2025: The Year that the Deliberation Records for the GCR Committee Will Be Unsealed

Norman Jameson, the editor for The Biblical Recorder, brought to my attention something that shocked me. The Great Commission Resurgence Task Force has announced it will lock up the record of its deliberations for 15 years. That's right, fifteen YEARS. Recording made during the deliberations of the committee are to be sealed for 180 months, not to be seen or heard by Southern Baptists, and opened prior to the Southern Baptist Convention in 2025. Norman has written an excellent editorial on the GCR Committee's decision.

I understand why the CIA seals records. I recognize why the Pentagon or the Special Intelligence Division of Military Intelligence buries minutes of proceedings,  but for heaven's sake, I have no clue why Southern Baptists would want, ever even allow,  any committee of our Convention to "seal" records for 15 years. You would think the Committee actually discovered Jimmy Hoffa's alive and well in Jersey, or maybe they have secret photographs of Area 51 and now know that it is an alien sanctuary. Why in the world would anything in Christian ministry need to be covered up or sealed for fifteen years?

I can't help but think that part of our dysfunction as a Convention is the same problems that paralyzes churches from moving forward in ministry. We have leadership who don't want others to know what they are really thinking, or really doing, or really planning. Leadership believes that since they know best, and since God gave them the authority to lead, then everybody else just needs to remain in the dark and "trust leadership."

Sorry, those days are over. I'm not going to be at the SBC this year, but some brave messenger ought to stand up from the floor and move that all records related to the GCR debate be open to all Southern Baptists. We might actually learn something that will help us.

In His Grace,

Wade

A Revealing Letter from the Only Announced Candidate for President of the 2010 Southern Baptist Convention

 Bryant Wright, Pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, Marietta, Georgia, is the only announced candidatefor President of the 2010 Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando, Florida. Last week Pastor Wright sent the members of his church a letter explaining his rationale for allowing his name to be placed into nomination. The letter, sent to me by one of the members of Johnson Ferry, is refreshingly direct and gives insight into Pastor Wright's thinking regarding the SBC. The portion of the letter I found particularly revelatory was that which begins after the sentence "This is a very important time in the life of our denomination," and I have highlighted the two pertinent sentences in bold letters.  I won't quibble with Pastor Wright incorrectly calling the SBC a "denomination" rather than a convention, but there may be a few Southern Baptists in Georgia who may want to quibble with Pastor Wright's view of his state convention. Frankly, in light of recent silly decisions made by Georgia Baptist Convention leadership, were I to live in Georgia, I might feel the same way Pastor Wright does. His letter, in its entirety, follows below. You may also continue to follow Pastor Wright on his blog:

"Near the end of 2009, some pastors from different parts of the country contacted me about the possibility of being nominated for President of the Southern Baptist Convention this June in Orlando, FL. This had not been on my radar and yet when it came out of the blue from more than one pastor, I realized I needed to pray seriously for God's will in this matter. For a couple of months in early 2010 Anne and I were praying diligently, and I kept coming up with one reason after another before the Lord on why I was reluctant to do this. I love pastoring Johnson Ferry and leading Right From the Heart. The time demands are already intense, and being Southern Baptist Convention President on top of that would move the intensity of time pressures to a new level. Plus, through the years I have preferred to focus on the local church at Johnson Ferry over denominational matters. Yet more and more as we prayed, Anne and I both began to sense this was clearly God's leading. I began to feel that if I didn't respond to a sense of calling in this matter, it would be pure selfishness on my part and I would be disobedient to the Lord.

Being nominated does not mean you'll be elected. It just means a willingness to serve if so chosen. There is no way to know what decision Southern Baptist messengers will make at the annual convention each June. There is no campaign. I will set up a blog to share how God has led in this call and answer questions as they come our way (yeah, I know you are chuckling at this since I don't use a computer; as a matter of fact, I'm writing this note to you on my trusty yellow legal pad). The state Baptist papers and the Baptist Press news agency will run articles about those who will be nominated, but many messengers will decide whom to vote for based on a three-minute speech made by the pastor who nominates you. David Uth, Senior Pastor of Orlando First Baptist Church, will be nominating me. We share a similar heart for the Lord and church and missions.

This is a very important time in the life of our denomination.

1. Historically, our greatest strength has been in evangelism and missions. Yet in recent years our impact in that area has diminished greatly from a national perspective. Baptisms are flat, although the population has grown. It also greatly saddens me that we have people appointed and ready to go onto the international mission field but are unable to go for lack of funds.

