Recalling his early years playing football, Clint Pressley recalled how there were some players he was friends with and some he “barely knew their name.” But he still recognized they were “all teammates” — and cooperation and teamwork were critical for the success of the team.
“Every guy on that team was my teammate, and we played on the same team in the same direction,” said Pressley, president of the Southern Baptist Convention. “We were in it together.”
It’s the same for the SBC, he told messengers on Tuesday (June 10) during the opening session of their annual meeting in Dallas.
“We don’t all have to be best friends,” he noted, recognizing the differences more than 12 million Southern Baptists have on various issues. “We are, however, brothers and sisters in Christ — and we do have to act like a family. … Our cooperation reminds us we are pushing one another on toward the gospel.”
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Key ‘rails’ worth celebrating
While the SBC has weathered its share of storms in recent years, Pressley said, it is “good to be Southern Baptist” and worth celebrating.
Pulling his message from Hebrews 10:23–24 — and pointing to the meeting’s theme “Hold fast” — Pressley, pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Charlotte, North Carolina, said messengers should focus on the mission and celebrate the things that make the SBC strong, unique and useful to the Kingdom of God.
“I think we can do that without downplaying or ignoring or sidestepping some of the serious issues that we have to address,” Pressley added. “We have faced a lot. We still have some things we need to face. But do you know that you can be happy and convictional at the same time?”
100 years
As the Convention celebrates the 100th anniversaries of the Baptist Faith and Message (the SBC’s confession of faith) and the Cooperative Program (the Convention’s giving channel for ministry and missions), Pressley said these two things are the “rails” that Southern Baptists run on to help carry out their mission.
Speaking to the importance of the SBC’s confession of faith, Pressley said he’s thankful Southern Baptist pastors don’t have to fight about “whether or not we actually believe the Bible. … We are already there. I am thankful for that.”
Pressley also noted the Cooperative Program “is the superior way for all of us to preserve our autonomy, our congregationalism, while we cooperate together, advance the Kingdom of God. Because ultimately, that is the only reason we meet.”
“When you are giving to the Cooperative Program, you are extending the gospel beyond the borders of your county and your church field,” he said. “The Cooperative Program keeps us focused on a world that is lost and in need of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Reflection
Reflecting on what he’s learned so far while traveling around the country as SBC president, Pressley noted his respect for the Convention has gone up.
“The closer you get to the people that are providing leadership in the Southern Baptist Convention, the more respect you have for who they are and what they do. We’ve got some people who love God, love the gospel and work real hard.”
He concluded, “Let us keep believing that it is good to be a Southern Baptist.”
