What I will not do in light of the SBC's declining numbers

As I was thinking about what I can do to improve my declining denomination I also thought about the reactions that I would probably read and hear from others.  So I decided to put together this list of things I will not do because of the bad news of last week. I will not panic

I will not abandon the convention (unless it abandons me)

I will not change the message of the gospel for the sake of growth

I will not assume that my gospel presentation is the only successful method

I will not look to secular gurus of business growth to learn how to grow the church

I will not teach a lesson in which I do not include a gospel presentation

I will not blame the Calvinists

I will not deny one word of Scripture even if it becomes very unpopular

I will not think that becoming more worldly makes me a more effective evangelist

I will not bury my head in the sand and pretend that there is no problem

I will not take joy in the shrinking denomination

I will not assume that a shrinking SBC is a sign of the end times

I will not give more credit to Satan than he deserves

I will not blame everything on Johnny Hunt or Frank Page or Al Mohler

I will not stop giving to the Cooperative Program

I will not go to Catalyst or any other conference in place of the Southern Baptist Convention (I may go, but not instead of the SBC)

I will not assume that my way is the only way to do church

I will not lead my church by surveys or popularity contests but with Christian discernment and the Scriptures

I will not strive for a greater "voice" within the convention.  I will be faithful to those God has called me to minister to

I will not heap undue criticism on those leaders of another generation (older or younger than me)

I will not be hopeless

Feel free to add to this list in the comments.

Tomorrow - What I will do in light of the SBC's declining numbers.

Shutting Up

I sat down here at my computer with every intention of writing a post about this and this.  But after reading the comments of both, I realize that there is nothing I can add to the conversation that hasn't been said.  Also, whenever I wade (no pun intended) into the waters of posting about SBC or BSCNC controversies, I find myself very disappointed with the comments section and find that I spend a lot of time moderating.  I may regret even posting this. I will say this one thing as my way of framing the debate:

The most common message I have heard from theological liberals is; "Can't we all just get along?"

One side of the current debate says; "Can't we work together even though we don't get along?"

I think this is a distinction without a difference.

Am I the Key Vote?

One of the major concerns we hear about in Southern Baptist life is the lack of “young leaders.”

You often read that people under age 40 feel somehow alienated by the processes of the SBC. I am under 35, and seminary educated, but I don’t feel either jaded or disenfranchised with the processes of the SBC.

I have no idea what all the commentators mean by “leader” but I’m pretty sure I don’t qualify on that front. I’m the youth minister at a small church, and I have no ambition to ever preach the convention sermon, but I do want to see the Southern Baptist Convention be the best it can be. I obviously am a blogger, (hopefully the stigma from that label is gone now) and I read a handful of SBC blogs. Some I agree with, some I don’t. I would very much like to one day earn my PhD and my readers already know I want to be a certified apologetics instructor. It would be great to have a bunch of readers on my blog, but this blog is too often about fishing to ever catch on in a big way. So, surely I am not a “leader.” All I want is to bring glory to God in whatever position He puts me. And if that means being a youth minister to 10 kids, then hopefully I can help them to grow closer to Christ and have an impact on their world.

Despite not being a “young leader” I believe I am the very person that many people are concerned about. As an under 35, seminary educated, Southern Baptist, I am interested in what happens, and deeply concerned with the baptism decline. I hope this doesn’t sound arrogant, really I just believe I fit the mold. I’m sure there are many like me.

I will be attending the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis, and I can honestly say that I do not know who I will be voting for for president. There are 6 candidates. (<update>I am only seriously considering 3 </update>of them.) I am genuinely undecided. This is your opportunity to lobby for my vote. Use the comments to convince me that your choice for SBC president is the one who will best lead the convention.

Here are some things you may want to know about me before you begin your defense. Some of this is a repeat.

• I am a blogger
• I read many of the SBC blogs
• I am not a 5-point Calvinist
• I am not afraid of the 5-pointers (i.e. I don’t believe they are going to destroy the convention)
• I admire all of the candidates for president
• I admire some of them more than others ;-)
• I can see nothing but evil coming from consuming alcohol
• I really like the BFM 2000
• I do not think megachurch pastors as presidents are bad for the convention
• I do not think you have a to be a megachurch pastor to be a great convention president
• I believe the cooperative program is the best funding device ever conceived for evangelizing the world
• I believe that almost every state convention keeps too much CP funds (I’m talking to you BSCNC)
• I believe that money sent directly to the SBC should count as CP giving (see the above item)
• Did I mention that I believe consuming alcohol is pretty much indefensible
• I am very disturbed by the baptism decline
• I believe that the baptism turnaround will happen on the church level not the convention level
• I am concerned about regenerate church membership. We should be honest about the size of our churches and convention

Let the lobbying begin