Floyd to Southern Baptists: Now is the time to lead! #SBC15

Lisa Misner —  June 16, 2015
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SBC President Ronnie Floyd delivers the President’s Message at the 2015 SBC Annual Meeting in Columbus, OH.

“We are on the battle ground, not a playground…the alarm clock is going off our in nation,” declared SBC President Ronnie Floyd in his message to the Convention this morning. “Now is not the time to push the snooze button. Now is the time to lead.”

Floyd left no room for confusion, making it clear where Southern Baptists stand on today’s major cultural issues. “Southern Baptists, we stand believing the Bible is God’s infallible, inerrant, authoritative and final word in all things. That’s who we are and that’s what we believe.”

He recited a litany of current issues the world faces—persecution of Christians by the terrorist groups ISIS and Boko Haram and some governments; the imprisonment of American pastor Saeed Abedini in Iran; same-sex marriage; broken marriages and homes; racism; and abortion.

“Now is the time to lead,” Floyd repeatedly told Baptists meeting in Columbus.

He immediately addressed the forthcoming U.S. Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, warning it “could be a watershed moment in our nation’s history…This decision could add more fire to the already out-of-control sexual revolution.”

“America, we stand believing marriage is between one man and one woman in covenant for a lifetime!” Floyd declared. “We stand for biblical and traditional marriage. We do not need to redefine what God has defined.”

He told pastors, “This a Bonhoeffer moment for every pastor in the United States…we will not bow down nor will we be silent. We will hold up and lift up God’s authoritative truth on marriage. While we affirm our love for all people, we cannot deviate from God’s Word.”

Then he addressed Supreme Court. “The Supreme Court of the United States of America is not the final authority, but the Bible is the final authority and God’s Word and on this book we stand.

Quoting the late pastor and anti-Nazi dissident Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Floyd stated, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

He also decried the current racial tensions in the United States. “I call on all leaders and Christians today to decry all racism and prejudice denouncing as sin against God and sin against one another.”

Floyd also called on Southern Baptist churches to wake up, quit their infighting, and come together.  “The Bible tells us in Revelation 3:7-8 that Jesus opens doors that no one is able to close. The church at Philadelphia was small and marked by obedience to Jesus Christ. It is not about the size of the church or your town, it is about your leadership to the commands of Jesus Christ.

Urging churches to rise up for the Lord, he said, “We can do what God has called us to do even in the face of spiritual warfare and cultural opposition. Now is the time for churches to lead and stand…We need a Jesus revolution in the United States! It is time for us to gather as Southern Baptists to lead the next great awakening.”

The time is now, Floyd said. “I really believe if the 59 presidents that came before me could speak to us about the times we are living right now they would agree now is our most defining hour as Southern Baptists….fixed by a sovereign God as a moment of destiny.”

In Columbus 2015
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SBC Annual Meeting kicks off in Columbus

Meredith Flynn —  June 16, 2015

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Update: 4,870 messengers are now registered at the SBC Annual Meeting in Columbus.

Columbus | Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd gavelled in the 2015 Annual Meeting this morning, starting a day in which messengers will complete much of the business scheduled for this week’s meeting. This morning: a 50th anniversary tribute to veterans of the Vietnam War, Floyd’s president’s message, and reports from the SBC’s six seminaries.

Afternoon business includes election of officers, committee reports, introduction of new motions, and the report of the SBC Executive Committee. As of Tuesday morning, 4,482 messengers are registered here in Columbus.

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Julio Arriola (center) is the first Mexican-American to serve in the role of Convention music director, Ronnie Floyd said in introducing him this morning. Arriola is global worship pastor at Cross Church in Springdale, Arkansas.

Tuesday culminates with tonight’s Call to Prayer, streamed live on sbcannualmeeting.net and broadcast this evening on Daystar Television Network. Check back here for updates throughout the day!Choir_SBC

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‘Fear not, little flock.’ And pray.

Meredith Flynn —  June 15, 2015
Mark Dever and Russell Moore (center) answered questions from 9Marks' Jonathan Leeman (left) and Phillip Bethancourt of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (right).

Mark Dever and Russell Moore (center) answered questions from 9Marks’ Jonathan Leeman (left) and Phillip Bethancourt of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (right).

Columbus | The culture has changed and is continuing to change–there’s no mistaking it. But Christians don’t have to live in fear, leaders said Monday night at a post-Pastors’ Conference gathering.

When asked what he would tell churches in the face of sweeping cultural change, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission President Russell Moore quoted Luke 12:32: “Fear not, little flock, for it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.”

“The main thing that I would say,” Moore said at the meeting hosted by the 9Marks ministry, “is let us be joyful, hopeful, convictional people who are not panicked, who are not distressed, and who are not tossed about by the wind.”

Moore echoed his Sunday evening Pastors’ Conference message, when he referred to the argument some have made about Christians being on the wrong side of history when it comes to cultural change.

“Brothers and sisters, we started on the wrong side of history. The right side of history was the Roman Empire. The wrong side of the history was a Roman cross. And the Roman Empire is dead, and Jesus is feeling fine.”

