A federal judge on Monday (March 31) dismissed all but one count of Johnny Hunt’s lawsuit against the Southern Baptist Convention, the SBC Executive Committee and Guidepost Solutions — a ruling that SBC EC President Jeff Iorg called “significant progress toward ending the legal challenges at the Executive Committee.”
Iorg met with more than 70 pastors Tuesday at Northway Church in Macon as part of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s ReTool conferences designed to equip ministry leaders for spiritual and professional growth.
He took the opportunity to sit down with The Christian Index to reflect on the ruling and offer encouragement to fellow Baptists.
‘Step forward’
“We’re not to the end yet, but it was a significant step forward. And the closer we get to the end of these legal processes, the closer we are to focusing entirely on our real mission, which is getting the gospel to the nations.”
Rather than dwelling on legal battles, Iorg urged Baptists to keep their eyes on the greater work of the church.
“I don’t view these legal challenges through the lens of winners and losers. I think these are difficult circumstances, and I would hope that people would shift their focus away from perhaps following the details of that and more onto the greater work that God is doing through us.”
He emphasized that staying together in faith will allow the convention to emerge stronger.
“If we can stay together, if we can hold together for another year or so, we’ll be able to look back and say we went through a very difficult time, and now we’re not having to focus or talk about those things all the time because they’re resolved. But in the meantime, it is part of my responsibility to resolve them, so therefore I am occasionally talking about them or forced to give them my attention.”
Iorg also reflected on the personal discipline required to remain focused on ministry in the midst of these challenges. “It involves my personal practices of ministry, and it involves the intellectual discipline of what I give my attention and time to do.”
Ways to pray
For Southern Baptists wondering how to respond in these times, Iorg had a clear request: Pray.
“Pray that the executive committee will be unified, will be focused on its mission, and will have the good judgment needed when hard choices have to be made.”
For himself, Iorg asked for prayer for physical stamina, spiritual discernment and wisdom as he navigates the road ahead.
“Pray for my physical stamina, so that I can keep up the pace of the job, and pray for my spiritual discernment, insight and wisdom to know how to solve these problems when they’re presented to me.”
Even as the SBC Executive Committee works through difficult legal matters, Iorg remains committed to the larger purpose of the church.
“My personal passion is to stay focused on that mission as much as possible,” he said.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Henry Durand and originally published by the Christian Index.
