Very Interesting

I find very interesting the current discussions concerning the Cooperative Program. There are two areas that baffle me.

The first is a call for a compelling vision. The vision for the mission task of a church flows from the pastor. A church assumes the personality of her pastor. If the pastor is evangelistic in fervor and missional in strategy the church will be the same. If the pastor leads his church to be supportive of the Cooperative Program she will gladly follow. The responsibility for a vision to reach the world through cooperative endeavor lies totally with the pastor. The command of Jesus in Acts 1:8 constitutes a compelling vision for me. I fear much of the discussion concerning compelling vision is coming from those who desire to lead their church to a less cooperative and more direct form of missions. While this is the church’s prerogative it will lessen her global impact not increase her global impact.

The second is getting more monies to the front line of missions. Presumably, this is a call to send more monies to the International Mission field. The implication is that money spent by our state conventions is skimmed away from the real work of missions. While I am in favor of more money going to International Missions it is faulty missiology. The mission of the church begins where she is planted and goes from there to the ends of the earth. We are allowing the excitement of International Missions to override the needs of reaching our Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. We are trading cooperative effort that legitimately allows us to go to our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria ad the ends of the earth for a process that will diminish the impact we have on a lost world. If we fail to reach our communities and our states the day will soon come when there are no resources available to reach the nations. The front line of missions is where God has planted us. The Great Commission is not either/or it is both/and.

The largest churches in any city are not reaching all of her city. It needs to partner with other churches to reach her city. Often these partnering churches share a common theology and mission but are diverse in size, ministry style and ethnicity. The largest churches in any state are not reaching all of their state; they too need to partner with other churches of common theology and mission. The largest churches in our nation are not reaching our entire nation they must partner with other churches of shared theology and mission to reach our nation. The largest churches in the world cannot go to the ends of the ends of the earth unless they partner with other churches who share their theology and mission. We must work cooperatively if we are to make an impact on the lostness of our world. We must do more to take the gospel to a dying world beginning where we are planted and going to the ends of the earth. We will do more when we work together.

While this is a very interesting discussion, let us not revel in the discussion while we miss the responsibility to walk together in the task of winning a lost world to Christ.

Attempting to connect the dots…

Wayne
Romans 1:16

Quotable:
“If you want to be incrementally better: Be competitive. If you want to be exponentially better: Be cooperative.”
~ Unknown

Lessons I have learned about Florida Baptists

In the fall of the year 2000 I was enlisted to fill a vacancy on the Florida Baptist Convention State Board of Missions. My term of service on the board ended in November of 2007. During my service on the FBC State Board I served for one year as President of the Board. In November of 2008 I was elected First Vice-President of the Florida Baptist Convention and will conclude that service this November of 2010. I am currently serving on the Board of Trustees for the Baptist College of Florida. Florida Baptists have been very good to me. It has been my honor and privilege to participate in the decision making processes of Florida Baptists for these past ten years. I have learned a number of important lessons during this time.

It is eye opening to discover the scope of the work of Florida Baptists. There are more than 2800 Southern Baptist churches and missions in Florida with more than 1.1 million members. This makes Florida Baptists the largest non-Catholic voice in Florida. Florida Baptists are the only Southern Baptist entity to do missions work in Haiti having begun more than 1,000 churches in the past 15 years. Also, we conduct mission’s partnership work in Cuba, Nevada, West Virginia, and Indiana. Through our cooperative program gifts we participate in the largest mission’s effort in the history of Christianity through the International and North American Mission Boards of the Southern Baptist Convention partnering to support more than 10,000 missionaries. Further, we partner with 49 local associations for inspirational and training events. The convention provides support for pastors and churches in crisis as well partnering to provide the leading church planting efforts and the leading evangelism efforts in our Southern Baptist Convention. We also provide quality theological training through the Baptist College of Florida and compassionate care for children through the Florida Baptist Children’s Home.

The leaders of the Florida Baptist Convention are among God’s finest servants. Dr. John Sullivan is, without a doubt, the finest statesman-leader in Southern Baptist life today. A unique combination of pastor, preacher, leader, and visionary, Dr. Sullivan has led Florida Baptists to the apex of a long history of accomplishment. The men and women that serve with and in support of Dr. Sullivan are exemplary in their ability and commitment to the task of the Great Commission.

The best way to fulfill the Great Commission is cooperatively. The Cooperative Program of our Southern Baptist Convention is not only a funding mechanism it is a functional methodology. The genius of our funding through the CP is that our gifts support all of the work of taking the gospel to Florida, America and the ends of the earth. This includes training, support and sending of missionaries as well as theological training for pastors. There is no other funding mechanism that carries the impact of fulfilling the Great Commission like the Cooperative Program. But, CP is also a functional methodology. Baptists do best that which they do together. God in His wisdom takes our cooperative efforts and causes the sum of our efforts to be greater than the individual efforts alone. If we are to fulfill the Great Commission it will be cooperatively.

The service of God is greater than any individual or group. It is a privilege to be allowed to participate in the work of taking the Gospel to the world. God does not need us, we urgently need Him. I am grateful to God for the experience of serving Him through the opportunities that Florida Baptists have given me this past ten years.

As we face the future, may we do so with a sense of desperation for His presence and power that we might take the gospel to a lost world beginning in Florida and reaching the nations.

Attempting to connect the dots…

Wayne
Romans 1:16

Quotable:
“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
~ The Apostle Paul

Happy Anniversary Tom and Sarah

14 years ago today I was honored to preside at Tom and Sarah Bryant’s wedding. At the time Tom was serving with us at Southside. Today Tom is pastor of the First Baptist Church of Osprey, Florida.

Across the years I have been privileged to call Tom and Sarah close friends. God has and is using them in a wonderful way. May they enjoy many more years together.

Attempting to connect the dots…

Wayne
Romans 1:16

Quotable:
Proverbs 18:22
Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD .

Working in the Harvest

Yesterday, I received a copy of the book “Working in the Harvest.” Throughout the book, my friend, Dr. Ronald Fullerton shares personal experiences in soul winning. While many pastors tend to think soul winning is someone else’s responsibility, Dr. Fullerton chronicles his personal ministry soul winning encounters. Dr. Fullerton led his congregations by example to win the lost to Christ. “Working in the Harvest” is a delightful reminder of the privilege of personal soul winning as well as a practical challenge to every believer to personally win the lost to Christ. I encourage you to contact Dr. Fullerton at:

ronaldfullerton@sbcglobal.net

PO Box 1959

34 Via Verde

Sutter Creek, CA 95685

to request your free copy. While the books are distributed at no charge, any gift to offset the expense of production and postage would be accepted.

Attempting to connect the dots…

Wayne
Romans 1:16

Quotable:
“The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.”
Ps 68:11