Actions speak louder than words, and Johnny Hunt believes it’s time a lost world sees Southern Baptists match their words with love in action.
That’s the conviction behind the theme of the 152nd session of the Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville, Ky., June 23-24 – “LoveLoud: Actions Speak Louder Than Words.”
“Across America, people are thinking less and less of Christian groups,” said Hunt, pastor of the Atlanta-area First Baptist Church in Woodstock and president of the Southern Baptist Convention. “I think it’s because we always talk about what we believe and don’t spend near as much time demonstrating it. If it’s really all about the glory of God, we ought to be doing things that cause people to see our good works and glorify our God in heaven.”
With that in mind, Hunt said, the watchword for the annual meeting is Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (HCSB).
The “conservative resurgence” in Southern Baptist life made it clear that Southern Baptists are a people of the Bible, Hunt said. “But ever since, it seems like we have done less with what we believe than we were doing before. The numbers all substantiate that.
“We can stand, week to week and in our annual meeting, and talk about what we believe or we can begin to love loud and let people see a demonstration of our declaration,” Hunt added. “We have declared that we are a people of the Book, but it’s time to demonstrate what that means. The world is still waiting and watching.”
‘Call to Action’
The annual meeting program has been designed as a call to action for a “Great Commission resurgence,” Hunt noted. Just as the conservative resurgence was driven by a plan to elect presidents who would make conservative appointments, a Great Commission resurgence also requires a specific plan of action.
“My presidential message will be a ‘State of the Convention’ address,” Hunt said. “I will focus on what, from where I sit, we must change if we are to see a Great Commission resurgence among Southern Baptists.”
Hunt’s address will be reinforced by a message from Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, who recently laid out what he sees as “12 axioms” of a Great Commission resurgence. Akin’s call to action will be followed by messages on three critical issues:
– Vance Pitman, senior pastor of Hope Baptist Church in Las Vegas, will speak on the vision of the kingdom of God.
– David Platt, senior pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala., will talk about connecting with the culture.
– Jeff Crook, pastor of Blackshear Place Baptist Church in Flowery Branch, Ga., will address the issue of evangelism.
Pitman, Platt and Crook represent a younger generation whose voice needs to be heard, Hunt said.
“We come across to the younger generation that we know they are there and we’re glad to hear what they are doing, but I’m not sure we have allowed them to speak into our life as a convention,” Hunt said. “We need to hear what they can bring to the table, what we can learn from them. Some may say, ‘This younger generation is so different. They are our problem.’ But if they are our problem, Southern Baptists have no future. We better come to the table of reasoning.”
As he has traveled to speaking engagements across the country, Hunt said he has seen that the need for dramatic change in the Southern Baptist Convention is widely recognized.
“What we are presenting is not just what we want to see done but what I am hearing as I crisscross the convention. Grassroots Southern Baptists know there needs to be a change,” Hunt said. “We are a declining denomination. Sometimes it comes across that we are maintaining an institution instead of instituting a movement.
“We’ve got to turn this thing around. The bow of our ship – the old gospel, Southern Baptist Convention ship – is floating low in the water,” Hunt said. “There evidently are some things we need to remove so we can get higher, and there are some things we need to add so we can move toward our destination.
“This year’s program leads us to embrace what we believe would be a Great Commission resurgence. It calls us to action,” Hunt concluded. “If we buy into what we are going to present, I believe it has a chance to start a major turn in our denomination.”
Convention Highlights
Among the other highlights of the annual meeting:
– The North American Mission Board will cast special attention on God’s Plan for Sharing (GPS), the denomination-wide evangelism emphasis that launches nationally in 2010. A newly designed and revitalized version of the Web site, GPS2020.net, will be launched at the convention. NAMB staff will demonstrate the updated site and show pastors how to find the resources they need to successfully implement GPS in their church.
– Crossover ’09 will mobilize as many as 1,000 volunteers throughout Louisville and its surrounding communities June 19-20. Teams will survey and witness door-to-door through assigned neighborhoods, with priority given to areas where new church starts are planned.
– John Marshall, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Springfield, Mo., will deliver the convention sermon on Wednesday morning.
– The SBC Pastors’ Conference will convene at the Kentucky Exposition Center at 5:30 p.m. June 21. (See related story.)
– The SBC Ministers’ Wives activities will begin at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 23, with a Women’s Expo, followed by a luncheon focused on the theme, “Quiet Influence: The Romans 12:1 Woman.” More information about that program is available at dianestrack.com.
– Woman’s Missionary Union will hold its missions celebration and annual meeting June 21-22 at St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville. (See related story.)
– Online registration is available at www.sbcannualmeeting.net so messengers can avoid lines upon arriving at the convention.
– Childcare (birth-3 years) and a children’s conference (ages 4-12) have been planned for the meeting.
– Students in grade 7 and above will be able to participate in Bible study, worship and fellowship during the annual Centrifuge program. – BP
Also scheduled –
The following meetings and events coincide with the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville, Ky.:
? Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists, June 19-21.
? Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship (www.sbmessianic.net), June 19-20.
? Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Directors of Missions (www.sbcadom.net), June 21-22.
? Black Southern Baptist Denominational Servants Network, June 21.
? National African-American Fellowship annual meeting, June 21.
? National Hispanic Celebration sponsored by NAMB, June 21-22.
? Council of Korean Southern Baptist Churches in America, June 22-24.
? Pastors’ Wives Conference of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Pastors’ Conference, June 22.
? North American Mission Board Chaplains Luncheon, June 22.
? Founders Ministries annual fellowship breakfast, June 23.
? SBC Ministers’ Wives Luncheon, June 23.
? North American Mission Board Annie Armstrong Easter Offering Appreciation Luncheon, June 23.
? Various luncheons sponsored by the SBC’s six seminaries.
For more information about these and other events, visit www.bpnews.net and enter relevant term in the search field.