I love the South Carolina Baptist Convention. During the early years of my ministry, I heard so much of how people from other state conventions were jealous of how strong and conservative our state convention was. This became evident to me while serving a church in North Carolina during my seminary years. I love our state convention, but I also have concerns.
We have grown so inwardly focused over the years that we have forgotten how to think outside the box, especially concerning the inner workings of our state convention. Changes need to be made – some drastic, I think – but I am not sure any of us, including myself, know exactly what needs to be done. I am concerned that we have fallen prey to saying we believe we are to fulfill the Great Commission, but when it comes to what our pocketbook says about us, it may be a different story.
Recently I was talking with one of our college students who is a leader of Baptist Campus Ministries at Winthrop University. They have been without a campus director for about two years. Recently they almost called a seminary graduate and his family to lead them. Due to budget shortfalls and a hiring freeze in our state convention, they were told the hire could not take place.
In one sense, I know why the hiring freeze decision was made, but it also causes me to ask if we are tying up too many Cooperative Program funds in the state Baptist building. It is time we take a look at exactly where we are keeping/spending our money as a state convention. Is it really being spent for kingdom growth purposes, or is it being spent simply maintaining us? I think the answer is both, but, in my opinion, we are spending too much money maintaining us. The Great Commission is at stake here!
I’m not sure what the answer is, but I do think it is time we start asking some probing questions. Alvin Reid, on his Twitter page, recently quoted Ronnie Floyd, who was speaking at the Arkansas Baptist State Convention’s evangelism conference: “We all are committed to the Great Commission until it means changing our lives or ministries.”
Where do we stand as a state convention? What does our spending say about us?
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