Great Commission task force overwhelmingly approved

by   Mark Kelly                                                                                                                                       Vol. XXII, No. 6, June/July 2009

On a show of ballots, Southern Baptist Convention messengers June 23 authorized their president, Johnny Hunt, to appoint a task force to study how Southern Baptists can work "more faithfully and effectively together in serving Christ through the Great Commission."

The motion, presented earlier in the day by R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, survived an effort to amend it before being adopted by an overwhelming margin.

The opportunities for advancing the Gospel are unprecedented and many Southern Baptists are looking for a visionary missions challenge, Mohler said as he spoke on behalf of his motion. "We are looking at an unprecedented set of opportunities before us, especially when it comes to reaching the world for the Lord Jesus Christ. We sense from our churches an incredible desire to be even more active in the task of getting the Gospel to the ends of the earth," Mohler said. "It's the task of this generation to be responsive both to the opportunities that are before us and to the conviction and commitment of our churches. We need to set that passion loose and in this generation Southern Baptists will either move greatly ahead or we will fall more tragically behind."

Although some had expressed concerns before the annual meeting that the task force proposal was targeted at reorganizing convention structures, Mohler asserted, "This is not an effort to reinvent the Southern Baptist Convention." There is "absolutely no reason to fear asking that question” [about how to be more effective in obeying the Great Commission], Mohler said. "We have every reason to feel an excitement and an enthusiasm about asking in every single generation, indeed in every season, is there more we can do and can we do even more if we are more faithful in the task of deploying the conviction and the passion of Southern Baptists in service to the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ."

One messenger who spoke against the motion asserted that the decline in baptisms reported by Southern Baptist churches could be attributed to a rise in Calvinist convictions. Another messenger argued that it didn't require a task force to discover the Bible's call to witness and minister to the lost. A third messenger offered a substitute motion to have the SBC's North American and International Mission boards conduct the study themselves, rather than incurring the expense of creating a task force.

The effort to redirect the proposal failed, however, and a final messenger, who identified himself as "a young Southern Baptist," called on messengers to vote for the proposal "for the sake of the younger generation and the future of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Great Commission resurgence."

The motion calls for the task force to study the issues and bring their report, along with any recommendations, to the 2010 SBC annual meeting, June 15-16 in Orlando, FL.

Southern Baptist Convention President Johnny Hunt appointed 18 people to the "Great Commission Resurgence Task Force" June 24 during the morning session of the annual meeting. "I trust you will be encouraged by the balance that will be representing Southern Baptists in their assignment," Hunt said before he read the list of names.

Appointed to the committee were:

– Ronnie Floyd, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Springdale, AR, chairman.

– Jim Richards, executive director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

– Frank Page, pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, SC, and former SBC president.

– David Dockery, president of Union University in Jackson, TN.

– Simon Tsoi, trustee of the International Mission Board and retired pastor.

– Donna Gaines, pastor's wife at Bellevue Baptist Church near Memphis, TN.

– Al Gilbert, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC.

– J.D. Greear, lead pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC.

– Tom Biles, executive director of the Tampa Bay Baptist Association.

– Daniel L. Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

– R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

– John Drummond, a layman at St. Andrew Baptist Church in Panama City, FL.

– Harry Lewis, senior strategist for partnership missions and mobilization at the North American Mission Board.

– Michael Orr, pastor of First Baptist Church in Chipley, FL.

– Roger Spradlin, pastor of Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield, CA.

– J. Robert White, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Convention.

– Ken Whitten, pastor of the Tampa-area Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, FL.

– Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL.

Hunt told Baptist Press he would "lead the task force, giving them direction, as I promised the convention," but that Floyd would chair the group in its deliberations. [BP]

[Comment: I know seven committee members well and have high regard for their faith, abilities, and judgment. All Southern Baptists should pray that God will guide the committee throughout the coming year. Also, I urge every church to send its full messenger complement to Orlando next June. The recommendations of this committee could prove to be crucial to the SBC’s future. TCP]