My 2015 Southern Baptist Convention Thoughts

Our family spent a few days this week in Columbus, Ohio.  We attended the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention and had a fantastic time.  In a nutshell, I walked away from that meeting feeling better about our denomination than I have in a long, long time.  It was very encouraging!

I liked how the SBC took the following stands:  We are for marriage being between a man and a woman.  We are for racial unity and harmony.  We are for the sanctity of human life, whether it's unborn children or the elderly.  These resolutions passed easily and were approved enthusiastically.

I liked the leadership of Ronnie Floyd, our president.  His address was the speech of a lifetime.  It really moved and inspired me.  He's the right guy to be leading our convention at this time.

I liked the reports on our seminaries.  Our 6 SBC schools are training over 18,000 students.  It was neat to see how passionately these academic institutions are equipping the hearts and minds of young ministers.

I liked the unity of our gathering.  There was a cooperative spirit of oneness that permeated the time we all spent together.  People focused on common ground under the name of Jesus.  The presidents of our seminaries encouraged and prayed for one another.  And the presidents of our missions agencies demonstrated unity as well.  This was all great to see.  There was no tension or friction at these meetings.

I liked the emphasis that was placed on missions.  Southern Baptists have thousands of missionaries spreading the gospel here in the Americas and around the world.  We celebrated the sending of more missionaries onto the field.  And we were motivated by the words of David Platt, our IMB President.

I liked how scripture was again acknowledged as the inspired word of God.  It was reiterated several times that we will hold on to the teachings of the Bible, regardless of what our surrounding culture may say or do.

I liked the music and worship.  A lot!  It was a powerful time of praise as thousands of Christians united and sang to Jesus.  

I'm a Southern Baptist because of the convention's commitment to Jesus, scripture, and missions.  This week's gathering was a great encouragement to me as I saw over 5,000 people gather to reaffirm these core values.  May we continue to stay focused on these all-important matters.

I do realize there are many, many fine Christians that are not Southern Baptist.  My report in no way is intended to diminish the awesome work others are doing in the name of Jesus.  I have plenty of family and friends who are a part of other churches and groups.  They have my utmost respect and appreciation.  I just wanted to share what's happening in my little corner of God's mighty kingdom.  I hope this in some way gives everyone a better grasp of what Southern Baptists are about these days.