Right now we’ve lost the next generation. Some will hang around, some of them toeing the line from the elites in our convention, spouting the same rhetoric, but the real innovative and Kingdom minded pastors have left.

I’m thankful for the Great Commission Resurrgence and the signatories. We have to change this thing. We’ve walked away from the streamlined convention of the founders and have hung an albatross around our CP necks. We absolutely have to change this thing. Hopefully it will happen.

You are the Church!
R.A.

It might be helpful to note that this trend is by no means new. As a 40+ Seminary graduate (not a pastor) I grew up in what Dr. Dunavant calls the “reformed” category.

I attended SBC churches all my life, and when I felt the call to go serve on short-term missions after college, I applied to the Journeyman program. When my application was denied (too fat) I made no further applications, but God’s call was not to be denied. A missionary, who our church supported directly, met me and extended an invitation to join him for the summer. I sent one letter requesting support and two weeks later I was on my way to a 7 month assignment overseas. I was generously supported (I had to ask people to stop sending money) by several SBC churches in at least three states.

My point is that these SBC churches were already eager to support missions and had no reservations in bypassing the convention. In fact, the speed in which they responded indicates they were well practiced at it. All of this took place in 1989, so this “trend” is at least 20 years in the making.

I agree 100% with your analysis!

One part of the problem is that most of the agencies operate like secret societies. They don’t do this intentionally — because the agencies have “plenary” or PUBLIC Board of Trustees sessions.

Things have been smooth for generations but now younger pastors are beginning to raise questions. These younger pastors are asking, “why should we support this CP/IMB/NAMB model”?

The agencies are not doing much proactively reach out to these younger pastors using communication mechanisms that are relevant to them.

I’m trying to do at least a SMALL thing to address this. I plan on attending the next BoT meeting of the IMB (September 16th in Jacksonville) and blog about whatever is going on. I am going to do this on my own dime.

The stuff I’m doing will supplement current documentation such as published minutes and BP news releases.

I’ve learned to love the structure of a cell church that is mission minded and Gospel saturated. It is my prayer that the Christians in the CC will not only SAY that they love missions, but will DO missions. And that means that members are going out into the harvest with the Local Church sending and supporting them. I’ve talked to a plethora of students my age with the same mindset. And if this is going to be the new thinking of the SBC when my generation gets into the passenger seat (shotgun will work since Jesus is driving), the structure must change. Instead of money rising up to the higher echelons of the SBC, maybe it could fall down to the churches, allowing them to fulfill God’s mission.

I don’t know what the changes will be, but I certainly pray the changes will further the Kingdom and that more disciples are taking up their cross than the world has ever seen before.