For a good number of years, as God began to work powerfully in Johnson Ferry through Global Ministries, we have focused on getting a higher percentage of our mission dollars to international missions. Our missions leadership at Johnson Ferry began to realize that over 60 percent of the dollars given to the Southern Baptist missions fund (called the Cooperative Program) stayed in the state and that only 16 percent of each dollar given through the convention's Cooperative Program wound up on the international mission field. The Cooperative Program began in 1925 with the belief that we can do more for missions together than any one church can do alone. That idea is just as valid today as it was in 1925. This fund goes to support state missions, national missions, international missions, and our six Southern Baptist seminaries. But we became greatly concerned about the very high percentage of this fund focusing on state missions and the very low percentage of this fund going to international missions. As a result, we began to give half of our Southern Baptist mission gifts straight to the International Mission Board in what is called the Lottie Moon Offering. We'd rather give the bulk of our Southern Baptist mission dollars through the Cooperative Program, but until a radical reprioritization of mission funds occurs and more of the funds make it to the international mission field, we will continue to give a big percentage directly to international missions. Even though the President of the Southern Baptist Convention has no authority to change the percentage formulas of our state conventions (only the states can do that), he is a voice and hopefully, a positive influence in seeing that more of our denominational mission dollars go to international missions.

2. It is an important time in our denomination when three key leaders of denominational agencies will be appointed over the next year: President of the Executive Committee; President of the International Mission Board; and President of the North American Mission Board. These three leaders will have a huge influence in the fruitfulness of Southern Baptists reaching our world for Christ over the next 15-25 years. The President of the Southern Baptist Convention doesn't make these decisions, as there is a search committee for each position, but he is a part of that process.

3. Johnny Hunt, the current President of the Southern Baptist Convention and Senior Pastor of nearby Woodstock First Baptist Church, has led our convention in setting up a Great Commission Resurgence Task Force to study how our convention needs to reprioritize and restructure in the years ahead to better reach our world. That task force has provided a tremendous service to our denomination, and their recommendations will be voted on at this year's convention. Whoever serves as president will need to be diligent in carrying out that work in the years ahead.

I realize this has been the longest letter or email you have ever gotten from your pastor, but I wanted to share with you how God led in this decision, as well as some of the challenges before our denomination. Johnson Ferry has always been a church with a "Kingdom vision" - more about the Kingdom of God than just focusing on our local church in reaching our world for Christ. Should I be elected Southern Baptist Convention President this June, it will be another way Johnson Ferry has an opportunity to build up the Kingdom of Christ beyond our local church.

Most of all, please pray for God's will to be done. And pray for Anne and me to continue to walk closely with the Lord as faithful and fruitful witnesses for Christ day by day."

Bryant

History is the Prologue to the Future: The 1843 International Indian Council

This photograph of me was taken on Goat's Ridge on the eastern side of the Illinois River about 10 miles north of Tahlequah, Oklahoma. I've been speaking at FBC Tahlequah this week and Pastor Buddy Hunt and a few friends went touring with me through the historic area on Monday. Tahlequah is the capital of the Cherokee Nation, and beginning with the Trail of Tears in 1839, the city has played an important role in Oklahoma and United States history. When the Cherokees and four other "civilized" Indian tribes (Choctow, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole) were removed by the U.S. federal government from Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and other eastern states, they were forcibly marched to Oklahoma to live in the land given them by the United States "as long as the waters run." The U.S. would eventually break their promise after the five civilized tribes sided with the Confederacy during the Civil War, but for two decades prior to 1861, the Indians had other problems of their own in Indian Territory.

When the largest number of Cherokees arrived in northeastern Oklahoma in 1839 at the end of their Trail of Tears, they discovered they weren't welcome by other Indians. The Osage Indians had fished and hunted the rivers and woods of northeastern Oklahoma for centuries, and other wild "Plainsmen" Indian tribes had hunted the land for migrant buffalo and other wild game and considered it their land. By 1844 the wars between the various Indian tribes were numerous and fierce. The United States government built and staffed a few forts in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) to try to protect the "civilized" Indians from the native Indians, but the troops were largely unsuccessful. If something wasn't done, and soon, the Indians would fight and kill themselves out of any meaningful existence. It was the Cherokee Indians who proposed what ultimately became the solution.

In September of 1843, the International Indian Conference was held in the capital square of Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It was, and is to this day, the largest official pow wow and peace conference among Indians held on this continent. The agreements that came out of this conference formed the basis for a lasting peace among the Indian various tribes. It just so happens, that an American artist named John Mix Stanley, had accompanied a couple of tribes to the 1843 conference. His painting of the event, entitled "International Indian Council," is displayed at Smithsonian American Art Museum.

