GCR Report Impressions, Part 1

Like every other Southern Baptist with a blog, I am going to weigh in on the Great Commission Resurgence interim report that was given in Nashville on Monday, February 22nd. As is to be expected from an initial, interim report, there are many questions that remain unanswered. It is my prayerful desire that those questions will be answered satisfactorily in the final report, scheduled to be released on May 3rd. My assessment will consist of several parts over the next few days.

First, I must divulge my opinions concerning the need for a Great Commission Resurgence and what I think it should entail. I voted for and wholeheartedly supported the appointment of the committee to examine the structure and bureaucracy of the Southern Baptist Convention. Over the years, like all other large organizations, the SBC has trended toward becoming bloated, unbalanced, myopic and self-important. Even though those are harsh words, they are not meant maliciously. Despite those weaknesses, I believe that as a denomination, Southern Baptists love Jesus and desire nothing more than to see His gospel proclaimed to everyone. The Conservative Resurgence and Baptist Faith and Message 2000 have re-set our feet on solid theological ground. This Great Commission Resurgence has the potential to re-set our feet on solid, efficient missiological ground. Judging by the overwhelming vote at last year’s convention, Southern Baptists recognize the need. I understand and support the need to restructure, streamline and focus our convention for the purpose of facilitating a Great Commission Resurgence. The question is, How? That is what the GCR Task Force was charged with determining. On Monday, they revealed their interim report. The next post will consider the introduction.