SIMPLE TRUTH: Not headlines, but definitely highlights

By Shawn Parker

By now you have read all the headlines from last week’s Southern Baptist Convention, and I suspect you’ve also read commentary about those headlines on the various social media outlets. While all those headlines are significant, I’m inclined to say that many of the far-reaching decisions tend to get buried and remain underappreciated. I want to go beyond the headlines to focus on a few highlights that have the potential of making a big difference in our work.

One of the biggest highlights was the decision to increase the International Mission Board’s budget allocation to 51% from 50.41%. While this increase may seem modest, it could amount to an additional $600,000 going toward global missions during this budget cycle. Since more than 166,000 people die every day without Christ, this is monumental and worthy of our highest celebration. The downside, however, is that we decreased the overall Cooperative Program budget by $4 million dollars, which means the IMB allocation will not be as much as it could be. I’m hoping, however, that this structural change to our budget will encourage some measure of renewed commitment to the Cooperative Program as our primary mechanism for doing missions. 

Another highlight that didn’t make many headlines was the recognition of bivocational and volunteer pastors. A resolution celebrating these heroic servants passed without any opposition and with deserved fanfare. I was encouraged and touched when the body of messengers gave these special servants a standing ovation. In Mississippi, over half of our churches are led by a bivocational pastor, and I suspect this is representative of most of the country. Given this fact, bivocational and volunteer ministers are critical to impacting the culture. I’m thankful these servants are getting some encouragement, and I pray this is just the beginning of mainstreaming such ministry into our strategic consciousness.

I’m also encouraged by the report of the Disability Ministry Task Force, and I appreciate the Executive Committee prioritizing it as their first recommendation. As a local church pastor for some thirty years, I must admit this is a group of people I always hoped to serve but never focused the needed energy to do so effectively. I’m ashamed of this fact at this point, and I hope this focus will prompt all our churches to invest the intentional effort needed to reach these individuals and families with the love of Christ.

While much of our post-convention focus tends toward decisions where tension resides, it would be a lousy shame if we failed to celebrate these key decisions that hold the potential of exposing more people to the transforming power of the Gospel. Southern Baptists pack a lot of business into a short period of time, and I’m inclined to say these decisions rank among the understated items that will have overwhelming impact.

Parker is executive director-treasurer of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board. He may be contacted at simpletruth@mbcb.org.