SBC

A major crossroads

Leave a comment

This week, we enjoyed some great preaching, encouraging reports, and quality worship at our pastors conference and California SBC annual meeting. I always walk away from these events refreshed by the fellowship as well.

But 2010 will probably be remembered most for the newly appointed “Focus 21” Task Force. Dr. Walter Price, in his President’s Address this morning, announced that we are at a major crossroads. He spoke of a huge disconnect in thinking between the older and younger generation, something like “Mars versus Venus.” If something drastic does not happen soon, he warned that our convention will simply die a slow death.

After two years as President, Walter has done his best to listen to the younger generation and get a conversation going, but his only solution at the end of his term is to put this in the hands of the Lord and appoint a task force to take a deeper look under the hood of our convention. The task force has been asked to bring a progress report to the 2011 convention in Freemont, and a Final Report to the 2012 convention meeting again in Clovis.

I’m humbled to have been appointed to this task force, and pray God will use our research to bring a more gospel-centered, Bible-driven, prayer-empowered, glory-motivated focus to our convention for the 21st century.

11/2/10 Update: Here’s the full version of the recommendation:

That the California Southern Baptist Convention, meeting October 26-27, 2010, in Clovis, CA, authorize the current President of the California Southern Baptist Convention to appoint a Focus 21 Task Force charged to bring a progress report to the California Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Fremont, CA, October 25-26, 2011, concerning how California Southern Baptists can more efficiently and effectively focus our efforts for the glory of God in fulfillment of the Great Commission; and, to request the next President of the California Southern Baptist Convention to extend the work of this committee for a second year to bring it’s final report and any recommendations to the California Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Clovis, CA, October 23-24, 2012.

SBC

Why attend the CSBC annual meeting?

1 Comment

10/11/13 Update: This post is about a past CSBC event. Although my reasons for attending are still relevant, the dates and location vary each year. 

This year’s annual meeting of the California Southern Baptist Convention is coming up on October 25-27 at Clovis Hills Community Church. But many young pastors are wondering, “Why bother attending? Why would I add another business meeting to my busy schedule? How can I justify the travel expenses?” These are sincere questions, and they need to be answered.

Young pastors need to know what goes on at these meetings, and why it’s worth attending. Here are five reasons I can think of…

  1. Preaching. The pastors conference is scheduled to coincide each year with the annual meeting. This is your chance to get away, sit with your wife, and have your soul refreshed with some good expository preaching. I must admit, I haven’t always been impressed with the conference themes and preachers. But it seems to be improving each year. Jeff Mooney did a fantastic job as president last year improving the quality of this event, and Bret Capranica has put together another great program this year. We can expect more of the same from Chris Morgan, who will be serving as president in 2011. During the annual meeting, we also have the privilege of hearing sermons from the Executive Director, the currently elected President, and one guest preacher.
  2. Fellowship. “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Pastors need time with one another for encouragement and edification. One of the key benefits of the annual meeting is precious time together with other pastors, sharing prayer requests, exchanging ideas, and forging new partnerships. Spare moments in the exhibit halls and around the meal table are priceless times of fellowship.
  3. Missions. Missions is the main reason we partner together as Southern Baptists. International missions. Church planting. Disaster relief. These are the great goals of our Cooperative Program. The annual meeting gives us a chance to hear how God has been at work over the last year and how we can participate more effectively in the year ahead. In 2010, we’re in store for a special treat on Tuesday night, when dozens of new IMB missionaries will be commissioned to full time missions work.
  4. Books. I’ve heard through the grapevine that several free books will be given away at this year’s pastors conference. Look for quality titles from Crossway, Lifeway, and Desiring God. Plus, the Lifeway bookstore is on the premises to let you browse and buy some other great items.
  5. Organization. Though less exciting, this is still an important reason. Every organization must have a structure and way of conducting business. “All things must be done properly and in an orderly manner” (1 Cor. 14:40). Just as staff meetings and congregational meetings are a necessity in the local church, so our state has to conduct business somehow to approve its budget and appoint leaders. We should be thankful for the transparency of these meetings and a chance to participate. Thankfully, the business items and reports have been streamlined over the past couple of years, cutting down on the tedium.

Walter Price has called for a “new normal” in our convention, and he needs our support if there is to be any long-term change. The time is now. Let’s help make a difference for the glory of God and the spread of the gospel in California.

Below are some of the highlights of this year’s pastors conference and annual meeting…

Monday, Oct. 25
6:45 p.m. – Music – Jeff Mooney
7:00 p.m. – The Local Church, Preaching, and Our Mission – Roger Spradlin
7:45 p.m. – The Painful Side of Local Church Ministry – Jeff Iorg
8:40 p.m. – Upholding God’s Truth in Our Churches, Extending God’s Truth in Our World – A Conversation – Jeff Iorg, Roger Spradlin, Stephen Jones; Chris Morgan; Walter Price officiating

Tuesday, Oct. 26
8:45 a.m. Welcome/Music
9:05 a.m. – The Local Church & Effective Pastoral Ministry – Stephen Jones
9:55 a.m. – God’s Glory and the Local Church – Chris Morgan
10:45 a.m. – The Local Church and Finances – a Ministry Resource for Pastors – Jim Rickard
11:00 a.m. – The Local Church and Leadership Development – Jeff Iorg

1:15 p.m. – Annual Meeting begins
1:45 p.m. – “Declare His Glory Among the Nations” Theme Interpretation by Johnny Mendez
4:00 p.m. – Annual Sermon by Matt Spradlin
4:45 p.m. – Disaster Relief dinner
6:30 p.m. – IMB Commisssioning Service


Wednesday, Oct. 27
8:45 a.m. – Welcome/Music
9:10 a.m. – Executive Director’s Message
10:45 a.m. – President’s Message
12:00 p.m. – Close in Prayer

Free childcare with great crafts and activities is available for kids in grade school and under, so there’s really no reason not to come. For more information on childcare and housing, click here.