At the 9Marks meeting, Moore and Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., fielded questions submitted by the audience. The questions on current social issues covered a variety of topics, including homosexuality, transgenderism, and race. Dever, who also serves as president of 9Marks, urged pastors to pray with their congregations about pressing issues, and not just 3-minute prayers during transitions in the worship services. One of the main sources for his pastoral prayers, Dever said, is The Washington Post.

“…You need to pray for five or ten minutes; I mean, give some thought to your prayer.” When the Westminster Assembly of the 1640s would hold a day of prayer, they would pray as long as they would preach, Dever said. An hour-long sermon, followed by an hour-long prayer. “And the pastors would prepare their prayers every bit as much as they would work on preparing their sermons.”

Nearly 400 years later, maybe that’s an idea worth revisiting.

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David_Platt_PastorsConference“The more we aggressively take the gospel into other cultures,” said International Mission Board President David Platt, “the more forcefully we will face the adversary on his doorstep….And let us be sure, he will not go down without a fight.”

Preaching the final message of the 2015 SBC Pastors’ Conference, Platt said, “Unreached people are unreached for a reason…all the easy ones are taken.”

In Columbus 2015, Southern Baptist Convention ,
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SBC Monday: In pictures

Meredith Flynn —  June 15, 2015

Columbus | The SBC Pastors’ Conference continues today, and the nearby exhibit hall is busy too. Keep checking back here for more news from Columbus!

Pastors' Conference attenders prayed this morning for Pastor Saeed Abedini, who is imprisoned in Iran. Abedini's wife, Naghmeh, was interviewed by Conference President Willy Rice.

Pastors’ Conference attenders prayed this morning for Pastor Saeed Abedini, who is imprisoned in Iran. Abedini’s wife, Naghmeh, was interviewed by Conference President Willy Rice.

In the first prison where her husband was held, said Naghmeh Abedini (left), so many people were coming to faith in Christ that they had to exile him.

In the first prison where her husband was held, said Naghmeh Abedini (left), so many people were coming to faith in Christ that they had to exile him.

Travis Cottrell, worship leader at Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson, Tenn., leads "Revelation Song" during the Pastors' Conference Monday morning.

Travis Cottrell, worship leader at Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson, Tenn., leads “Revelation Song” during the Pastors’ Conference Monday morning.

In the SBC exhibit hall, the North American and International Mission Boards have adjoining spaces--and complementary giveaways. NAMB has coffee mugs printed with the airport codes of each of its SEND focus cities. IMB has coffees and teas from countries and regions around the world where missionaries are serving.

In the SBC exhibit hall, the North American and International Mission Boards have adjoining spaces–and complementary giveaways. NAMB has coffee mugs printed with the airport codes of each of its SEND focus cities. IMB has coffees and teas from countries and regions around the world where missionaries are serving.

Jeff Calloway (left), NAMB's city missionary to Cleveland, talks with visitors at the NAMB exhibit.

Jeff Calloway (left), NAMB’s city missionary to Cleveland, talks with visitors at the NAMB exhibit.

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SBC President Ronnie Floyd (left) is interviewed by LifeWay Research President Ed Stetzer in the exhibit hall.

SBC President Ronnie Floyd (left) is interviewed by LifeWay Research President Ed Stetzer in the exhibit hall.

Rosaria Butterfield, author of "The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor's Journey into Christian Faith," is one of several authors who will sign their books at the LifeWay Store here in Columbus.

Rosaria Butterfield, author of “The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor’s Journey into Christian Faith,” is one of several authors who will sign their books at the LifeWay Store here in Columbus.

Cliff Woodman, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist in Carlinville, visited the exhibits with his wife, Lisa, and son, Daniel.

Cliff Woodman, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist in Carlinville, visited the exhibits with his wife, Lisa, and son, Daniel.

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Panel discusses the church and roles of men & women, gender issues, homosexuality #SBC15, #cbmw15

Lisa Misner —  June 15, 2015

When Nathan Lino meets with homosexual and transgender church attendees he tells them, “We’re not on your side or on our side. We’re on Jesus’ side.”

Lino was speaking at a breakfast hosted by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) Monday, June 15, at the Southern Baptist Convention. He was a member of a panel focusing on gender, the roles of men and women in the church, transgenderism, and homosexuality. It also included denominational leaders Owen Strachan, Danny Akin, Jason Duesing, and Thomas White.

The pastor of Northeast Houston Baptist Church said his church is dealing with the issue of transgenderism, especially in its gender-based ministry classes.. He spoke about an attendee of several months, assumed to be a man, who came to him and shared about being born a woman, and undergoing the process of transitioning to a man.

“We are up front about what we believe as a church. We don’t want there to be any surprises,” said Lino.

The changes in our culture shouldn’t frighten us, he said. “We have no reason to be panicked or alarmed…The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the answer to all matters. Our solution is we must return to teaching and fully explaining complementarianism.”

According to Lino, the Houston church also has homosexual attendees. “The homosexuals in our church have been taught the design, and have been given the time and space to reflect on that design, and have turned to that design.”

