Renewing your Passion, SBCV 2005

by T. C. Pinckney                                                                                   Vol. XVIII, No. 10, Nov/Dec 2005

[Preface: Mere words cannot convey the almost palpable sense of God’s presence we felt at the SBCV annual meeting described below. Pastors, if your church is not yet affiliated with the SBCV, bring your leaders to the next SBCV meeting. They will return home on fire for the Lord and committed to aligning with the Southern Baptist conservatives of Virginia.]

Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia gathered rejoicing at Grove Avenue Baptist Church, Richmond, for their ninth annual meeting, Monday and Tuesday, 14 & 15 November. Final registration reported 1,032 registered messengers from some 169 churches and 190 guests for a grand total of 1,222 present, the largest SBCV attendance to date.

The meeting’s theme was “Renewing your Passion,” which was reflected throughout: in each of the eight sermons/addresses, in the varied music, and in each of the five ministry report sessions. The five ministry report sessions focussed on your passion for: your first love, prayer, truth, and your local church with the objectives of strengthening existing churches; supporting pastors, staff and their families; sending missions volunteers, and starting new churches.

Dr. Bob Reccord, president of the North American Missions Board, spoke Monday evening on the critical importance of witnessing and the question of whether many who attend church are really Christians. The following pungent line dramatically made his point, “If I’m truly following, I’m fishing. If I’m not fishing, I’m not really following.” He used as his biblical model the church at Antioch pointing out that they were focussed on their mission, sacrificial in their giving, diversified in their leadership, and responsive in their worship ... qualities often lacking in modern churches.

Tuesday afternoon Carrie McDonnell brought her heart-rending account of evil in action when a carload of terrorists drove alongside their car and sprayed it with gunfire killing her husband and two others and seriously wounding her. She has had several operations and has still more facing her. Her testimony, nevertheless, was of God’s faithfulness and comfort even in the most horrific circumstances.

Dr. Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY, brought the capstone message Tuesday evening. His thrust was the essential importance of standing on God’s truth; love people, yes; be kind to people, yes; but when (not “if”, but “when”) faced with the decision whether to offend someone or be faithful to Christ, stand strong. Several lines were particularly memorable: ”God is doing something [in the SBC and SBCV] as a sign of contradiction to the spirit of the age.” “When you stand for definite things, you will meet with definite opposition.” “I see God’s good pleasure in the right kind of controversies ... those over what is really important.” “Sin is not a problem that afflicts some of us. We are all sinners.” “God delights in bringing glory to His name by saving sinners.”

There was, of course, necessary business, but it took absolutely minimum time. All new officers were elected by acclamation. Each motion from the budget through the resolutions was approved unanimously. In fact, no one even spoke from the floor to any motion or nomination. In large part this unanimity sprang from the careful advance planning and biblical choices, and from the clear, consistent, and considerate attitudes and explanations from those at the podium: Rev. Carl Weiser, SBCV President and meeting chairman; Dr. Doyle Chauncey, SBCV Executive Director, and Geoff Hammond, Associate Executive Director.

Officers: Carl Weiser, pastor of Hyland Heights Baptist Church, Lynchburg, was re-elected president. Dr. Mark Becton, pastor of Grove Avenue B.C., Richmond, was elected first vice president; Ken Nienke, pastor of Fellowship Community Church, Salem, an SBCV church plant, as second vice president, and Steve Markle, pastor of Life Community Church, Lorton, another SBCV church plant as secretary/treasurer.

Budget: A 2006 Cooperative Program budget of $8,200,000 was unanimously adopted, an increase of $450,000 or 5.8% from the 2005 budget of $7,500,000. Of all undesignated receipts, 50% will flow on to the Southern Baptist Convention CP budget, the same percentage as last year. Of the funds which remain in Virginia, 16.4% will be devoted to church enrichment, 17.2% to church planting and 16.4% to mission support. Each of these three categories is within one percent of last year’s portions. (An interesting sidelight is that the $8,200,000 is 10.6 times the SBCV’s 1997 budget of $774,000, its first year as a state convention.)

Affiliation Changes: 31 churches which had applied during the last year were approved as new SBCV affiliates: 25 uniquely aligned, 6 dually with both the SBCV and the Baptist General Association of Virginia. One church withdrew from the SBCV and another changed from dual to unique. In sum, the SBCV now counts 357 uniquely aligned churches, 46 dual, plus 67 uniquely aligned church plants for a total of 470 churches. (The 2005 changes compare to 2004 changes of 15 new unique, 3 dual, 3 changing from dual to unique, 3 withdrawals and one dissolving for a November 2004 total of 429.)

Resolutions: Five resolutions were reported by the Committee and unanimously approved in the following sequence. The resolution on Homosexuality in Education noted, inter alia, that over 3,000 high schools in the United States including at least 64 in Virginia have officially sanctioned homosexual clubs. Resolve clauses commended godly teachers, students , and involved parents; urged prayer for the salvation of homosexuals and their deliverance from same-sex attraction; encouraged “every Baptist church and parents” to investigate whether their school district has any homosexual clubs; and recommended that where such clubs exist, churches encourage parents to demand discontinuation of offensive teaching materials and/or such clubs.

The second resolution concerned judicial nominations, resolving to encourage president Bush in his selection of nominees “with a history of interpreting and not making law”, and calling on Southern Baptists to encourage our Senators and Congressmen to fulfill their role of advising and consenting.

On disaster relief, the resolution noted the major SBC contributions toward disaster relief in the United States and worldwide and commended Disaster Relief Volunteers, the IMB, NAMB, the SBCV, and Cooperative Program contributors for their vital support of the program.

A resolution on Intelligent Design cited the weakness of Darwinism, supported academic freedom, and recommended that Intelligent Design “should be given equal standing and attention in our public schools.”

The final resolution expressed appreciation for the President and our Troops “who are serving faithfully and honorably, both at home and abroad” and encouraged “all Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia to pray regularly for our president and to stand with him in opposing global terrorism”.

Music: Praise and worship music in a wide variety of styles was brought by the choirs of Hyland Heights and Colonial Heights Baptist Churches, Calling Levi, John Griffin, and Marvin Matthews. Matthews is from Colleyville, TX, a black singer with an unbelievably wide vocal range, a tremendous public persona, great sense of humor, and – above all – with a passion for Jesus which combined to weave an intense relationship with those present raising us all to glory.

Next Meeting: The 2006 will be held 13-14 November at a location yet to be determined.