After having read the recommendations from the report of the SBC Great Commission Resurgence Task Force and listening to the views of my fellow pastors, a few things are clear: The SBC needs some changes in order to more effectively reach others with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the GCRTF recommendations are receiving positive and negative reviews. (Neither the positive nor negative reviews seem to wholly accept or wholly reject the recommendations.)
How would any pastor approach a situation like this in his local congregation? Retaining unity while moving forward at the right time is a balance we all seek (Mark 3:25). Think of it this way: (1) Where is the good in the report that most of us agree on? (2) What are the parts that most of us believe need more work?
When the time comes to vote on the recommendations (now or later), vote on each recommendation separately so that which is generally accepted as good and the parts that need work can be revealed. Then, let’s accept the good and work hard together to make the changes and get to the business of bringing people to Christ. After that, take the parts that need more work back to the prayer closet and the drawing board to work on them for needed change. Let’s work together to see it happen for Christ’s glory.
Whatever way the report is approached, those we want to reach will be watching to see how we conduct business within our convention. We could win or lose some just by how we get along or do not get along (John 13:35). As has been seen in too many local communities, a church will work for years to recover its testimony with unbelievers after a public fallout within the fellowship. The SBC will be put on the world’s stage with a big spotlight (the media) in Orlando. What will they see? Will they see the people of God taking a Christlike, passionate approach to lostness, or a divided approach to our differences? We hold that answer. I pray that the world sees a convention that will do whatever it takes (even working patiently together) to share the greatest news with a lost world.
When the meeting in Orlando is over and the decisions have been made, what do you plan to do? You probably plan to do the same thing I do: go back out with the gospel to a lost world. Let’s do this together.
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