Something smells in BGCT Land Part II

When last we left our dwindling erstwhile convention, they were being challenged by their new Executive Director to reach Texas's 11 million lost persons with a simple, understandable witness, and meet the human needs within our state.

This blog explores our part in the challenge of sharing Christ with the lost in our state. Let me simply proceed along three lines: our churches; ourselves; our convention.

If we were to witness in simple ways to 11 million lost in our state, one would expect many of those persons to seek a church where they could grow up in Christ. We might have a slight problem here. Many Texas Baptist churches are not really ready for an influx of new Christians. There is space, but not room.

Too many church are not healthy enough to have new spiritual children in their midst. In fact a cynic's view of Texas Baptist Churches is that large numbers of them are either settling in a new pastor; growing discontented with the pastor they have; actively attempting to run off the resident pastor; and/or fighting amongst themselves. What a great environment in which to bring a new Christian.

Additionally, many of our churches are self-focused (hence the continuing worship wars) and really find themselves very uncomfortable with strangers. Overgrown with power structures that have been in place for years, such churches are actually hostile to outsiders. But they are being counted as resources for the challenge.

Too many pastors and ministry families are not spiritually healthy enough. We still have an unchecked stream of men and women leaving ministry because they are tired of being beat up, beat down, argued with, and generally disrespected. Add to that, personal moral failure and continuing church conflict, and these are the front line leaders we are depending on to lead the charge.

Church members are on board theoretically, but practically, most don't have the time or the will to set out to be a part of reaching either goal. Our million Baptists is quickly dwindling into a smaller and smaller group.

And then there is the State Convention. What smells in BGCT land is this grand challenge at this time. In less than three years, we are going to pray, sell, mobilize, educate and do these two great challenges. In my life as a Texas Baptist, such great challenges usually took about a year to plan, a year to get the churches ready, and a year or more to conduct the emphasis. Those were the good years when we liked each other and worked together. Those times are not now.

That is what smells. We have a big crack in our Baptist foundation and we are going to paper over it with sounding the challenge around two cherished themes (one more cherished than another): evangelism and human caring. Honestly, these are days of low trust between us and low trust between pastors, churches and the BGCT. It seems we will try anything but face this mistrust issue head on.
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In my reading of great moves of evangelism, it seems to me such efforts have always come as a result of a mighty move of God within the church--first! That makes sense. If the church is not spiritual healthy, spiritually refreshed, in love with Jesus and holy living, any disciples we would train would be two and three times as much sons/daughters of hell as we are. Thank you but I think we have enough of that. Remember "1 million more in '54". If you don't, one wit put it this way, "A million more like we got in '54 and we will be out of business."

In fact, this whole challenge thing has the cart wrong way around. The natural out flow of the inrush of the Holy Spirit into the fellowship of the church is evangelism and compassion. It has always been and shall always be. The fact is that we are more in Acts 1 than 2. We are more saturated and mired in "what's in it for us" than people with bold kingdom hearts. In fact, in the life of many Baptist churches pastors and people have hearts that are two sizes two small for the world in which we live.

So, we are we to do with this bold challenge? I would suggest we set a goal of having our churches more healthy by 2010 so that we are ready for reaching more than 11 million people with the simple gospel. We don't need to put off the second part of the great challenge. Getting one's hands dirty in the mud of human need has a way of softening the heart that pictures and videos cannot do.

Our Convention aught to lead the way with repenting and asking for forgiveness for what has happened over the last 8-10 years. Doesn't revival begin, always begin, when God's people begin to humble themselves and pray and seek the face of God and turn from our wicked ways? Then let our BGCT leaders show us up close and personal what that looks like. It can be a non-showy, sincere, model of Biblical repentance.

You see, that is what smells in BGCT land. I think we are rushing to a great work, in order to refocus our attention away from what has been left undone. To invoke the name of God to cover one's unconfessed sins borders on, if not in fact is-- presumption!