This year’s theme for our South Carolina Baptist Convention annual meeting is “Launch Out.” We base it on Luke 5, where the Lord Jesus Christ said to Peter, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a great catch.”
Over the past few months, my “President’s Perspective” has centered on the text. We noticed the Command, the Commitment and the Consequences of the Commitment.
But why “Launch Out”?
- With 80-85 percent of our churches plateaued or declining, it is time to “Launch Out” to assist these churches in revitalization.
- With 400 churches not baptizing anyone, it is time to “Launch Out.”
- With somewhere around 80 percent of Americans claiming to be Christian, America should be the most godly nation on the planet. It is time to “Launch Out.”
This year’s convention will be filled with testimonies from pastors and churches who have seen God work through revitalization. Also, you will hear some incredible words concerning evangelism. I believe it is time we use the words “soul-winning” again!
Tuesday night will be a “Praise and Prayer” gathering. Prayer must be the priority in seeing God move among us.
Now is not the time to be some corporate organization that does nothing in ministry. Now is not the time for us to sit on the dock of the bay — wasting time.
Now is the time for the SCBC to “Launch Out” into the deep and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have tried programs and fads; maybe, just maybe, it is time to do it God’s way.
If the mission of the SCBC is to “assist churches to fulfill the Great Commission,” then churches and pastors must be our priority.
Join me in “Launching Out” for His glory!
— Tom Tucker is pastor of Sisk Memorial Baptist Church in Fort Mill and president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.