Hope to see you in Clovis in a couple weeks!

Gospel

Rethinking our evangelism

2 Comments

A couple years ago, I first blogged about our mission statement at First Southern Baptist: “to make disciples of Jesus Christ who love God and love people by reaching and teaching everyone.” It’s inspired by the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20), and sums up what Christ has commanded the church to do until His return.

I think all of us at First Southern would agree we’re stronger on the teaching side of this paradigm than on the reaching side. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. A church first needs to grow spiritually on the inside before it can reach out effectively to others. By the grace of God, we have matured in doctrine, in love, and in leadership. During this time, we have even seen a few people come to Christ and grow in faith, but honestly, our evangelism still has much room for improvement.

At our annual deacon retreat a couple weeks ago, we agreed that it’s time for us to become more prayerful and purposeful in our evangelism. We really need to move further beyond the four walls of our church. We’ve hosted some good events, but too often, we are still being reactive rather than proactive. God occasionally throws a fish into our boat, but we are doing very little fishing of our own — very little engaging of the culture around us.

There’s no doubt about it. This is a challenging mission field. Consider these statistics: There are 27,000 residents in the immediate Yucca Valley / Joshua Tree community. Yet only 20% of these would say “my faith is really important to me.” Even fewer (15%) consider it “important to attend religious services.” This is pretty representative of California as a whole. Yet how much of our church’s outreach strategy and style of ‘doing ministry’ is targeting that 15% versus the other 85% who don’t even consider their faith important, and couldn’t care less about attending our worship service?

According to Chuck Williams from Gideons International, who recently gave a presentation at our church, there are 100,000 people in our basin, but only 6% of these are attending church (and how many of those are truly evangelical?). I don’t think it would be exaggerating to say only 1 out of 20 (5%) in our community is saved. Jesus did say “the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it” (Mt. 7:13), but this is no excuse for idleness in our evangelism.

So, how do we begin to break down this massive amount of lost people and create an evangelism strategy that is bold yet dependent on the supernatural, regenerative work of God? One thing that we discussed at our deacon retreat is the idea of moving more toward regional home Bible Studies. Something offered on a weeknight that would be a “first contact” with unbelievers. It would be a place where Christians could invite their unchurched friends and where the gospel could be discussed in a relaxed, non-threatening atmosphere. Plus, we would have the benefit of meeting regionally, which means we could host them in Palm Springs or Twentynine Palms, or anywhere in between where our church folks are talking with unsaved friends and co-workers, and want to invite them to a local evangelistic event. We’re not exactly sure what this will look like in the months ahead, but we’re looking very seriously at the Christianity Explored materials as our springboard.

Most importantly, we realize that just adding more evangelistic “programs” to our church calendar is not the solution. Programs and events are often very costly and labor intensive, and somewhat artificial, requiring people to come to us on “our terms.” Instead, we need to incorporate evangelism into the very warp and woof of our ministry. We need to cultivate a burden for the lost and a confidence in sharing the gospel within the heart of every member of our church. We need to begin viewing ourselves as missionaries, and training our people to take the gospel to the people God has placed in their immediate circle of influence.

Father, forgive us for the many times we have failed You in our evangelism. We are weak and inadequate to save the lost. But we believe the Gospel is the power of God which leads to salvation (Rom. 1:16-17). And just as you had many elect in Corinth, we believe you have “many people in this city” (Acts 18:10). Bless our efforts as we try to become more purposeful in our evangelism in the year ahead.

Related posts:

Theology

Our identity in Christ

Leave a comment

“For me, to live is _____.” How would you fill in that blank? What excites you? What gets you up in the morning? What occupies most of your thoughts, your time, your talents, and your treasure? Recently, I was reminded that as a Christian, my identity is found first of all in Jesus Christ.

I love being a husband, a daddy, and a pastor. I really enjoy hobbies like hiking, geocaching, reading, and stargazing. But most importantly, I want it to be said , “You can’t truly know Stephen Jones unless you know his Savior.” I want to be so acquainted with Jesus, so interwoven with Him, that our lives and identity are inseparable.

The idea of “union with Christ” appears many times in the New Testament in a tiny two-word phrase we often skim right past. It’s the phrase “in Him.” If you have surrendered your life to Jesus and trusted in His substitutionary death for your sin, then your life is already hidden “in Christ.” Ephesians 1:7 says “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” And 2 Corinthians 5:21 says the Father “made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” If you’re a Christian, then your identity is now wrapped up in
Jesus. You’re a little branch attached to the life-giving Vine.

This is the most wonderful news in the world! It means you can have assurance, because you now belong to Christ. You are His, and He is yours. There’s nothing you can ever do to earn or forfeit your salvation, because you’re already fused and fastened together with your Savior through faith. But there’s another implication to this. It means your life must be separate from the world. Your thoughts and behavior (walk) must be radically different than before you were saved. “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Colossians 2:6). “The one who abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:6).

So, how does the Apostle Paul fill in the blank, “For me, to live is _____”? You’ll have to look up Galatians 2:20 to find the answer. But I’ll bet you can guess it has something to do with his identity in Christ. May the same be true of us.

Thoughts on Life and Leadership