STEWARDSHIP REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN FOCUS ON TEXAS 2000
By Charlie McLaughlin,
Associate Coordinator

Stewardship of time and resources is very important in the Christian life because we are limited in both areas. Why is it important to use time and resources to be a messenger from your church and attend the BGCT meeting in Fort Worth on November 11–12?

A significant reason is the strong difference of opinion regarding the direction and accomplishments of the BGCT. Rick Scarborough, fundamentalist candidate for president of BGCT, stated his opinion to a group gathered at his church in Pearland: “The SBC is growing and making great progress, while the BGCT is moving in the opposite direction.”

I’ll not argue the point about the SBC making progress, but how much more progress could have been made if the SBC had remained focused on Bold Mission Thrust? The SBC has not met its 1995 Bold Mission Thrust goals for baptisms, new churches, worship attendance, intercessory prayer network, Bible study enrollment, discipleship training attendance, number of foreign missionaries, or financial support for missions. The Home Mission Board exceeded their 1995 goal with 4,857 workers, due mainly to the Mission Service Corp volunteers. About 100 workers receive their full support from HMB.

he BGCT exceeds the SBC in five major categories including church membership growth, new churches, baptisms, and growth in Sunday School enrollment. In fact, SBC percentage growth would be less if BGCT increases were not included in its calculations.

Yet Scarborough adamantly disagrees with David Currie’s statement referring to the BGCT, “There is nothing broke to fix.”

Can you identify the tactics being used to motivate folks to vote for fundamentalist candidates? The attack on the BGCT is meant to discredit its work in the kingdom of God, demean its leadership, and diminish its influence to create a misperception that the BGCT is moving away from God. It is the idea that if it is “Baptist” and not under fundamentalist control then it is going in the “opposite direction” from the movement of God.

Instead of rhetoric that creates doubt, fear, and suspicion of the BGCT, I believe the BGCT should be praised for keeping the main thing the main thing: focusing on missions and evangelism. Lyle Schaller, in his new book, The New Reformation, wrote about the role of denominational systems in the 21st Century. He praised Texas Baptists saying, the BGCT is “one of the most future-oriented and trendsetting regional judicatories in American Protestantism.”

It would be poor stewardship to invest so much of ourselves in cooperative ministry through the BGCT and not show up at the convention in Fort Worth to protect that investment. To not attend the convention as a messenger is to let others decide the direction of the BGCT. With Scarborough speaking around the state, the followers of his opinion will attend the convention. Staying at home will not protect Texas 2000, Texas Baptist institutions, or our state leadership. Use your time and resources to come to Fort Worth to support the continued focus on cooperative missions.

October 1996