I shared with our church yesterday some thoughts from the SBC meeting in Dallas this past week. Here they are…
- Our convention is becoming much more racially inclusive. This is way over due and is a very good thing. I’m thankful for Pastors and leaders of all ethnic backgrounds that are making our convention more diverse and more representative of the people God has called us to reach!
- In the future I believe our convention will speak with a more prophetic voice and a less political voice. There was much to do about allowing Mike Pence to speak at this years convention and numerous attempts to block his speech. For the record I was against disinviting the setting Vice President of the United States only hours before his schedule appearance. I think that would have been bad form. However, I am in favor of not allowing political speeches by politicians moving forward. We need to focus on the Gospel that unites us not party politics that divid us as a convention.
- We are getting younger (at least in leadership). With the election of J.D. Greear as the new convention President we are moving toward unleashing a new young group of leaders within our convention. Hey when the new Prez is wearing Air Jordans on stage you know we are on the verge of hipster – lol.
- The main thing is still the same thing. The main thing as a denomination is our Cooperative Program giving and the sending out of missionaries around the world. All of our churches need to invest more in this missionary movement – and we need to do so with the confidence that the lions share of our investment will reach the mission field.
Overall, I walked away from the 2018 SBC meeting more encouraged than ever before about what the future holds for our denomination. Hey I’m even thinking about bringing some staff members with me next year to the meeting in Birmingham. Why? Because I think it’s now safe for my young staff members soul to attend. And that hasn’t always been the case. See you in Birmingham in 2019!
Thrive Baptist Network 