Although the declaration, “Toward a Great Commission Resurgence,” is now the “property” of Southern Baptist Convention president Johnny Hunt, the statement with more than 1,500 endorsers is the handiwork of Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Seminary.
Danny AkinIn an interview with the Florida Baptist Witness, Akin said he and Hunt – close friends for many years – have spent a great deal of time together since Hunt was elected SBC president last June talking about what can be done to reverse stagnation within the SBC.
The two strategized on the matter during a two-day visit to Hunt’s Atlanta-area home last fall. Hunt is pastor of First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga.
In March, Akin said he shared with Hunt an idea of a sermon he wanted to preach that would outline the themes and issues of concern being discussed among Southern Baptists and offer a way forward for the denomination.
Encouraged by Hunt, Akin said he worked on the sermon, “Axioms of a Great Commission Resurgence,” which was delivered at the seminary April 16. Prior to that delivery, his sermon was reviewed by Hunt, LifeWay Christian Resources president Thom Rainer and Southern Baptist Seminary president Albert Mohler Jr. Akin said the men “fully and completely” endorsed the 12-point sermon.
Akin said he received “overwhelming” support for the message, and Hunt “in essence commissioned me to put together a more refined kind of document that would take the form of a manifesto or declaration” the SBC president could review, revise and then release to seek endorsement from other like-minded Southern Baptists.
So was born “Toward a Great Commission Resurgence.” The declaration was unofficially released April 27 via its Web site (www.GreatCommissionResurgence.com) and quickly garnered hundreds of endorsers among local, state and national Southern Baptist leaders.
In the day between its unofficial and official release, one significant change was made to the statement, responding to criticism received from state convention leaders who felt Article IX, “A Commitment to a More Effective Convention Structure,” was “a bit too severe and singled them out for criticism,” Akin said.
The language of the offending article was changed in response to a request from Hunt with the input of several other SBC leaders, including Rainer, Akin said.
The intent of the controversial article, Akin said, was for every sphere in Southern Baptist life – churches, associations, state convention and national entities – to be “self-critical in asking the question: Are we maximizing the resources entrusted to us by Southern Baptists for the fulfilling of the Great Commission?”
James A. Smith Sr. is editor of the Florida Baptist Witness.