting missionaries all over the world who are committed to the inerrant Word of God and the saving grace of the Lord Jesus.  May God continue to be praised and may His work continue through the churches that cooperate through the Southern Baptist Convention!
Respectfully Submitted, 
Pastor Richmond Goolsby
June 24, 2012

No comments:

Post a Comment