A Matter of Perspective:  What is Our Agenda?
By: David Currie,
Coordinator

When you are a public organization like Texas Baptists Committed with a 10-year track record of informing Texas Baptists about events in Baptist life, you get a reputation. Some people like what you do. Some despise what you do. Some are always trying to figure out what you are doing. I constantly hear rumors about what TBC is really about and what our agenda is as an organization. I would like to try and set the record straight about some rumors.

Our agenda is, first of all, to fulfill our mission statement. We exist as an organization to support the leadership, institutions and programs of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. We exist to educate about and support our historic Baptist principles of cooperation. We want the BGCT to operate as a voluntary cooperative missions, education, ministry convention the way Baptists have always cooperated freely, voluntarily and for the purposes of carrying out the Great Commission. We want the BGCT to operate according to the same principles Baptists operated on in 1845 when the SBC was formed, in 1876 when the BGCT was formed and in 1954 (or 64 or 74) before we ever had a controversy.

We are advocates for being real Baptists who believe that the Bible is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice, in the priesthood of all believers, in autonomy for local churches, associations and conventions, and in religious liberty and soul freedom.

Besides encouraging our state convention to stay focused on the Great Commission and to continue operating according to the Baptist way of cooperation (focused, fair and free), we have a very specific agenda as we approach a new century:

TEXAS BAPTISTS COMMITTED WANTS THE BAPTIST GENERAL CONVENTION OF TEXAS TO BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE VOLUNTARY BAPTIST ORGANIZATION IN THE WORLD FOR MISSIONS AND EVANGELISM IN THE 21ST CENTURY.

Furthermore, we believe this is a very real possibility if we stay focused, fair and free as a state convention. We have visionary leadership. We have strong churches. We have great universities and tremendous health care and human welfare institutions. We have huge financial resources. Most importantly, as Texas Baptists we have a passion for missions and reaching the lost who do not know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. The combination of vision, passion and resources should allow us to do great things for God in the next century IF we do not get sidetracked on some other, less important agenda.

Being the most effective voluntary Baptist organization in the world for missions and evangelism in the 21st Century will not just happen by accident. We will have to constantly reassess our priorities, our partnerships, our resources and our effectiveness. We will have to make hard decisions. We will have to stay focused on our vision and our principles. We must stay focused on Jesus and His vision for us as Texas Baptists.

We will not always agree on exactly the best way to carry out the Great Commission but we must work hard to disagree the Baptist Way -- with respect for each other and with the fairness and freedom required to allow cooperation despite differences of opinion. With the spirit of Christ, we can do this.

We need a VISION THAT OVERCOMES DIVISION. We need to become so focused on what Texas Baptists can do in partnership with Christ that our differences do not matter nearly as much as our mission, vision and passion. We need to trust one another. Sure changes will be made as we answer questions on just how to be the most effective convention we can be, but change does not have to create division, not if we trust each other and are focused on the same agenda, i.e, how can we do what God is leading us to do for His kingdom.

To whom much is given, much is required. God has blessed us as Texas Baptists and is giving us tremendous challenges. I pray we will enter the 21st Century united and focused not on our differences but on our mission. That is our agenda as Texas Baptists Committed.

October 1998