One of these days, hopefully soon, there should be a similar conference among Southern Baptists. The Great Commission Resurgence Task Force has issued their report. It is a difficult challenge to find common agreement among Southern Baptists in 2010, and I commend them for trying. But as long as some groups see other groups as the enemy (and want them gone from the SBC), it will be difficult to focus on the Great Commission. No group is able to expand her mission while the focus and energy is on fighting tribes of the same heritage. Someone has said that history is the prologue to the future. I would be thrilled for Southern Baptists to model the Indian nations of 160 years ago and actually sit down together and come to some kind of mutual understanding for a peaceful co-existence.

Then, the Great Commission can come into focus.

In His Grace,

Wade

The Confusing Future Direction of the SBC

Tuesday night at the 2009 Southern Baptist Convention, the messengers overwhelmingly voted to adopt a motion from Al Mohler to "authorize the President of the Southern Baptist Convention to appoint a Great Commission Taskforce charged to bring a report and any recommendations to the SBC meeting in Orlando, Florida June 15-16, 2010 concerning how Southern Baptists can work together more faithfully and effectively in serving Christ through the Great Commission."

The Convention in Orlando next year is setting up to be a doozy. Not only will there be a new President elected, but the report of this Great Commission Taskforce will be as controversial as the Peace Committee Report of the mid-1990's.

There are three reasons why this Great Commission vote Tuesday night launches a year of controversy:

(1). Baptist State Convention Executive-Directors and Dr. Morris Chapman are united in their belief that certain agency heads, particularly Jerry Rankin, Al Mohler and Danny Akin are looking for churches to give more money directly to their institutions rather than through the Cooperative Program where state conventions and the Executive Committee would receive a cut of what is given. Whether this is true or not is not really the issue - it is the perception.

(2). Some Southern Baptists, particularly Paige Patterson, Malcolm Yarnell and others affiliated with Southwestern Theological Seminary believe the Great Commission Resurgence Declaration does not go far enough doctrinally. Wanting a much firmer and official "Baptist Identity" spelled out in the Great Commission Declaration, Baptist Identity adherents have signed the document with "caveats" or not signed it at all. Many who argued against the Great Commission Recommendation Tuesday night said the growing influence of Calvinism in the SBC is the reason for the decline in baptisms, and no Great Commission Declaration would ever weed out what really needs to go in the SBC - Calvinists.

(3). Dr. Morris Chapman made, in my opinion, a very strategic mistake during his Executive-Director's address Tuesday morning. As stated above, Dr. Chapman is adamantly opposed to the Great Commission Declaration because of a feeling those in support of it will work to "cut out" traditional Cooperative Program accounting. In essence, Dr. Chapman believes Danny Aiken and other agency heads have long sought the Convention to label any DIRECT gifts to any specific SBC agency as "Cooperative Program" giving. Dr. Chapman takes the position regarding the Cooperative Program budget that most local SBC pastors take regarding their local church budgets. Once people begin to "designate" gifts then the idea of a unified and cooperative budget goes out the window.

However, rather than addressing the practical and financial concerns associated with GCRD Article 9 (i.e. the restucturing of SBC agencies and ministries) during his address, Dr. Chapman delivered a rather polemical strike against Calvinism. Dr. Chapman, in essence, blamed Calvinism for the decline of baptisms, giving and missions in the SBC. Several who opposed the Great Commission Recommendation Tuesday night picked up on Dr. Chapman's attack against Calvinism. Dr. Chapman's strike against Calvinists in the SBC was a mistake.

In an extraordinary luncheon meeting at Sojourn Church after Dr. Morris Chapman's address, Dr. Danny Aiken publicly apologized to all his "Calvinist" friends present at the luncheon (Dr. Mohler was seated to his left on the platform) for the "shameful" misrepresentations of Calvinism by Executive-Director Morris Chapman. I don't know when I've seen agency heads at such odds with each other as they seem to now be.

My Vote on the Great Commission Resurgence

In the end, I voted for the Great Commission Recommendation Tuesday night. Honestly, after the Baptist21 luncheon today at Sojourn where national agency leaders seemed to either advocate or condone bypassing state conventions in order to give directly seminaries, the IMB, or other national entities of the SBC, I was withdrawing my support for the Great Commission Resurgence Declaration.

However, after hearing the floor debate on Tuesday night and realizing that those voting AGAINST the Great Commisison recommendation were either slamming Calvinists, or opposing evangelical cooperation, or were strong advocates of Baptist Identity - I voted FOR the Great Commission Motion.

