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"the propagation of the gospel"
Posted by Chris Johnson in Baptist Life, Bible & Theology
As the SBC messengers collectively pursue a meeting in Orlando in just a few days….I was reflecting upon the Charter of our Convention with respect to its current activities. The charter, realized in the inception of the SBC, flows from the following statement…. “said corporation being created for the purpose of eliciting, combining, and directing the energies of the Baptist denomination of Christians, for the propagation of the gospel, any law, usage, or custom to the contrary not withstanding.” The question mulling around in my mind as I sit writing this article today,…. is there anything in the convention not demanding this intention; being the substance of the convention? In the words of the convention founders…. “any law, usage, or custom to the contrary not withstanding.”
This type of thinking is actually a question for the SBC convention in 2011 and beyond, but nonetheless…what are those things that might fit into a category of “contrary gospel actions”? Sometimes we tend to try and think of new and ambitious measures in order to bolster the brand, yet we seem to take less time evaluating the current and past in order to discard the “contrary” measures that have crept in throughout the years and tend to live on in perpetuity.
Our Lord put this into a clear perspective….
Luke 16:10-13 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. (11) “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? (12) “And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? (13) “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Proverbs 21:29 A wicked man displays a bold face, But as for the upright, he makes his way sure.
A messenger that meets in Orlando must meet as a “non-contrarian” in order to maintain the SBC charter and make the way sure. We effectively “serve wealth” when we recklessly allow frivolous consumption of the offerings of the church; whether through giving or retail (Lifeway).
Looking forward toward the convention in 2011,….name two specific examples of waste, “serving wealth”, that we as a convention must change in order to fulfill the charter of the SBC. If you know of more than two, feel free to list them. The churches depend on your attention to detail, and the forming of questions and motions that will improve the stewardship of resources with respect to cooperation within the SBC.
Blessings,
Chris
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A case in point,….. back in 2008 Mohler expressed the following.
“The President spoke of aggressive actions to balance the Seminary’s budget including:
- a hiring freeze on non-critical positions
- reductions in travel and related expenses
- an immediate halt on future projects that are yet to be contracted and funded
Even with these cutbacks, the Seminary projects up to $1.5 million in further reductions that will be necessary over the next several months.”
For instance,….what is non-critical positions and is there travel just because money is allocated to a certain budget… or should travel only be as needed.
Are our agencies running too much like a corporate entity with shareholders? My question is… how do these non-essential items get in place in the first place?
-Chris
Chris,
Article II of the SBC Constitution also says:
“Purpose: It is the purpose of the Convention to provide a general organization for Baptists in the United States and its territories for the promotion of Christian missions at home and abroad and any other objects such as Christian education, benevolent enterprises, and social services which it may deem proper and advisable for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.”
I think this statement may be interpreted pretty broadly. As I see it, it is a matter of ongoing discussion what we “deem proper and advisable for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.” It is also a matter of ongoing discussion what is the wisest and best stewardship to accomplish this purpose. On a day to day basis, this discussion takes place among the various boards, institutions, and commissions.
If any individual participating church and/or church member believes any particular entity is doing something that is not “proper and advisable for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God” or that it is not doing so using the wisest and best stewardship, I suppose they should bring their concern to the attention of the corresponding board, institution or commission.
Is this what you are referring to?
David,
Yes,…. you have brought up an important point. If the churches had more interest in the operations of the boards, institutions and commissions,that would provide the necessary impotus for assisting in matters of stewardship.
Unfortunately today…. I believe the church members view these organizations within the SBC as hands off. I’m not sure if that is for lack of interest or because the organizations (boards, instituations, and commissions) do not do an adequate job of revealing the business they are engaged in doing for and with the churches.
-Chris
For instance,
When the SBC entity Presidents, Vice Presidents, Employees, etc, make their way to the SBC convention….is that a budget item for those folks for their respective agency, or do they pay for their own way like many of us will be doing to act as messengers within the convention? Is it plausible to think these men and women should be willing to pay their way instead of use cooperative program funding?
Is this the type of sacrifice the Presidents of the seminaries call for when they say travel will be cut. Would that mean that they just don’t show up…or would that mean they show up anyway at their own expense?
-Chris
Our vacation took us to Disney World from Monday to Wednesday. One of the interesting things that happened was the sky writing. It appears that the Convention, or someone, had a plane write several messages about God’s Smile and Jesus’ Love each day. Though it was a great way to get the message out, I heard mothers explain the messsage to their children the wrong way as we walked through the park. I was not well received when I tried to correct it as carefully as possible. We did get to express the truth to our children and did it openly. I had a little pride, at least the good kind, to know the convention was in town and there was a message read by many many people of all religions.