Once again I am making my way to the Southern Baptist Convention. I have attended most since 1980 but for the last two years I did not attend. I wanted to stay away and rethink my position on the SBC and its relevance to my life and ministry. My church supports the CP and we generally send our full compliment of messengers (10) annually.
I have decided that if our church supports the SBC with CP giving then I should be there as a messenger. If I am going to be there as a messenger then I should be aware of the issues that arise and I should discuss and vote accordingly. I may or may not appreciate all that is said and done but I have a responsibility to participate in all that is said and done. To criticize or comment without participation is to act without integrity or responsibility.
Each year there are issues that face the Convention which may or may not have much to do with what I am interested in or what we face locally in my congregation. But the SBC is not a local church and the issues the Convention faces or decides to comment on need to be kept in perspective. The Convention is a three day business meeting complete with reports, resolutions, votes, rhetoric, political intrigue, and fun. We need to remember that and then return to our places of ministry and resume our work.
Like most things in life, we need to keep things in perspective. The SBC is no more or less important that what it is in the context that is shares with other important things in our lives. The meeting in Indianapolis will not effect my life as a husband, father, or grandfather. It will only marginally influence my ministry as the pastor of a local church. Most of what happens will soon be forgotten and our lives will move on. If anything happens good or bad that has lasting ramifications we will deal with it as we have for generations; within our smaller orbits.
Let’s go, let’s visit, let’s vote, and then we’ll go home and get back to our callings and ministries until next year when we have to decide whether we will go the the Convention….
Gene
