Concerning the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force report, I wonder if we are focusing on the right things. And these are sincere questions.
Is our denominational structure the problem? Is the fact that we have state conventions and mission boards and seminaries and that we support them through a giving vehicle we call the Cooperative Program the reason the gospel is not getting out? Is the status quo within our structure the reason the gospel is not getting out? If so, then we should immediately carve off all parts that hinder the gospel.
But is that the problem? Is that where our efforts should be focused? It seems to me that we are ignoring the 800-pound gorilla in the room, and that is misdirected priorities. Too often it seems that churches, associations, state conventions, the national convention and our institutions get their wants ahead of God’s desires. Many of our churches think they have to have the state-of-the-art “xyz,” and go into millions of dollars of debt to get it. And when the economy turns downward, those churches have to decrease their CP giving because the bank is breathing down their neck. We willfully ignore the Scripture in this area of church life. The Bible says: “Owe nothing to anyone but love” (Romans 13:8). There are other passages that support this principle (see Proverbs 22:7 and Matthew 6:24). Yet far too many churches build edifices to themselves that are used sparingly. Some pastors are leading the way in this, getting into personal debt to the point where they are scared to preach the whole word of God for fear that they may not have a job and can’t pay their bills.
And then there are far too many people in the pew who aren’t bothered by the fact that their neighbor is going into an eternity without Christ because they’ve been sold a bill of goods in an easy believe-ism in which they got fire insurance instead of a relationship with God.
And then we have 95 percent of all evangelical money being spent on 5 percent of the world’s population – that’s folks right here in the USA versus the rest of the world.
If nothing else, the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force report has started us focusing and thinking about what we value most. But does it do it in the right way? We are asking questions, and that is good, but are we asking the right questions? Forgive me (maybe the recent political culture in our country has become jaded), but what comes to my mind is – hope and change.
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