Success of “Bold Mission Thrust”

by Jerry Rankin                                                                                                                  Vol. X, No. 2, February 1997

President, Foreign Mission Board

           The Southern Baptist Convention's visionary challenge to reach everyone in the world with the gospel by year 2000 is gaining momentum. Among other things, Bold Mission Thrust called for tenfold growth in such foreign mission ministry areas as baptisms, new churches, and church membership. The Foreign Mission Board (FMB), also wanted to have 5,000 missionaries under appointment and to send 10,000 volunteers annually to work in 125 countries. As we begin 1997, less than 1,200 days from the target year of 2000, it is appropriate to ask, "How are we doing?"

           Some label Bold Mission Thrust a failure. Naysayers see the venture as an unrealistic promotional scheme of denominational leaders. Still others say political controversy has diverted us from our vision. These folks speak of how far we lag behind in our goals.

           Those who predict the failure of Bold Mission Thrust by pointing to slow statistical growth are out of touch with a sovereign God moving in providence and power, "that repentance and remission of sins should be preached to all nations." They're locked into a narrow denominational view that has traditionally "commended ourselves by ourselves and measured ourselves by ourselves." God unleashes His power and fulfills His purpose in the "fullness," of time. When we come to God submissively, trusting Him to work through what we offer, His Spirit sets in motion geometric growth. In fact, we could see such a rapid increase that soon more people would be won in one year than in all the years before.

           In 1976, the FMB reported nearly 90,000 baptisms in some 7,580 churches around the world. In 1994, more than 302,000 baptisms were reported and the number of churches now exceeds 39,000, an increase of more than 500 percent. At the same time, membership has risen from 896,000 to more than 4 million.

           More than half of the 12,000 missionaries appointed by the FMB in its 151-year history have been appointed since Bold Mission Thrust began. Today, we have 4,200 missionaries under appointment, just short of our 5,000 goal and significantly more than the 2,667 under appointment some 20 years ago.

           Today, we no longer judge the expansion of mission efforts by the number of countries where missionaries are serving. It would be poor stewardship to simply strive to "color the map" putting missionaries in the largest number of countries possible. Instead, missionaries focus on ethnic linguistic groups, not limiting the reach of the gospel to the 130 countries where they now live.

           When goals were set for Bold Mission Thrust, Southern Baptists had barely envisioned the potential of volunteer involvement. The goal of 10,000 volunteers taking part in FMB projects overseas was surpassed in 1988 and is likely to reach 20,000 before the year 2000.

           With four years remaining, the denomination has streamlined its bureaucratic structure to accelerate its efforts to help fulfill the Great Commission.

           We are not locked into the slow statistical growth pattern of the past 20 years. We are not restricted by debilitating organizational changes and denominational bureaucracy. God has been moving to unite us and return us to our conservative roots and the purpose for which the Southern Baptist Convention was formed. We are now positioned to seize the momentum in a global thrust that will not only meet, but possibly exceed, the earlier vision and goals of our predecessors some 20 years ago.

[BP. Based upon Rankin’s recent report to FMB trustees.]