A New Way Forward …

 The last words of the Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples before returning to heaven were exhortations to make disciples of all nations from their backyard to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:6 records the last question asked by His disciples before His ascension, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” Though this was a good question it was not the right question. Jesus’ response in vv 7-8 shows that he was trying to redirect their focus to what He considered the right question, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Theological discussion is important but cannot be divorced from practical application and methodology.

Many of the conversations across the landscape of the Georgia Baptist Convention have been like that of the disciples. While many of the issues and subjects we have been discussing are good and even interesting they have not represented what Jesus underscored as most important to Him. For this we must be honest before God, ourselves and one another about the need for a renewed focus as partners in fulfilling the Great Commission.

The Mission Georgia 2020 report projects the population of the state of Georgia to increase almost 20%, particularly in the urban centers of the state. The cultural diversity is also projected to increase statewide. The common denominator is that the number of people, regardless of ethnicity, is only going to increase. However, the report also indicates that the disparity between the number of Christians and non-Christians has continued to increase over the past twenty years. According to the report, if Georgia Baptists continue at our historical rate of effectiveness in penetrating our state for the Kingdom of God, then we will see the number of spiritually lost persons in our state grow from 6.8 million in 2010 to more than 8 million by the year 2020.

Regardless of where one’s church and local mission field may be found in our state, Georgia Baptists can agree that our effectiveness at pushing back the spiritual darkness of our state must improve. It is not too bold to state that both frustration and anticipation are building across our state convention. The frustration is not all bad. A righteous frustration with an increasing lostness in our state is likely a necessary first step toward a willingness to consider needed changes to our methods. At least some part of the frustration is the overarching desire to partner in new ways that may not fit neatly into the current mold provided by the convention’s structure. The anticipation is a good thing because there is a willingness to engage in discussions about how Georgia Baptists can become more effective for the Kingdom of God.

What can Georgia Baptists do to more effectively engage the persons living in our communities, towns and neighborhoods? Change is necessary. The fact that the lost population of our state has continued to grow in spite of our current efforts helps us to come to this honest conclusion. Change for the sake of change and change that is disconnected from vision are equally problematic because neither will strengthen the Georgia Baptist Convention and position us for longevity in the 21^st Century. My intent with sharing one possible path forward for the Georgia Baptist Convention is to be purposefully positive and forward thinking. My prayer is that what I share may be an encouragement to all Georgia Baptists and a foundation for us to serve into the future together to the glory of God.

1.      A commitment to spiritual renewal that focuses on a passionate pursuit of God in our lives and our churches. (Psalm 27:4, 11)

• God’s greatest desire for His people is that we have an intimate relationship with Him (Genesis 1:26; Psalm 27:4). God’s greatest call on our lives is to Himself (Psalm 27:8).
• With more than seven million lost persons in our state there is no time for God’s people to become apathetic to His presence and leading in our lives. Spiritual renewal will require repentance. Since the convention is made up of churches that are made up of people, the repentance needs to begin with each one of us. We have personal sins that need to be repented of so we can hear and see God (Matthew 5:8).
• As pastors, we must repent of the turf wars that we have allowed to divide us in ministry and the pride that has led to these struggles.
• Churches must repent of the comfort zones we have allowed to dictate our ministry and budget plans rather than an all consuming passion to glorify God.
• There also needs to be a corporate confession and repentance for the attitudes that seek to require uniformity rather than unity. The message of the gospel is unchanging; however, the methods used to engage lost people in authentic evangelism may look different from church to church and from community to community. We should find our unity as Christians in the person and work of Jesus.
• There also needs to be a corporate confession and repentance for the ungodly attacks on our Christian brothers and sisters who are Calvinists and those with more reformed theological tendencies. The Georgia Baptist Convention is not a local church. It is a para-church organization; therefore, there is plenty of room for there to be partners with different methods.

 2.      A commitment to financial generosity for the worldwide propagation of the gospel. (2Corinthians 9:1-15)

• Individual Georgia Baptists should commit to be generous in their giving to support the gospel around the world. A priority should be placed on tithing through the local church first and then generous giving above and beyond. It may prove beneficial for local churches to consider specific discipleship plans for helping church members apply biblical financial principles to get out and stay out of debt, plan for generous giving and to practice generous giving.
• Georgia Baptist Churches should commit to finding ways to free up more money to be spent on ministry and missions that actually shares the gospel and disciples people from our local mission field to the ends of the earth.
• The Georgia Baptist Convention’s leadership should commit to simplifying the convention’s budget and avoiding expenditures that duplicate programming already available through other avenues.
• We should celebrate all generous giving by churches. The Southern Baptist Convention’s Great Commission Giving model could be helpful at this point.
• The Georgia Baptist Convention, as a network of churches, should decide to actively pursue the selling of the Missions and Ministry Building for the purpose of eliminating a debt that has become a burden on our ability to generously support the worldwide propagation of the gospel. The Georgia Baptist Convention could then ask NAMB about the possibility of renting office space at NAMB’s headquarters in Atlanta. This would also be an opportunity to decentralize appropriate personnel and more strategically locate them around the state in closer proximity to the areas and people they serve. Local associational offices, colleges and local churches could be utilized to help provide necessary office space for these personnel.

