SOME PERSONAL REFLECTION AND SADNESS
by David R. Currie,
Coordinator

Recently I re-read the text of Richard Jackson’s moving sermon at our 1993 TBC breakfast. It was especially moving to read his feelings regarding Bold Mission Thrust, which was announced in 1975, as Southern Baptists made a commitment to take the gospel to every part of the world. Richard committed his church to give $1 million a year to support this effort through the Cooperative Program.

I was in Nashville in the late 70’s on the staff of the Christian Life Commission. I attended all the Executive Committee meetings while I was there. All the focus was on Bold Mission Thrust.

As Richard said, no one talks about Bold Mission Thrust anymore. We lost our focus as Southern Baptists. Our convention got side-tracked. Bold Mission Thrust is a faint memory.

And now I read the Baptist Standard, and I can tell where our focus is at the Executive Committee meetings. It is on trying to tell Paul Powell how to operate the Annuity Board, making sure the Annuity Board does not offer retirement programs to some Baptists SBC leadership disagrees with.

I do not attend Executive Committee meetings anymore, but from what I read, they now focus on who Southern Baptists can control, who they can punish, and who they can exclude (CBF supporters) or include (independent Baptists).

It did not seem to me that Southern Baptist Agency leaders were very liberal when I lived there. Their main interest was taking the Gospel all over the world. But somebody had a different agenda, and Bold Mission Thrust is a memory.

And so I reflect on the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and more specifically, my job as coordinator of Texas Baptists Committed. I often wish I did not have this job (although I certainly feel God’s calling to it). I never would have thought I would have a ministry like this when I was in seminary, or visiting my wonderful Uncle at the Baptist Building when I was a teenager.

As I reflect I feel a renewed sense of commitment mixed with sadness. We must not let the BGCT lose it’s focus. We must not get sidetracked in Texas to the point that we have leadership that is exclusive and primarily interested in control.

We must have leadership who will keep our eyes on Christ, and on the programs we have — Mission Texas, Vision 2000, the River Ministry — that are designed to win this state to Christ.

That is why we ask you to join TBC, to support this newsletter, our convocation, and come to the BGCT convention each year. It is sad that we have to do it. But reality tells us that if we do not practice good stewardship, and make a concerted, organized effort to keep our focus in Texas, we will end up like the SBC. Our focus on missions, education, and evangelism will get sidetracked. Our leaders will be fired.

And so we do ask for your support, but we remind you that what TBC is about is playing a secondary role of advocate and supporter, so that our state can stay free to accomplish the really important ministries God has given us.

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