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TBC Newsletter | |
| March 2006 |
WHERE ARE WE HEADED? |
What an awesome privilege, opportunity, and challenge I have been accorded by free and faithful Texas Baptists to serve as president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT). In the two months and counting since the fall of the final gavel of the Austin Convention, my wife Mary and I have been strengthened by a continuous cadence of encouraging cards, letters, phone calls, faxes, and e-mails.
I am pleased to report that first Vice- President Steve Vernon, Second Vice- President Dan Wooldridge, and I have hit the ground running. We met in early December to fill committee vacancies and, with the invaluable support of Charles Wade and his capable staff, we have been able to check this assignment off of our To-Do List. I believe it is critically important to get our committees online as soon as possible in order to provide a value-ladened experience for committee members and our convention.
Less than a month after Austin, I convened the Inter-fellowship Consultation. Included among the invitees were the leadership of our various affinity groups: Texas Bi-vocational/ Smaller Church Ministers and Spouses Association; Intercultural Council; African American Fellowship; Hispanic Baptist Convention; and Western Heritage Fellowship. One of the goals of the meeting was to plumb the potential of a genuine symbiotic relationship between these partners and our Convention- at-large. These groups represent a considerable slice of the BGCT’s present and future, and it is just good sense to welcome them to the conversation about where we are headed as Texas Baptists. This consultation will be convened quarterly.
By the way, the number one question posed to me by pastors and laity alike is “Where are we headed?” The stellar leadership of my predecessors has ushered us through a time of identity re-formation. Our convention has approved new governance documents. We have a new constitution and a new set of by-laws. BGCT Chief Operating Officer Ron Gunter and his team are in the process of implementing improvements in how we do business in Dallas, at 333 North Washington. Even the building is undergoing a face-lift of sorts. And, although change is almost always unsettling, and, at times, traumatic, this retooling is necessary if our convention is to thrive in a pluralist environment. Our convention’s willingness to step out on shifting sands is key to our corporate health and future viability.
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For my part in helping us to adequately address this threshold question, throughout this year I’m advocating a fourfold emphasis:
• Clarification
• Cooperation
• Connection
• Communication
This is a great time for us to engage in identity clarification. I read a Dallas newspaper article the other day, which suggested that Baptists are largely negative, denunciative, and just downright sour. Of course, I know that this is not descriptive of the BGCT. Our love for Jesus Christ and people is apparent to those who have traveled with us and know our heart. But, those persons who are not conversant with our story don’t really know who we are. I think there is more than modicum of truth to the old adage, “He who hovers over the fleshpots of Egypt can never enter the Promise Land.” The gospelist Matthew records a parable Jesus told about courage and risk, and if my memory serves me correctly the fellow who played it safe got the short end of the stick.
We must remember that when all is said and done, we are people of faith. Several years ago, I heard a renowned pastor say, “A doubting preacher is like a garbage man who can’t bring himself to throw things away. Instead of preaching maybe he needs to start a junk store.” Our faith in Jesus presents us with a larger view of God and imbues us with the confidence that there is life beyond the familiar.
The next C is cooperation. I have asked Albert Reyes to chair the President’s Council; the Cooperative Program (CP) initiative he started during his tenure as BGCT president. I confess that I, too, have “been there, done that” in misjudging the weight and worth of the CP in the past. However, I am convinced that the CP is the lifeblood of our convention’s commitment to mission and ministry. We can and must increase our CP giving across the board. I agree with Charles Wade that “Cooperation is big for Texas Baptists . . . We believe that when we work together, we can get far more done than when we work alone” (Baptist Standard; April 18, 2005).
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Clarify. Cooperate. Connect. We need to intentionally foment a sense of community among our sister churches. I am in the process of encouraging pastors to connect with other pastors across racial/ethnic lines through “prayer klatches.” Soon across Texas, there will be pastors who will meet for prayer on a consistent basis. This will include time for sharing one’s faith journey. Sharing our stories and praying with persons from other cultural backgrounds allow people of goodwill to form a true community, supportive of one another,without falling into preconceived notions that lead to stereotyping.
I will travel to Austin in late January and hear a presentation on how churches can connect with the public schools in ways that are healthy and does not violate our commitment to religious liberty. We have a covenant with Buckner which addresses this issue, already in place; it’s involves Kids Hope USA and we need to put it to good use. We have to start thinking intergenerationally. This effort easily aligns with Charles Wade’s goal for us to’affirm the children. Plus, it is something that we who believe Psalm 24:1 can really get involved in.
Another initiative I will flesh out will identify successful niche ministries within each sector; then, utilizing the available data, compile a list of available resourcers and resources within each sector, and make the information available to the churches in the sector. This is a cost effective way to help strengthen our smaller congregations.
Then, there is the issue of communication. We must communicate relentlessly. Communication is the intricate nexus of church-convention-community relations. Effective communication is critical to the actualization and realization of our convention’s vision for growth. We must do a better job of telling our story. We have to get the word out in ways that delineate who we are, accentuate what we are about, and articulate where we are headed.
I’m excited about the New Year, the months ahead, and our journeying together. When thinking about the BGCT, I keep hearing the words, “something old, something new.” Memory and transition. And, I believe our Reigning Lord still summons us, in language that is both lucid and emphatic, to”“Be strong and very courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9, NIV). Along the journey.