3.      A clear and compelling vision for Georgia Baptists to commit to as the sole purpose for our partnership as churches. (Proverbs 29:18a)

• Churches, pastors and missionaries are looking for para-church networks that will help them to achieve the vision God has given them for ministry and missions. One of the challenges of trying to be a single resource for more than 3,600 Georgia Baptist churches is that there are an unlimited number of ministry structures and programs that may be used across the churches. Can the Georgia Baptist Convention realistically resource every possible ministry program used by each Georgia Baptist Church and still be effective at pursuing a vision for the Great Commission?
• A renewed commitment to fulfilling the Great Commission will need a clear and compelling vision that encourages Georgia Baptist pastors and churches to participate in the shared vision.
• Creating a clear and compelling vision begins with a clear and simple purpose: The Georgia Baptist Convention is a network of local churches that partner together for the fulfillment of the Great Commission through the local church.
• Staying on task in pursuing a clear and compelling vision is possible when the purpose is anchored to accurate core values:
  • Lordship of Jesus Christ
  • Authority of the Bible
  • Local church as primary hub for Kingdom ministry and mission
  • Fellowship and partnerships that promote the Great Commission
  • Stewardship of God’s resources that reflect His Kingdom priorities
  • Knowing why we exist as a convention and why we do what we do, we can then consider what could be our future vision strategy:
    • Focusing on church revitalization to strengthen the local churches in the areas of leadership development, congregational health, evangelism, discipleship and missions.
    • Providing quality leadership development for pastors and church members to strengthen them in the area(s) God has gifted them to serve Him.
    • Committing to church planting as a priority of the Georgia Baptist Convention in partnership with the North American Mission Board.
    • Mobilizing churches for missions by providing missions opportunities primarily in the state of Georgia; yet, also providing resources to help churches connect with the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board for national and international opportunities.
    • Investing in the ministry and missions preparation of students in our state’s colleges through the Baptist Collegiate Ministries on every college campus. Also, every Georgia Baptist college could provide ministry and missions degree majors and minors for the purpose of equipping students to fulfill the Great Commission regardless of their vocational status in life.

4.      A willingness to consider restructuring the Georgia Baptist Convention around a newly developed vision for ministry and missions. (1Corinthians 10:31)

• Using the above outlined vision for the Georgia Baptist Convention as an example, the following new structure might be considered to organize the areas of ministry within the Georgia Baptist Convention:
• Church Revitalization – This may be the most important part of what the Georgia Baptist Convention can do to see our state impacted for the Kingdom of God. The focus would be to strengthen the Great Commission components of the local church rather than try and be a resource for every possible ministry program in every church. This department could possibly include areas such as church-minister relations, evangelism and discipleship.
• Leadership Development – Opportunities could be created to strengthen leadership in the local church for both pastors and church members. A newly formed department with a new focus toward the stated goals of leadership and mentoring would need to be established. One possible focus of this department could be to direct churches to the specific leadership development opportunities that already exist rather than creating a series of duplicated programs (i.e., Timothy+Barnabas, Catalyst, etc).
• Church Planting – There would not necessarily be the need for an expansive department considering the role of the North American Mission Board in the Southern Baptist Convention’s church planting strategy. A small team could be employed with specific parameters for working with NAMB to effectively plant churches to reach the growing and diverse population of Georgia.
• Missions Mobilization – This area could focus on disaster relief, short term mission opportunities as well as long term mission partnerships in the state of Georgia, missions education and connecting churches to the North American Mission Board & the International Mission Board. Duplication of focus and resources could be eliminated thereby putting more resources into the actual missions work. This department could also help churches find missions education resources that fit the specific needs of their local church. In a network as broad as the Georgia Baptist Convention there will be diversity of mission programs and focuses.  The increased attention to connect churches with NAMB and IMB will hopefully increase a commitment to Baptist missions causes.
• Ministry & Missions Preparation – Historically, Baptists have used colleges as the epicenter for mission and ministry training and deployment. Baptist Collegiate Ministries on each college campus in the state can provide excellent opportunities to engage the next generation with the gospel. We can recapture this strength, particularly through our Georgia Baptist colleges, by providing missions and ministry major degrees and minors. Also, our Georgia Baptist colleges could take advantage of the state’s brightest pastors and church planters to help teach elective courses in leadership, evangelism, apologetics, theology, ministry & missions.

Restructuring the Georgia Baptist Convention around a new vision for future ministry will naturally require a reduction in personnel. The convention staff could possibly be reduced to 40-60 persons. The work of the ministry of the Georgia Baptist Convention needs to be returned to the local churches to ensure ownership of the convention’s work. This would help us be more focused on what really needs to be done as well as take advantage of the incredible servants in the local churches around the state to do the work of ministry. Restructuring the convention around a new vision for future ministry would help us establish clear priorities about how Cooperative Program funds will be spent as well as potentially increase those funds dramatically over current levels that are actually allocated for the work of the ministry.

The days ahead for ministry and missions in the state of Georgia and around the world are certain to be filled with challenges as well as victories. I believe that we as Georgia Baptists can and must do better at penetrating the spiritual darkness in our state. Hard choices will face us and we are certain to face opposition from the Adversary, but by God’s grace we can be the needed salt and light to the mission field known as Georgia.