With the approval of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force report, messengers to the 191st annual meeting of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, meeting Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 15-16, in Columbia, charted a course to redirect diminishing resources to provide more financial support for international missions as well as for church planting and revitalization.
Retired pastor Alastair Walker led messengers in a time of prayer in the moments before they voted to approve the report of the SCBC Great Commission Resurgence Task Force.To pay for the new initiatives, the convention will reduce funding to its seven institutions, Woman’s Missionary Union of South Carolina, and the SCBC executive ministries portion of the budget.
Approval of the GCR report cleared the way for adoption of a $28.6 million GCR budget.
Terry Corder, chairman of the convention’s bylaws committee, introduced changes he said are necessary to “keep the convention consistent with the GCR approval.” The changes alter the convention process for nominating trustees who serve at the convention’s seven institutions.
In addition to GCR-related changes, the bylaws committee made the following recommendations:
? A change to Article II, which provides a formula based on church size and age for the convention president to use in appointing the committee on committees. The formula ensures some parity, pulling committee members from different sized churches. The recommendation also encourages the president to “see people who accurately reflect the ethnic diversity of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.”
? A change to Article III that calls on the convention’s nominations committee to also seek nominees who reflect the ethnic diversity of the convention.
? An addition to the bylaws that adopts the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 as the SCBC’s statement of faith. (Messengers to the 2001 annual meeting endorsed the Baptist Faith & Message 2000.)
The recommended bylaw changes will be considered for approval at the 2012 annual meeting, Nov. 13-14, in Greenville.
On Tuesday morning, messengers heard from Frank Page, former pastor of Taylors First Baptist Church and president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, who brought greetings and voiced support for the GCR report.
At Tuesday afternoon’s session, Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Seminary, brought the message during a time of worship. Akin is credited as the author of the original maxims of the GCR discussion in the SBC.
Between the Tuesday afternoon and evening sessions, Akin, SCBC president Sonny Holmes and GCR task force chairman Ralph Carter met with 400 messengers for a Q&A on the GCR report.
In other news from the annual meeting, messengers:
? Approved a motion from Hans Wunch, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Ware Shoals, that the “Executive Board study the effectiveness of the 60/40 split of church staff and lay people [serving on] the [convention’s] nominations committee, then report findings and any recommendations back to us at our next annual meeting.”
? Approved a motion from Bobby Eubanks, pastor of Ridge Baptist Church, Summerville, that “Dr. Austin and the Executive Board do a cost analysis of the operation of the Baptist building and take the proper action to reduce the $600,000 operating expense in lieu of the current staff reductions and program changes.”
? Received notice that a motion from Patrick Dye, pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church, Columbia, regarding SCBC staff compensation was referred to the convention’s Executive Board for review.
? Approved an order of business committee recommendation that Michael Catt, pastor of Sherwood Church, Albany, Ga., be the 2012 convention preacher, with Don Wilton, pastor of First Baptist Church of Spartanburg as alternate. Sherwood Church is the producer of the movies, “Facing The Giants,” “Fireproof” and “Courageous.” Messengers also approved the 2014 annual meeting venue for Nov. 11-12 in Columbia.