Transgenderism and homosexuality are not the only issues the church should deal with said Lino. “We must also deal with heterosexual sex before marriage. Like transgenderism, it’s a violation of God’s design. We have all violated God’s design. The Gospel of our Lord Jesus has redeemed us and we are living in the design.”

“The mission of the church isn’t to un-gay people,” shared Lino. “The mission of the church is to win people to Christ.”

He asked why churches try to “run off” homosexuals and transgendered people. “Do you realize that it’s a miracle they are there? It’s because of God and it’s glorious.”

The event began with a discussion on complementarianism, which underpinned the entire discussion.

Akin, president, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, explained the concept as men and women being “equal in essence, but separate in function.”

Strachan president of the CBMW made it clear that the council “does not exist to elevate men over women. We’re in this because we recognize the gospel brings flourishing. We’re 100% for both men and women.”

He also addressed the continued blurring of gender lines in the culture. “We’re not Teletubbies,” he said to some laughter. “We’re not the redeemed androgynous. We are gospel men and women.”

Other panelists also addressed the changing cultural mores.

When asked about the current cultural celebration of transgenderism, most notably in the recent new stories surrounding Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner,  White, president of Cedarville University, said, “Psalm 139 tells us God knew us before we were born…What we’re seeing here is a secular worldview versus a biblical worldview. We need to get back to that biblical worldview.

“We’re seeing the fallen-ness of creation. We should go out in grace and compassion and not laugh or make fun of it.”

Akin pointed out that most Christians were not saved the first time they heard the gospel. He echoed Lino in saying, “We need to give people the time and space to hear the gospel.”

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Illinois Baptists at Crossover Columbus outreach events

Meredith Flynn —  June 15, 2015

Columbus, Ohio | Several Illinois Baptists were among those serving Saturday through Crossover, the day of outreach and ministry that precedes each year’s Southern Baptist Convention.

Crossover volunteers from Uptown Baptist Church, Chicago, on their way to a day of service in partnership with United Faith International Baptist Church in Columbus.

Crossover volunteers from Uptown Baptist Church, Chicago, on their way to a day of service in partnership with United Faith International Baptist Church in Columbus.

The Uptown team taught classes, prayerwalked, and shared the gospel one-on-one. Above, IBSA zone consultant Steven Glover (left) shares his faith with a young man from Somalia.

The Uptown team taught classes, prayerwalked, and shared the gospel one-on-one. Above, IBSA zone consultant Steven Glover (left) shares his faith with a young man from Somalia.

IBSA church planting leaders Van Kicklighter and Charles Campbell and their families also served during Crossover. The group worked with Neil Avenue Baptist Church in Columbus and another partnering church from North Carolina to garden and make improvements to a local apartment complex.

IBSA church planting leaders Van Kicklighter and Charles Campbell and their families also served during Crossover. The group worked with Neil Avenue Baptist Church in Columbus and another partnering church from North Carolina to make improvements at a local apartment complex for physically handicapped people.

Crossover_2Pastor Michael Kanai also took a team from Orchard Valley Baptist Church in Aurora to participate in Saturday’s outreach. Look for more on their Crossover experience this week.

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Whatever happens in the culture around us, it does not take one bit more gospel to save the people protesting us than it took to save us, the people who were once protesting God.

Russell Moore, SBC Pastors’ Conference

Posted on June 14, 2015 In Uncategorized
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Columbus | Formerly in America, said Russell Moore, “You needed a Christian identity; you needed a church identity in order to make it as a good American, in order to be part of the culture around you.

“Those days are over,” preached the president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission during the opening session of the SBC Pastors’ Conference.

The temptation is to lose confidence and to fear, Moore said. “But Jesus shows us the antidote to fear, and the antidote to fear is the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.”

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SBC meetings start tonight in Columbus

Meredith Flynn —  June 14, 2015

WelcomeThe Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference just began in Columbus, Ohio, to be followed by the SBC Annual Meeting June 16-17. The Illinois Baptist staff is in Columbus to cover the meeting, so check back here often for news, and stay up-to-date at Facebook.com/IllinoisBaptist or Twitter.com/IllinoisBaptist.

A few things to look for during this week’s meetings:

1. Focus on prayer. SBC President Ronnie Floyd has made the last year all about praying together in an extraordinary way. The schedule for this year’s meeting was revamped to make room for Tuesday evening’s SBC-wide Call to Prayer, beginning at 6:30. Watch it live at sbcannualmeeting.net, or on the Daystar Television Network.

2. Young leaders in Columbus. Over the last several years, the annual meeting has seen an uptick in young attenders. At least one piece of early anecdotal evidence shows the trend continues this year: Lots of blue jeans. Look for updates this week from meetings popular with young Baptists, like the annual Baptist21 panel discussion, and 9Marks-sponsored gatherings following the Monday and Tuesday evening sessions.

3. Baptists still do Baptist things. They reunite with old friends outside the convention hall. Sip coffee at Starbucks (we haven’t found it yet, but there’s almost certainly one in the building.) And they celebrate missions and evangelism. The Wednesday morning business session concludes with a commissioning service of International and North American Mission Board missionaries.

We’re excited to be in Columbus! Thank you for “being here” with us!

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