See You in Atlanta

by T.C. Pinckney                                                                                                 Vol. IV, No. 3, April 1991

Evangelism is what the SBC is all about. We should never forget that or lose our Great Commission focus and fervor. Most Southern Baptists agree with these statements and are committed in varying degrees to these ends. Unfortunately, many Southern Baptists do not appreciate the vital role of our annual June convention for getting work done and keeping the SBC on track.

Were it not for our polity (that is, our constitutional arrangement whereby any church member can, upon election by his church, go as a messenger in June and vote his convictions as to denominational policies, personalities, and directions) by now the SBC would have been unalterably a moderate, rapidly going liberal, denomination as are all the sideline (sometimes called "mainline") American denominations. Those denominations are all in one way or another connectional and hierarchical. Decisions are made at the top and passed down the line. A certain amount of input may or may not be solicited from the people in the pew, from pastors of average churches, but ultimate decision-making power is firmly in the hands of a few denominational bureaucrats at the top. Once liberalism is ensconced, it is virtually impossible to excise it from such a system.

Praise God the SBC is not burdened by such shackles. If the average Southern Baptist pastor and layman will make the effort (sometimes sacrifice) to go, WE can control our great Convention. And that is exactly what has been happening over the last twelve years. Our SBC has been turned back from an over-increasing leftward swing toward a renewed commitment to the absolute authority of the Bible. The task is not finished. Nor will it ever be, considering the waywardness of our human hearts, until the Lord returns. Spiritual warfare will continue.

Nevertheless, much has been accomplished. And much remains to be done. This is not the time to rest on our laurels. This is not the time to slack off. This is NOT the time to stay home. Every annual convention votes on vital decisions: election of officers and trustees, the budget, constitutional changes, motions, and resolutions. Every church should be represented by as many messengers as possible (ten is max).

If you have never gone, go. You will learn a lot about the SBC, and you will help make those decisions that mould and make the Southern Baptist Convention.