But if they do, as I said above, none of us have heard it yet.

I am not trying to suggest that the SBC has the perfect structure and could in no way be improved by reorganization. I also agree with Jonathon that any year is a good year to improve the SBC.

But it is possible for us all to see problems without knowing solutions. Particularly because the GCR document offers no specific solutions, the recency of our last attempt at reorganization is germane to our discussion. If I don’t know the solution to a problem right now, and then you ask me to solve it five minutes from now, very little reason exists to believe that I will have access at the second request to some marvelous solution that I didn’t have at the first request.

It would be different, perhaps, if the GCR had placed before us some incredibly bright idea. Instead, we find a call just to think about it. It just amazes me to see otherwise intelligent people get so enthusiastically worked up about entirely unspecified ideas. Will we improve the SBC? Will we terribly damage the SBC? I’m the one saying that none of us knows. And since none of us has heard any specific plan for what we’re going to do, how is my assessment not an accurate one?

The “Covenant for a New Century” was done in 1997, I believe. There are those within prominent positions of leadership think that since we did this in ‘97 there is no reason to do it now. According to some, restructuring does not automatically result in a great awakening. I agree. Two things:

First, just because we looked at the structure of the denomination 12 years ago doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do it again. We should do it every year as we come together. We should constantly be asking the question of whether or not we are being good stewards of our resources and effetive in Kingdom advancment. To say that we “already” did this, well…absurd.

Second, I know of no person that has said that Article IX is meant to be a fix all. Who said that? Again, this isolationism towards Article IX is not helpful. It would be ridiculous to say that because the idea of restructuring is mentioned that those who have recommended it believe it will cause a revival in our land. The totality of the axioms is what is meant to lead us towards a revival in our denomination, our state conventions, local associations, and churches. Article IX is a part of the document and not the whole of the document.

I am looking forward to the convention. I pray God moves. I pray that we act like brothers and sisters in Christ. What I have seen in realm of the blogs has been a far cry from the unity that God calls us to.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I’m not the only one who thinks this. Of the few DOM’s I have known (and that is few admitedly) there was really only one who was ever anything resembling helpful or encouraging. Most of the one’s I’ve met remind me of used car salesmen rather than servant leaders.