Since I was in college (or perhaps earlier, around the close of the Conservative Resurgence), I've always wanted to attend the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting that takes place in the summer, usually the second week of June, which normally hits my birthdate! When Covenant Presbyterian Church in West Lafayette, Indiana issued an invitation for me to be their visiting Worship Pastor, I got so stoked about the fact that the SBC Annual Meeting is slated to take place in Indianapolis, just an hour or so away from Lafayette. Since I'm not in Indiana, I join the Southern Baptist Convention taking place this week via webcast on 316Networks, an entity in partnership with the North American Mission Board of the Convention.
The Broadus Gavel. James Draper, President of the Executive Committee opened the 151st Session by handing the Broadus Gavel to Convention President, Frank Page. The gavel has been in continued use in annual meetings since 1872. It was presented by John Albert Broadus to then Convention president, James Pettigru Boyce at the opening of the 1872 Meeting. The gavel- it's handle is made of balsam wood from a tree that grows along the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized, it's head is made of olive wood taken from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem where Jesus ascended to heaven. Significantly, the gavel represents the beginning and the end of the Jesus' public work on earth.
Billy Kim Recognized. A highlight in the Executive Committee Report was the recognition of Korean Baptist leader, the Rev. Billy Kim as Distinguished Baptist Statesman Award for his lifelong service in global evangelism and leadership among Baptists. Kim, Pastor Emeritus of 15,000-member Suwon Central Baptist Church is now president of Far East Broadcasting Company. Billy Kim noted a time when he was a young minister visiting the United States with limited knowledge of the English language. He was introduced as a "Model Preacher." He didn't know the meaning of the word "Model" so he checked his Korean dictionary and it read "A small object that represents a larger object." The person introducing him went on and said, "Billy Kim is a warm preacher." He didn't know what warm meant so he again checked his dictionary and found out that warm means "moderately hot"!
Election of Johnny Hunt. Senior Pastor of the 17,000-member First Baptist Church of Woodstock, GA was elected President of the Convention garnering more than 50% of the votes over five other candidates.
On the surface level, members of the Southern Baptist Convention – the largest Protestant denomination in the country – may pat each other on the back for all the good works they’re doing, but outgoing SBC president Frank Page urged them to see themselves as they really are, even though it may hurt. “I wonder … will we as Southern Baptists recognize the signs of what is happening among us?” Page told thousands of attendants Tuesday.
In his nominating speech of Hunt, Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist in Pensacola, FL. said he was nominating Hunt because of his "heart for the nations" and his "heart for the next generation." Hunt will unite the convention and "forge a hopeful future" focused on the Gospel and connected to local churches, Traylor said.
Johnny Hunt, who has led his church to grow from a medium-size congregation into a bustling 17000-member community that meets in a multi-acre campus, now faces the challenge of getting the SBC back on track again and prepare for growth. The alarming decline of the denomination's membership has to be overturned and churches need to again focus on missions and not denominational politics. While baptism numbers are down, giving is up, but money is not as good as baptisms!
There's one more day of meeting tomorrow...actually, today. I'll just have to wait 'til it's uploaded!
And I await the coverage of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) next week.
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