I admire Dr. Chapman, but I think it was a very strategic mistake to oppose the Great Commission Resurgence on the basis of blaming Calvinists for the problems in the SBC. Others heard his address and picked up the mantra Tuesday night during the debate on the Great Commission recommendation. In the end, the diatribe against Calvinists by those opposing the GCRD Task Force is precisely why I voted FOR for the GCRD Task Force.

Otherwise, I probably would have voted against it. It is not my desire, nor will it ever by my desire, to defund state missions ministry. I can't speak for other Baptist state conventions, but I can guarantee you that the work done in Oklahoma is extraordinary. Frankly, I am far more comfortable with the accountability of how our STATE Cooperative Program funds are being spent than I am with the accountability of hour our NATIONAL Cooperative Program funds are being spent - particularly when our national convention refuses to adopt GAAP or FASB conflict of interest guidelines - something our state Baptist Conention did years ago.

Needless to say, things are getting very confusing in the SBC. I told my wife three years ago that the reason I was taking a stand against excluding charismatics from the IMB and the SBC is because if you don't draw the line there, then those who hold to the doctrines of grace would be the next ones targeted.

Well, it sure seems that some very signficant people are now taking direct aim at Calvinists in the SBC.

Hold on tight. It could get really rocky.

In His Grace,

Wade Burleson

The Great Commission Resurgence Debate

Probably the biggest news coming out of the Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville, Kentucky in a couple of weeks will be a vote regarding the Great Commission Resurgence Declaration. Whether or not an official motion for the Convention to affirm the GCRD will be made is yet to be seen, but I'm sure the debate will be a memorable one. I have signed the GCRD, but I recently received a sagacious comment from one of our finest IMB missionaries regarding the GCRD.

Ron West was appointed by the the International Mission Board in the 1970's. Ron served as a math teacher and coach before his IMB appointment and had just finished his Ph.D. in math before receiving his first assignment to the Far East. Ron taught math and coached in a missionary kid's school for a few years and then he taught math in a Chinese University in Taiwan where he did student evangelism and church planting. Being a teacher was a tremendous help in fulfilling his mission since the Chinese give a great deal of respect to teachers.

Ron also served in the National Guard before he was appointed as an IMB missionary. He was able to continue his U.S. Army Reserve service while in the IMB. Now days the IMB requires reservists to resign their commission before appointment, but Ron entered the IMB before there was such a rule. Ron retired from the reserves in 1999 after thirty years of service, retiring as a Colonel. In 2007 Ron was called back to active duty at Walter Reed, in Washington, D.C., where he served for one year. It was my privilege to meet Ron a couple of years ago. I have a great deal of respect for him, and when he writes something, I pay close attention. Recently he sent me a comment about the Great Commission Resurgence Declaration that I reproduce, with his permission, below:

Wade, you say that a Great Commission Resurgence is necessary and I have no problem with that. I would like to see us discuss the proposal by Johnny Hunt and Danny Akin for a Great Commission Resurgence that is going to be proposed at this year’s SBC meeting.

I could not sign the document for a number of reasons but most of all because I do not believe it has anything to do with a GCR. Reorganizing the SBC or combining the IMB and NAMB will not bring about a GCR. The SBC does not need to study the state conventions and associations. The state conventions and association need to study the SBC and determine if the SBC is fulfilling its mission.

For example, I believe that the SBC would more fully carryout the wishes of the churches, associations and state conventions if the trustees from each state were chosen by the state convention. What we have now is a system similar to what would happen in the US if the president were able to chose the senators and congressmen from each state whether the state supported him or not. Why don’t we have a blog devoted to discussing the GCR as proposed by Hunt and Akin.

There are a couple of great points that Ron makes in his comment:

(1). The way trustees are appointed in the SBC ought to change. State Conventions ought to appoint trustees.
(2). The churches, associations and state conventions ought to study national agencies and determine if they are fulfilling their mission rather than the other way around.

Let the debate begin.

In His Grace,

Wade

The SBC Great Commission Resurgence Is Here

Just as historians look back to 1979 and the election of Adrian Rogers as the beginning of what is now known as "The Conservative Resurgence," I believe future historians will look back at the election of Frank Page in 2006 as the beginning of what will one day be called "The Great Commission Resurgence."

