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Dr. Johnny Hunt and Future of the SBC
Posted by Dave Samples in Baptist Life
The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina has a podcast online of a recent interview with Dr. Johnny Hunt. This is no softball interview. Tough questions about the present and future of the SBC are asked and answered. I think that it’s a “must listen” for Southern Baptists. The interview is in two parts with the following topics:
Part I
The Great Commission Resurgence – What is it? Who authored the document? What is the purpose of the document? Changes in the document since April 27, 2009; Southern Baptists – losing the gospel?; The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 and the Abstract of Principles: Competitive or Complimentary?; Theological triage – a Biblical concept?; Southern Baptists, first-order issues, and third order issues; Article IX – associations, state conventions, duplication; Article IX: Feedback and pushback.
Part II
Autonomy, the Local Church and the Cooperative Program; Dr. Morris Chapman’s overhaul of the SBC; Dr. Jerry Vines and the “bureaucratic branches” of Southern Baptists; The Cooperative Program – its current state and its future; First Baptist Woodstock’s giving levels to the CP – a cause for scrutiny?; Three priorities for the future; The future of associations and state conventions; Restructuring – again?; Restructuring – how?; Dr. Adrian Rogers on the battles of Baptists; Why come to Louisville?; Why become or remain a Southern Baptist?
Here’s the link: http://www.ncbaptist.org/index.php?id=1210
ht: Nathan Finn – www.betweenthetimes.com
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The first five minutes of part I can be safely skipped for those of you that share in my ADD tendencies. The compulsive ones among us will of course need to listen to those five minutes just because they are there.
Believing that many will not listen to the entire interview, I will pull some quotes out throughout the day.
“The purpose of the document has been sort of a call to urgency and a call to clarity that we need to chart a new path” –Dr. Johnny Hunt (Part I 6:55)
The compulsive side of me prefers the term meticulous; and the ADD side of me prefers …have you read the article by Bruce Harp?… the term multi-tasking.
I listened to the Johnny Hunt two part podcast put up by the Baptist State Convention of NC. Also, I read the interview put up by the Florida Witness.
I’m having a hard time coming to grips with exactly what the likely result will be from the deliberations of the proposed study committee.
Putting my ear on the rail, it seems to me like most of the “action” in terms of discussion regarding any re-org is relative to the NAMB.
Thanks for posting this, Dave.
I think the interview raises more questions than answers, particularly in the area of execution, but was great to listen to nonetheless.
Jim, I have not read the article. Is it online?
Roger, I don’t have more insight on the matter than anyone else. I can tell you that in Colorado our Executive Board recently approved the formation of a task force to study the possible restructure of our state convention. The association in which my church relates has gone through somewhat of a restructure in the last few years. We are currently in the process of selling our associational office building mainly because of the expense of owning it verses the benefit that it provides to the churches. I would like to see duplication (an example is given in the interview) minimized. I would like to see administrative costs minimized. NAMB has a $139 million budget of which $16,453,483 is listed as administrative (2008 SBC Book of Reports, p21). I don’t have access to any of the detail to really know what percentage of the budget is dedicated to oversight but it appears to me that $16.5 million is a lot of administration. My desire is to see more boots on the ground as missionaries and fewer butts behind desks.
Yes, it was posted a couple of days ago. The link is: http://www.sbcimpact.net/2009/05/12/leading-people-to-discipleship-through-service/
“I believe that if this is a call to the local church, that the SBC is a fellowship of churches, and as I have heard it said year in and year out, the church is king. If the church is king, it’s time for us to take our rightful place in making sure that we are giving proper leadership to our denominational staff to make sure that they are representing the heart of the people in the pews and the leaders in those local churches that would help us to experience a Great Commission Resurgence” (Dr. Johnny Hunt, Part I 8:44).
Thanks for posting this, Dave.
I just got through listening to both parts of the interview. It will take me some more time to more thoroughly digest the particularities. However, I can say that I very much resonate with and deeply appreciate the voice of bold leadership that Dr. Hunt is providing for the convention, and his gracious, conciliatory spirit that comes through loud and clear in what he says.
Although, unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the convention, after hearing this interview with Dr. Hunt, I am more encouraged than I have been in a long time about the future of the SBC, and our continued impact for the advance of God’s Kingdom. I am praying that God will bless and speak to Southern Baptists in a significant way through the Great Commission Resurgence emphasis, so that we may be able to be a blessing, and continue to be used by Him speak to others of His grace and grandeur.
“I think we should give real liberty to people we’ve entrusted with places of leadership in our seminaries and at the same time always be careful in our appointments to make sure we get trustees that we trust and then if they bring these documents and they feel good in their heart and we feel we have the right people leading us, I think we’re in safe haven so to speak in order to lead our seminaries. I personally have no trouble whatsoever with them adhering to the Abstract of Principles. If other seminaries desire to do that or choose to just stay within the context of the BF&M, I really don’t see that as a conflict” (Dr. Johnny Hunt, Part I, 10:50).
Tony Cartledge, former editor of the NC Bib Recorder has blogged today about new restrictions at SEBTS.
And Bob Terry of the Alabama Baptist in his May 14 oped piece has written about the difference between the Alabama and Mo Baptist Conventions.
At baptistlife.com I have raised questions about how all this shakes down in light of the revelations in Glen Feldman’s collection Religion and Politics in the White South that concludes the SBC has been a force for mediocrity in the South.
I am hoping Ben Cole and others of the Memphis Declaration will take a strong look at Feldman’s work as it looks at voting patterns and ths legacy of Billy Graham’s relationship with Richard Nixon.
With the Feldman book as reference–strong references there to Charles Marsh, the lifelong friend of Bush Judicial nominee and SBC Peace Committee Member Charles Pickering; different light for sure shines on SBC than the reflected fog Hunt appears to be mirroring.
FYI, there is an interview from May 13 with Johnny Hunt printed in the Florida Baptist Witness. He shares some unique thoughts not found in the North Carolina interview.