Signs of a Healthy Convention
By: Jerold McBride

As this year's Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting draws closer, (Houston, November 9-10, 1998), I want to remind our readers of just how well things are going in the BGCT. The BGCT is truly a healthy convention. Examine the facts.

The BGCT is healthy because we have kept our focus on Jesus and the Great Commission. Last year Texas Baptists baptized the third highest total of new believers in our history. Churches that relate to the BGCT baptized over 67,000 people, the most in more than 10 years. Our BGCT leadership and our local churches have kept preaching and emphasizing telling the Good News of Jesus Christ and people have responded thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit.

The BGCT is healthy because we have excellent leadership and stability in our programs and institutions. Despite 20 years of controversy in the Southern Baptist Convention, Texas Baptist have been spared much of this turmoil. Leaders of our programs and institutions have not been fired. Our universities have not been embroiled in controversy because we have maintained a strong commitment to Baptist principles in an atmosphere of academic freedom. Our Baptist Building leadership has been allowed to focus on their task, not on answering charges brought by some takeover movement.

The BGCT is healthy because we have worked hard to create fairness and inclusiveness in all we do. Certainly we do not all agree as Texas Baptists, and we never have, but our state convention leadership has lead us to be fair to all. Churches have freedom in giving to worldwide missions. Churches have freedom to not support programs or institutions about which they may have questions. Persons who support the dramatic changes in the SBC still are involved in the leadership of the BGCT even though Texas Baptists have not chosen to go that way. The minority opinion@ is heard and treated fairly and even included because of the need for all of us to cooperate despite differences.

The BGCT is healthy because our churches continue to give generously to missions. Gifts to the BGCT were up 5.1 percent last year. Texas Baptist churches and individuals gave more than 22 percent of the increase the SBC received last year as well as gave the most money of any state (more than $2 million) to the mission programs of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Church-directed giving not only is consistent with our Baptist principles but it is effective as it allows the freedom to give out of one's convictions. This is very healthy and fair to everyone.

The BGCT is healthy as evidenced by the number of people who attend our state convention each year. The largest number of messengers (11,159) was registered at the 1991 convention in Waco. Average attendance for the six years prior to the Waco convention was 4,862. Average attendance for the past six years has soared to 6.375, a gain of 1,513! This is an increase of 31.12 percent compared to a loss in SBC attendance of more than 41 percent for that same period.

I urge you to attend this year's BGCT annual meeting in Houston at the George Brown Convention center and celebrate the health of our cooperative efforts as Texas Baptists. I urge you to support the Constitutional Amendment on messenger representation. This is another step toward fairness on the part of our convention. It will allow messengers to be allocated based on a church's support of our cooperative work as Texas Baptists. Remember a Constitutional Amendment takes a two-thirds vote, so if you believe our state convention is healthy and want to encourage our leaders to stay on our current path, then show your support on this critical vote.

Make it your responsibility to see that your church has its full slate of messengers present. The BGCT is worth the effort!

The future is bright for Texas Baptists. God is doing wonderful things. We have strong leadership. We are healthy. I am proud of Texas Baptists and proud to be associated with such a focused, fair, committed group of fellow believers.

October 1998