Tuesday I gave a report to the Board of Directors of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma regarding the incredible upsurge of Cooperative Program giving from Southern Baptist churches in Oklahoma. Bob Shelton, BGCO Stewardship Director, has led our Oklahoma state churches to concentrate on getting back to giving 10% of undesignated receipts to the Cooperative Program. This past year, for every one dollar of undesignated giving to SBC churches in Oklahoma, 9.7 cents was forwarded to the Cooperative Program. That is an increase from 8.9 percent of every dollar the year before. The current national average is 6.4 percent. That means in a church with a one million dollar budget, if that church were from an Oklahoma Southern Baptist church, it would give on average $97,000 to the Cooperative Program. Likewise, if that same million dollar budget were in a church that was a non-Oklahoma Southern Baptist church, it would give on average $64,000 to the Cooperative Program. That is a very significant difference.

One of the great saxophonists of years past was once asked why his music was so much better than the average saxophonist. He replied, "If it ain't in your heart, it can't come out your horn." Until we actually place the Great Commission at the center of our purpose for cooperation, as Oklahoma churches are now doing, we will continually snipe at one another over non-essentials and fragment and splinter in dizzyingly different directions as a convention.

If we are to reach our goal of an additional 3,000 missionaries on the mission field in the next few years, it will only occur through increased CP dollars and intentional cooperation with churches and people who may not see eye to eye with us on tertiary matters. When CP giving increases, all the ministries of the SBC (the IMB, the seminaries, the North American Mission Board, state conventions, etc.) will prosper. The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma has received through June 30th of this year $430,000 more in Cooperative Program fund receipts than our state CP budget. Last year the BGCO took in more than 2.5 million dollars in receipts than we budgeted. At the end of the fiscal year we immediately forwarded half of that 2.5 million dollars to the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, which then forwarded it to our missions agencies, seminaries, and other national SBC ministries. When water in the harbor we call CP rises, all boats rise with it.

Cooperative Program dollars have been used in the state of Oklahoma in some incredible ways this past year. Our BGCO state offices keeps 60 percent of CP money sent to them from Oklahoma churches and forwards 40 percent to Nashville. Of that 40 percent sent to Nashville, the International Mission Board receives half, and the other agencies of the SBC divide the other half. We are working as a state to forward even more monies to our national agencies and in reality, due to our additional $1.25 million surplus gift last year, Oklahoma Southern Baptists gave almost 41 percent of our state Cooperative Program revenue to the national SBC agencies.

The money that stays in Oklahoma is put to tremendous use to impact lostness in our state. It would be too much to list all that Oklahoma does in terms of ministry, but suffice it to say, people in Oklahoma know about Southern Baptists - in positive terms. From the 40,000 young people who attend Falls Creek, to the professional television commercials produced by our staff and aired across the state and seen by 90% of television viewers, to the Disaster Relief response teams that spread across the nation representing Oklahoma, when people think of Southern Baptists in Oklahoma, there is a positive feeling.

And that is the way it should be.

The harmony among the pastors in Oklahoma is unprecedented. We don't always agree with each other, but we don't yell and scream at one another. We don't always see eye to eye, but we respect the other person and his/her views. We have a sweet spirit among us in our state.

And that is the way it should be.

In our Stewardship Committee meeting yesterday we discussed some very significant churches in Oklahoma that have tremendous potential to increase their missions giving through the CP. Someone mentioned Henderson Hills Baptist Church in Edmond, probably the largest Southern Baptist church in Oklahoma in terms of budget and attendance, and made mention of the fact that Henderson Hills, though they are in the top fifty churches in terms of CP giving, could be giving so much more.

I was quick to point out that for Henderson Hills to be a significant contributor to the Cooperative Program, they must know that their autonomy is respected, their cooperation is valued, and they feel appreciated by state churches and pastors. Too many Southern Baptists are quick to make an enemy of a fellow Southern Baptist because either a church or a pastor does not see eye to eye with the powers that be. Worse, some are so determined to narrow the doctrinal parameters of what it means to be a Baptist, or demand ideological conformity to narrow views of non-essential issues, that if Southern Baptists are not careful and we let those ideologues speak as if they were the official spokespersons for all Southern Baptists, then churches like Henderson Hills, or Cornerstone in Arlington, or other non-traditional Southern Baptist churches might begin to feel unwelcome. For a convention that is built on cooperation, large conservative SBC churches that are made to feel unwelcome because of demands for ideological conformity on tertiary issues is the death knell.

The Southern Baptist Convention would do well to follow the example of Oklahoma. Focus on cooperation. Focus on the Great Commission. Accept people and their tertiary differences. Keep Christ and the gospel central. When that happens, the harvest will come.

The Great Commission Resurgence has already begun.

Would to God that it continues for decades to come.

In His Grace,

Wade Burleson