Great Commission Task Force

[William Thornton]

[Mark]

One notes the absence of a single committee member from Alabama, despite the fact that last year Alabama Baptists forwarded the largest single $$ amount to the SBC of any oldline state convention. Others will surely notice this glaring omission. I suspect it's because both our executive director Rick Lance, and Bob Terry, editor of The Alabama Baptist, the formation of a Great Commission Resurgence committee from the outset.

[Stephen Fox]

has lot of insight into the SBC world in his blog today.

2)William, looks like you and I had same post at 5:49; so I will yield to you.

3)Donna Gaines and Ronnie Floyd, what a show, what a show.

4And to Mark, Isn't it about time FBC Ft Payne, Montgomery, Guntersville, and Dawson Memorial take a walk from the SBC. You and I know they don't think like this GCR task force.
Why can't they send some money to BWA, Habitat, Even Sewing seeds of Hope if they are afraidto go on record with CBF?

I can't see where Rick Lance and Bob Terry are heroes in any of this.

[Stephen Fox]

What is your best estimation of how much this will cost?

Are Ronnie Floyd and Donna Gaines; are they paying their own way to the Nashville Westin for these meetings.

What will they eat?

Who will pay for it?

[Stephen Fox]

A positive opening for young leaders to emerge; a promising turn for the SBC?

I don't see it

http://www.sbcimpact.net/2009/06/24/sbc ... f-the-sbc/

[William Thornton]

[Jerry_B]

Not likely to produce anything of any value. Another waste of money trying to save what every trend being counted today says will continue to lose impact and effectiveness for the foreseeable future, denominations. Why in this "digital age" is the SBC going out and buying another printing press? If the SBC really wanted movement toward better effectiveness they would stop listening to Mohler and Patterson, disfellowship nut cases like Wiley, quit threatening to lead a great exodus out of the public schools, grab a can of Pepsi and start listening more to Stezer. Until then, I don't care what you call it, it isn't going to change anything.

[Haruo]

Who's Stezer?

I'll admit the idea of disfellowshipping Broadway and disowning Pepsi while allowing Wiley Drake full participation and also passing a somewhat Obama-friendly Obama motion seems just a little like shotgun practice at mirrors. (A non-analogy that I just thought up, and not being fully awake at the moment, posted.)

[Haruo]

Oh, Ed Stetzer. Finally I have something to thank Peter Lumpkins for.

[William Thornton]

[Stephen Fox]

at

http://www.sbcimpact.net/2009/06/24/sbc ... ment-38021

I hope some of you including Gourley and Shurden and Mercer will consider comment 27 by Rob Ayers in a discussion about the legacy of Adrian Rogers and what it means that Ronnie Floyd is chairing this committee.

Billy Sunday, and a couple novelists are invoked and Billy Graham's duaghter Anne Graham Lotz and the Memphis Declaration.
Several folks speak at some length about the nitty gritty.

Good fodder for Big Daddy Weaver, Sandy and the best and the brightest on this board as the SBC continues to be refined.

[William Thornton]

[Jonathan]

[jpeckjr]

There are several things I notice about the makeup of this task force. Five of the members are from Florida, and three are from the Panhandle -- what's that about? With the exception of the Exec Comm rep from California, none are from outside the historic Confederacy. That basically means that state conventions that rely on CP support through NAMB to finance some of their ministries and programs are cut out of the conversation. (If NAMB still provides that kind of support, I don't know.)

While I am not familiar with all the local churches represented, the ones I am familiar with are all larger congregations, several thousand members. I contend that one of the critical issues facing the SBC is the dominance of the megachurch mentality among its leadership, including the seminary presidents. They talk only to themselves. Therefore, they are tragically out of touch with the challenges of ministry facing probably half of the congregations in the SBC, smaller churches that are struggling to pay a pastor, maintain a building, and provide a modest program of some sort. I'm not talking primarily about rural and small town churches. I'm talking about urban and suburban churches that boomed in the 1960s and 70s and now have large unused buildings and declining, graying membership. CP giving is flat or declining in these congregations because staying open locally is the priority. Is this task force even capable of recognizing this situation and responding to it with anything creative and helpful?

[William Thornton]

Welcome to the forum jpeckjr...I just read your introductory post on the Welcome Forum. Lurking or posting, I'm glad you are here. Oakhurst? Wasn't that Joshua Villines' church? Do you know him?

On the GCTF, I take your point that the pastors are all mega, large church types, best I can see, but I hope someone there has a sense of what happens in an average-sized SBC church. I do think that whatever NAMB does in church planting and support in states outside the Deep South will be protected and probably enhanced. Just my conjecture...

[William Thornton]

[Mark]

[Mark]

[Dave Roberts]

[Tim Dahl]

[William Thornton]

[Dave Roberts]

[Ed Pettibone]

Wm:I know where it is, but it just seems an odd place to meet so far from major airports. Guess the CP is footing the bill though .

Ed: And it may just be that they can save a bundle on Motel space. Some places are just willing to accept less than other places. I can get rooms for our spring BFN meeting significantly cheaper ($25 to $50 per night) in Latham 18 Miles south of us than I can in Saratoga Springs 16 miles north of us. And why are we having the spring meeting, because the BFN likes to spread it around and in this case to introduce them to some real live ABC-USA folk. Ken and Sandy Hale's church in New Hampshire is CBF /ABC but since Allen Abbot left NH, I am not sure we have had any ABC folk at a meeting there. What real difference does it make where this Task Force holds a meeting? I will admit that in the three years I spent in Arkansas I never got to Rodgers more than once. But William the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport at Rodgers is served by at least 5 Major Air lines. True there are not a lot of direct flight connections but Atlanta is one of those. Can one get to any where in the south W/O going through Atlanta. And then The idea of a more neutral turf may be attractive.