If I recall my last blog posts were about the GCR. (It has been that long that I do have to strain a bit to remember.)
As a Southern Baptist pastor I am interested in the ongoing conversation about the structure of our convention. As a believer in Christ I am interested in the most effective means to obey the Great Commission.
So I have been following the #gcr twitter feeds.....
To be honest I am confused by what I read. Dr. Floyd refers to the GCR as a grassroots movement of Southern Baptists but I would not call seminary presidents and agencies heads exactly grassroots. But more confusing to me is the giddy enthusiasm and support for the Progress Report. But when I read the report I just can't find any cause for these ecstatic utterances (even of the Baptist variety).
The talk is that everything is on the table. We will do anything to accomplish this task so great. It is time we repent and refocus everything on the evangelism side of the Great Commission. Yet the Progress Report offers a revamped missions statement, new accounting practices and....a redistribution of 1% of receipts to the IMB.
Not exactly storming hell with a water pistol! Or maybe it is storming hell with a water pistol....a very inexpensive water pistol.
I think my biggest concern is that we are asking the Task Force to provide things it cannot provide. If there are bottlenecks and blindspots in the system let's address them. But let us not think we can Task Force ourselves to the next Great Awakening!
I would also add, that while our resources often reveal where our heart is, money is not the missing ingredient to global Spiritual Climate Change. The shifting of dollars will be a result of Great Commission Resurgence not the cause.
With the risk of being considered an anti-Great Commission blogger, I do want to add a warning to my brothers and sisters that we not make the tragic error of counting on denominational restructuring for Great Commission Resurgence.
So may the GCRTF study and recommend. May we carefully consider. But let's also know a water pistol when we see one.
As a Southern Baptist pastor I am interested in the ongoing conversation about the structure of our convention. As a believer in Christ I am interested in the most effective means to obey the Great Commission.
So I have been following the #gcr twitter feeds.....
To be honest I am confused by what I read. Dr. Floyd refers to the GCR as a grassroots movement of Southern Baptists but I would not call seminary presidents and agencies heads exactly grassroots. But more confusing to me is the giddy enthusiasm and support for the Progress Report. But when I read the report I just can't find any cause for these ecstatic utterances (even of the Baptist variety).
The talk is that everything is on the table. We will do anything to accomplish this task so great. It is time we repent and refocus everything on the evangelism side of the Great Commission. Yet the Progress Report offers a revamped missions statement, new accounting practices and....a redistribution of 1% of receipts to the IMB.
Not exactly storming hell with a water pistol! Or maybe it is storming hell with a water pistol....a very inexpensive water pistol.
I think my biggest concern is that we are asking the Task Force to provide things it cannot provide. If there are bottlenecks and blindspots in the system let's address them. But let us not think we can Task Force ourselves to the next Great Awakening!
I would also add, that while our resources often reveal where our heart is, money is not the missing ingredient to global Spiritual Climate Change. The shifting of dollars will be a result of Great Commission Resurgence not the cause.
With the risk of being considered an anti-Great Commission blogger, I do want to add a warning to my brothers and sisters that we not make the tragic error of counting on denominational restructuring for Great Commission Resurgence.
So may the GCRTF study and recommend. May we carefully consider. But let's also know a water pistol when we see one.
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