A Glimmer of Hope in a Season of Discouragement

<10 halloween costumes in 2008p>These days one can find bad news withcurly hair extensions little effort: economic recession, ongoing terrorist threats, not to mention the obvious effects of sin all around (and in our own hearts). The news extends to the Church, including the figures that point to decline in once robust traditions like my own, the Southern Baptist Convention. Good news exists if we look closely, however: the gospel still changes lives, the Spirit still works in our time, and more than a few of us could honestly curtain a lot of our personal spending and do without not a single need.

But I wanted to take a moment of your time and offer a glimmer of hope as it relates to my home, the Southern Baptist Convention. I am a Christian first–Jesus got me before the Baptists did :-). But I am a Southern Baptist without apology by conviction: doctrinally, missionally, and because I believe we can still impact the entire globe for the gospel like no one else. I love my convention and I am concerned for our health. We are not doing well and too many of us are in denial. But too many also snipe at one another rather than taking this season to look for ways to encourage (there are fewer like Barnabas and more like Judas, I fear). So here is a little hope.

On February 15-16 SEBTS will be hosting an unprecedented event, and one that offers an example for others. We are hosting the NC Baptist Convention State Evangelism Conference all day February 16. Let me give you a tiny history for those who do not know it. The best way to describe the relationship between the seminary and the state convention when I came here in 1995 was adversarial. Now, we have a remarkably wonderful relationship, due in no small part to the leadership of Milton Hollifield (state exec), Don McCutcheon, Marty Dupree, Chris Schofield, and many others I should name as well, not to mention the efforts of my president Danny Akin.

I speak at a lot of these conferences and am honored to do so. I spoke at the NC conference last year. But for us to host this meeting is a huge statement about working together for the glory of God and the sake of the gospel. The theme is a Great Commission Resurgence, and efforts like these must happen to see such a goal become reality. Other state conventions have hosted evangelism conferences on seminary campuses which I applaud, but given our history this truly gives me much joy. So many state and national meetings grow older each year and the long term prognosis is not good; we will have more young leaders at this one than older, which I have not seen in a very long time.

Here is the lineup:

Session I 10:00am – 11:45am

10:10 Bruce Ashford

10:55 Ken Welborn

11:05 Robert Smith

Session II 1:30pm – 4:30pm

12:45 – 1:25 Ed Stetzer (dialogue with students)

1:40 Ed Stetzer

2:30 Chuck Lawless

3:15 Sammy Gilbreath

3:50 Stephen Rummage

Session III 6:30pm – 9:00pm

6:30 Concert/Music

7:15 Danny Akin

8:00 Jay Huddleston

8:15 David Platt

Marty Dupree and I will be the “MCs” of the event. Jeff Capps and his band (including my son) will be leading worship.

One other note: Sunday night, Feb 15, there will be another unprecedented event. We will be hosting in Binkley Chapel what will likely be the largest gathering of youth for a rally in our history (based on preregistration). This rally is part of the Reach Up touadult halloween costumesr led wonderfully by Merrie Johnson of the NCBSC. The band Rush of Fools will be leading worship, I will be challenging students to reach their schools and peers with the gospel, and then Rush of Fools will do a concert after. For details and to register go to sebts.edu/reachup.

I am excited in a season of bad news to share some good news. We yet have hope for the future. I believe that hope begins with the Most High God and will be seen in the coming generation of young pastors, church planters, and missionaries God keeps sending our way. If you can catch a plane, hitch hike, steal a car (okay not that), somehow find a way to be here. This will be an amazing time for focus on things that matter, not to nitpick on things that do not.

See you there!!!