06 Jul Reflections on the 2021 Annual Meeting of the Great Commission Baptists
I had the privilege of attending the 2021 Annual Meeting of the Great Commission Baptists held in Nashville, TN on June 15-16.
This year’s theme was We Are Great Commission Baptists (GCB)—the alternative name of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).
As I’ve returned home and had a few weeks to reflect on my time there, several things stand out that I wanted to share with you, my Crosspoint family.
1. My gratitude for cooperation
First, I return to Clemson and to Crosspoint Church grateful for our cooperation with other churches in a common desire to see the Great Commission fulfilled. Most simply put, we, as Great Commission Baptists, believe we can do more together than we can on our own.
It was a privilege to witness in person the unity in diversity of our GCB family of churches. We have churches across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and among the nations. We have messengers from all different ethnic groups and all different ages. Yet we are unswervingly united in our mission to fulfill the Great Commission.
I was also reminded of the joy it is to join together supporting the GCB’s Cooperative Program (CP). The CP consists of six strategic entities that serve and resource our churches to fulfill the Great Commission: the International Mission Board (IMB), the North American Mission Board (NAMB), Guidestone Financial Resources, Lifeway Christian Resources, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), and six world-class seminaries.
I’m also thankful for partnerships to fulfill the Great Commission in GCB through smaller associations like the Pillar Network. Our Pillar partnership has a growing influence within the convention as many Pillar leaders are increasingly engaged in leadership within our convention.
In addition to the business meeting, I was blessed to attend other events such as the Baptist 21 Panel Discussion, the Southern Seminary Alumni & Friends Luncheon, a Pillar Network fellowship, and two 9Marks at 9:00 events. The days were long, yet deeply encouraging.
I share with gladness that I saw evidence of grace and biblical faithfulness in the leadership of each of these.
2. Missionary commissioning
One of the best things about Great Commission Baptists is our cooperative effort to train and send missionaries. The IMB held its missionary commissioning service the day before the annual meeting. Witnessing this commissioning service was a highlight. It is humbling and inspiring to see brothers and sisters being sent to the nations at great risk and sacrifice.
Likewise, NAMB continues to help us reach North America through its support of churches to plant churches, training in personal evangelism, and leadership in disaster relief ministries through Send Relief.
3. Pastor training
I am particularly thankful for our six seminaries, marked with leading scholarship, biblical faithfulness, and a concern for the church and the nations. These seminaries are Southern (Louisville, KY), Southeastern (Wake Forest, NC), New Orleans, Midwestern (Kansas City, MO), Gateway (Ontario, CA), and Southwestern (Fort Worth, TX). Our seminaries continue to champion and train ministry leaders to “contend for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).
I also am thankful to be a part of a church that embraces the call to train pastors and leaders of the next generation. Crosspoint does not rely solely on the seminaries but embraces our responsibility to disciple and train and send laborers to the nations. We’ve had the privilege to experience our first pastoral succession by developing leaders from within. And developing leaders from within is what we’ll continue doing. The seminaries are valuable partners to this end.
4. The incredible turnout
This year’s attendance of 16,000 messengers was the highest it has been in 25 years. While such attendance evidenced, in part, by concern over the direction of the convention, it also points to churches passionate about faithfully finishing the mission. For this, I rejoice.
I’m confident we are together in our commitment to the authority of the Bible, the necessity of the gospel for every nation, the sanctity of human life, and the call to godly character. This consensus of identity and mission is a tremendous blessing that should not be taken for granted. While there was spirited debate on a couple of matters, our debates are on how to most faithfully apply the wisdom and authority of Scripture to complex social matters.
5. Pivotal decisions
I’ve been to several conventions at the state and national level, but not one that had the weight and intensity of this year’s annual meeting. Typically, messengers meander in and out of the business meeting and enjoy fellowship in the exhibition hall. This year, however, most messengers remained in the room for the entire business meeting to have their voice heard on several pivotal decisions including the following:
Mishandling of Sexual Abuse Claims within the Convention
Our convention is united in caring for the abused and not tolerating abuse. In a near-unanimous vote, the president was appointed to create a task force to oversee an independent investigation into how our Executive Committee handled knowledge of sexual abuse claims. They have also been asked to bring recommendations to next year’s meeting for how we as cooperating churches can best serve victims of abuse in the future.
Critical Race Theory (CRT)
I’m thankful to report that unbiblical ideologies such as CRT-I were addressed this year in Resolution 2, “On the Sufficiency of Scripture for Race and Racial Reconciliation.” This resolution affirms the Scriptural narrative for the nature of humanity, the problem of sin, and the hope of reconciliation through the gospel.
Further, this year’s Resolution 2 affirms the sufficiency of Scripture for race and racial reconciliation, rejecting any worldview that denies the fundamental problem of sin and reaffirms “that our reconciliation in Christ gives us the opportunity and responsibility to pursue reconciliation with others so that we can display and share the hope of the gospel with the world.”
Additionally, the seminary presidents spoke of their commitment to the authority and sufficiency of Scripture and that CRT-I is taught just as any other unbiblical ideology is–that which pastors must be ready to interact with and refute according to the Bible. Any claims that “theological liberalism” has crept into our seminaries are false.
6. Looking ahead
Yes, we live in an era of cultural decay. Yes, we face looming challenges on religious liberty and cultural and political coercion. Yet in spite of these contemporary difficulties, I am optimistic for the future of the GCB.
With America’s increasing ethnic diversity, the mission demands that we be serious about planting multi-ethnic churches to see our nation reached. Please join me in praying that we will see kingdom diversity as reflected in Revelation 7:9 in our churches at home and across the globe.
Please pray for continued zeal for the truth and healthier discourse in our convention in the coming year. Social media debates have proved to be of little value for actual debate and have defamed the reputation of Christ before a watching world. Should you encounter headlines, articles, posts, or conversations that attempt to sound an alarm that our convention is drifting away from the authority of the Bible, I encourage you to be a voice of reason and kindness. Additionally, if you have questions about things you see, hear, or read, know the elders and I are available to talk with you.
One last note: As I live and serve among you, I’m so thankful for your commitment to the authority of God’s Word, your passion for discipleship, your support of leadership development, and your dedication to sending laborers to nations through short-term trips, Generation LINK, and church planting with our GCB partners.
Cooperation based on truth and love is the way our convention, and our local church, will live up to our name. We are Great Commission Baptists.
By Jason Finley, Lead Pastor for Equipping