Archive for SBC
Missing in All the Orlando Chatter…
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…is any discussion as to those whom we will consider to be the next president of our convention. While some may consider this a minor point, I do not. Consider this: two years ago, before there was a well-formed ‘Great Commission Resurgence’ movement, before there was a GCR related Task Force, we had numerous candidates (six, to be exact, by the time we made it to Indianapolis). By this time in 2008 (late February to early March), one candidate had been announced and then for medical reasons stepped aside, another officially announced, and a second candidate officially threw his hat in the ring by March. Read More→
Baptists? Methodists? Presbyterians? Charismatics?
Posted by: | CommentsSomething that I’ve been observing for quite some time now, and especially here lately, is that a lot of people, who belong to Baptist Churches, could join a Church of another denomination and couldn’t tell any difference. I can’t tell you of the people that I have heard say things like…”Well, there’s not that much difference between us Baptists and the Methodists, right?” Inside of me, I’m screaming, “Yes! Yes! How could you even begin to think that?” I’ve heard people make the comment that there’s really not that much difference between us and the Assembly of God Church, or the Presbyterians. And, in my sinking heart, I’m thinking, “What? How could you be a member of a Baptist Church for so long of a time and not know that there’s a huge Read More→
Buckets of Hope for Haiti
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An effort is underway through our SBC Disaster Relief ministry to facilitate local churches in providing food relief for Haitian families through “Buckets of Hope.” Below is a video detailing what to include and how to assemble one of these buckets. Information is also available at the NAMB website: Buckets of Hope.
Collection of buckets is being coordinated through state convention disaster relief ministries. Contact your association or state convention disaster relief coordinators for details on collection sites and further information. March 15 is the targeted date for buckets to be sent to the national collection site in Florida.
You may also link to the NAMB video site here.
“It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over”
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That quote is most commonly attributed to Yankee great, Yogi Berra. I am choosing to borrow that expression to express my thoughts on the recent GCR Task Force lunch meeting in Rogers, Arkansas, and the status of the GCRTF in general.
Let me begin by saying that Pastor Ronnie Floyd’s church, The Church at Pinnacle Hills, was a gracious host to this meeting. The meal was excellent and the fellowship was good. I was able to attend this meeting with good friend and fellow SBC Today-er, Wes Kenney. I also ‘ran into’ old friends from Missouri and Oklahoma and met new guys with whom I had only previously interacted online. Read More→
Frank Tripp Is One of My Heroes
Posted by: | CommentsOK, perhaps the title of this post raises some questions in your mind: Should a pastor be watching a violent show like “CSI: Miami”? Should a pastor find heroic a fictional character who divorced his alcoholic wife rather than employing the tough love necessary to see her through her time of struggle? Why is a pastor wasting time watching TV, anyway?
And to that I would find it necessary to reply, “You’re thinking about the wrong Frank Tripp.”
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2009 SBC Annual Meeting Review, Part 3
Posted by: | CommentsApart from the task-force motion, this year’s convention involved very few business items, although the few matters accomplished were important.
Broadway Baptist Church and Homosexuality
I take special comfort in several aspects of the convention’s action to acknowledge that Broadway Baptist Church of Fort Worth is in fact not in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention:
2009 SBC Annual Meeting Review, Part 2
Posted by: | CommentsSome will regard this particular post as a delving into trivialities. Nevertheless, we all do well to remember that each individual messenger’s experience of a particular convention will not necessarily consist of the things that will mark the history books. We do well to set aside a moment to consider the messenger-experience of the Louisville convention.
SBC 2009: A Personal Perspective
Posted by: | CommentsThis is just a brief overview of how I felt the convention went this past week.
Sunday Service with Richard Mc Pheeters
Nearly everybody from SBC Today went to see ex-Oklahoma pastor Tank McPheeters deliver God’s word. A strange coincidence, Tank actually interviewed at Immanuel before I did, but did not feel the call to this church. We now know why because he pastors New Salem Baptist Church in Cox Creek, Kentucky and is working on a PhD. The church was founded in 1801 and the current building was built in 1906. Some noted previous pastors of that church are A. T. Robertson and W. O. Carver. Listening to Tank preach gave me reassurance that he was carrying on the great preaching and scholarship tradition of times past.
After church, Tank’s wife cooked lunch for all of us. Her generosity and cooking ability is great. Trust me, no one walked away hungry. All of us thank Tank, his wife, and the church for their hospitality.
Pastors Conference
For me the pastors conference seemed like a constant barrage of negativism. Many who I talked to felt they were being scolded for not running big numbers. Not all the sermons were like that. There were in fact two high points. First was Gov. Mike Huckabee. He is correct in pointing out that the problem with America, and dare I say our churches, is not financial, but moral. He encouraged us to hold the line on biblical values and to keep on sharing Christ. The other bright spot was David Platt. Everyone who I talked to said that Platt hit it out of the park. There were some other great sermons, but Gov. Huckabee and Bro. Platt are two that gave the most buzz.
Convention
Dr. Mohler presented the motion for the task force on the Great Commission Resurgence. Going into the convention I had mixed feelings over the whole motion. When I left Perkins, I thought I would vote against it. On the road I had further time to think and give consideration to changing my mind. I also had the opportunity in Louisville to talk further with other people. When I heard Dr. Mohler, I was 99% sure that I would vote for the task force. I admire Dr. Mohler and his plea was very moving. I came to 100% certainty when a messenger, who was against it, said the problem with our convention was Calvinism and that the GCR task force was unnecessary. He even compared the Calvinists today to the Primitive Calvinist of a bygone era. Needless to say, his misinformed rant sealed the deal for me and I voted for the task force. Ultimately, I don’t necessarily believe it is a bad thing for an organization to examine itself periodically in order to maximize the stewardship of what God has given her. I just hope that the change presented will directly benefit the local church. I am praying for the task force.
Another momentary lack of judgment was when Wade Burleson wanted to replace Bart Barber on the list of new trustees at Southwestern. Bart had already committed to not teaching adjunctively while a trustee at Southwestern. In doing so, he removed any conflict of interest that may have been present. Unfortunately, whether Wade knew about Bart’s resignation from being an adjunct professor or not, the motion was presented and overwhelmingly defeated. In this, the convention affirmed Bart as a trustee of Southwestern. I thank the convention for their trust in my friend.
The other big news was the severing of ties with Broadway Baptist Church for their openness to homosexual members. Why it took so long for this action to occur still baffles me, but I am sure that the procedure of the convention allowed all parties involved to make the right decision. Kudos to the SBC in making this stand.
Quotes of Worth
PUBLIC – Johnny Hunt: The perception and vision of the church is God’s standard.
PRIVATE – Anonymous: Tertiary definition- Anything that Jesus commanded that I don’t agree with.
Post Convention
Most everyone that I have talked to has been pleased with the convention. This year there have been no calls of victory by any one group. Most are pleased with the eighteen-member task force that has been appointed by Dr. Hunt and all are committed to praying for the people serving. I did sense a feeling of unity from the convention. The question is, will this unity last when recommendations come from the newly appointed task force?
This year will present some challenges for the SBC, with finances being a major obstacle. But I also believe that God has many great things still planned for our convention. May we all be in prayer as the task force assumes it’s mission and our churches seek to fulfill theirs.

I was asked by Tim Rogers to share my thoughts on the SBC. I am sincerely humbled by his request. My thoughts are inexhaustive, limited, and most likely erroneous because of my human frailty and subjective perspective. Nevertheless, I share.

