The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and the GCR

Last week the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention passed a resolution that dealt with the Great Commission Resurgence. To my knowledge (I could be wrong) this is the only state convention that has dealt with a resolution on the GCR to date. It is an excellent document that not only honors the great strides that were taken in the past, but provides direction for the future.

When I pastored in Texas, our church was uniquely aligned with the SBTC. From witnessing how the SBTC has grown from its infancy to now supporting missions and giving 55% of its receipts to the SBC, I am glad that our church was aligned with the SBTC. Jim Richards has done a magnificent job in his tenure as executive director. Below is the resolution:

WHEREAS, over the course of the past three decades the Southern Baptist Convention has been blessed of God to experience a dramatic course correction in the Conservative Resurgence; and

WHEREAS, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention was founded ten years ago due to the clear need for a resurgence of theological conservatism in our state; and

WHEREAS, the natural next step from the Conservative Resurgence is a Great Commission Resurgence; and

WHEREAS, numerous resolutions, initiatives, and programs promoting and encouraging evangelism and revival in our convention have had limited impact; and

WHEREAS, our commitment to the New Testament precepts that have defined the identity of Baptists have waned in recent years; and

WHEREAS, the Bible records multiple occasions upon which Christ issued His Great Commission mandate to the church (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20; Acts 1); and

WHEREAS, Christ stated that His disciples were to be His “witnesses” to the fact that “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all the nations” (Luke 24:47-48); and

WHEREAS, the Lord commanded His followers in the Great Commission to “make disciples” by “going,” “baptizing,” and “teaching all things” (Matthew 28:19-20); and

WHEREAS, Jesus declared in the Great Commission that “all authority” had been given to Him and then promised to be with us always as we complete His Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20); and

WHEREAS, the primary emphasis conveyed by “going” is that of consistent activity in both missions and personal evangelism, with the assurance that winning souls has eternal impact for the Kingdom; and

WHEREAS, Christ instructed the church to make disciples, “baptizing” new believers by immersion; and

WHEREAS, baptism is an ordinance of the church and serves as a witness and a testimony of both the individual’s and the local church’s belief in the finished work of Christ as the sole means of salvation; and

WHEREAS, believers are exhorted to make disciples, “teaching all things” commanded by Christ; and

WHEREAS, our confessional statement, The Baptist Faith and Message, clearly states that there are certain “doctrines we hold precious and as essential to the Baptist tradition of faith and practice”; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that on the 10th anniversary of our convention, that the messengers to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention in Houston, Texas, November 10-11, 2008, express our heartfelt appreciation to those who worked diligently to bring about a Conservative Resurgence in the Southern Baptist Convention; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we express our sincere gratitude to those who were led of the Lord to birth the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we recognize the Lordship of Jesus Christ and submit to His authority in every aspect of our lives including His Great Commission; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we hereby commit ourselves and our churches to carrying out the Great Commission of our Lord by making disciples; and be it further

RESOLVED, that as we pursue a Great Commission Resurgence that we intentionally work to teach the members of our churches the precious doctrines from the Word of God that will distinctively preserve our Baptist identity; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we devote ourselves to both promote and practice text-driven preaching and teaching of the entire Bible and how it relates to Christ and God’s redemptive plan; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we lead the members of our churches to participate in the Great Commission by being Christ’s witnesses both at home and abroad and proclaiming the gospel message that everyone must repent of sin and trust in the finished work of Christ alone for salvation; and be it finally

RESOLVED, that we covenant together earnestly to preach and teach “all things” as Christ commanded in the Great Commission without minimizing or trivializing biblical doctrines such as: the Lordship of Christ; the inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture; the exclusivity of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone; believer’s baptism by immersion; regenerate church membership; congregational church polity; the priesthood of the believers; church discipline; and religious liberty.