Biblical fidelity, gospel centrality, a genuine love for the church and for the gospel. These are examples of the good things Southern Baptists do well, noted Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley during the SBC Executive Committee’s Feb. 17–18 meeting in Nashville.
But Pressley warned of the need to stop, pause and look for solutions when Southern Baptists get distracted from the mission. One key way to stay focused, he noted, is to celebrate cooperation — like the SBC’s missions-giving channel the Cooperative Program.
“Cooperation is not just us giving money,” he said. “It’s a whole lot more. … We’re a convention of churches led by men and women that have built relationships.”
“We give and we invest in one another. Our entire ecosystem — the whole thing — is based on relational capital, us together, brothers and sisters, serving the Lord, staying on mission, acting like Christians, rejoicing in the fact that we have been called. Serve the Lord, preach the gospel, reach the world.”
‘Joyfully pursue the mission that God has given us’
Southern Baptists share a purpose, Pressley noted. They must remember the mission — and be joyful.
“We have a lot of things to be joyful about,” he said. “Joyfully pursue the mission that God has given us. Joyfully press this Convention toward the future, not status quo. We’re not staying status quo. Not scorched earth. We’re not burning the thing down.”
Celebrate unique opportunities
“Paul said we are stewards. … servants of Christ. Stewards of the mysteries of God.”
He reminded the EC of the uniqueness of the SBC and the Cooperative Program, compared to other denominations and programs — and the rare opportunities being a Southern Baptist provides to serve the Lord. “Here’s what I think,” he noted, “the Southern Baptist Convention and the Cooperative Program — nothing else even comes close.”
