Great Commission Churches

I have been a member of a Southern Baptist Church since before I was born.  Now, let me make it clear, I became a full fledged member of the church at nine years olds when I was baptized into the Hepzibah Baptist Church, having professed my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Yet, up to that time I had been in church before I was born every Sunday and after I was born, had teethed on Baptist furniture in the nursery as a member of the Cradle Roll babies.  I attended Sunday School and Royal Ambassadors, sat with my family at the Wednesday evening meals, sit through business meetings, church services, revivals, and choir practice, and most likely attended several Brotherhood breakfast and Woman’s Missionary Union meetings as well.  I have been, am now and will ever be a Southern Baptist. 

It has been said, “I am so Southern Baptist I would buy my soap from LifeWay if they sold soap.”  While this has been a saying of mine for some time, now that LifeWay products have become more expensive, I am not sure that this would be my choice, but that is a whole blog unto itself (more on that later).

As you are aware, I pastor a church in central Alabama.  Rockford Church, with a total membership of 322, has been “in business” for over 153 years.  It was in 1849 that the church formed as the Rockford Missionary Baptist Church, a supporting church of the Southern Baptist Convention, in the caretaker’s home of the town cemetery.  From those humble beginnings, the church was given property, on which a beautiful facility now sits, by the local Masonic Lodge.  The first of five buildings was built over 100 years ago and as the church has grown in number, the facilities have been added to accommodate the people.  In the past few years we have purchased more property adjacent to our facility for future use and to keep from being land locked in our present location, in downtown Rockford.   

We are a Southern Baptist Church!  Proud to be such and faithfully support the mission causes of the Southern Baptist Convention.  Each year we raise money for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering© for International Missions, the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering© for North American Missions and each month we send a check from our General Account to the Alabama Baptist Convention, earmarked for Cooperative Program gifts, which is divided between the Alabama Convention and the Southern Baptist Executive Board.  Additionally we support other entities of our State Convention such as the Central Baptist Association, Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief, Alabama Baptist Children’s Home and Family Ministries, ALCAP, and the Christian Life Commission.  And each year we support Samaritans Purse through the Shoe Box Ministry.

We are good Southern Baptist!  We are proud to serve along side, praying and supporting our 5,000 plus career missionaries scattered through out the world, plus the 100,000 plus short term missionaries and mission teams that faithfully go to assist the career missionaries each year.  We proudly support the church planters and frontier missionaries who are serving in pioneer locations around the United States and in Canada.  We love the work of Southern Baptist, because we believe we are doing the work of the great commission.

All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV)

This one verse is something I learned about in Royal Ambassadors many years ago.  It is a verse that I have taken to heart, something I live by, and something that is important to me in my daily life.  My desire, my focus has and always will be that God’s purpose and call on my life is to teach-make disciples just as Jesus did-and to baptize those who believe in Jesus for salvation, and through word and deed let others learn to be more like Jesus Christ.  That is what a Great Commission person does.

Recently, a committee was appointed within the Southern Baptist Convention to perform a study and make recommendations regarding the name, “Southern Baptist.”  It seems that many of the new church starts above the Mason-Dixon Line were facing obstacles, whether overtly or covertly, due to the name “Southern Baptist Convention.”  The problems stemmed from the name “Southern Baptist” within the church name or in some cases where the church adopted the name of a community or group, leaving the name “Southern Baptist” out but once someone came and joined, they were introduced to the churches affiliation with “Southern Baptist,” and this was a “huge turnoff.”

Now I could see this problem if we were still living in the days of slavery.  Southern Baptist formed as a break away group of Baptist who affiliated with slave owners in the south.  This was something which was not tolerated by Baptist in the north; therefore as a way to put a lid on the contention the issue of slavery brought to the cause of Christ, northern Baptist separated from Baptist in the south.  Baptist in the north took the name of Northern Baptist, while we in the south opted for the name Southern Baptist.  Later, northern Baptist became known as American Baptist, but through the years Southern Baptist have stayed with the name and held tightly to it, as we became of the top three largest religious conventions in America.

As we started churches in pioneer areas such as Maine, North Dakota, New York and Pennsylvania churches choose names which reflected the area in which they were located.  Some of these new church starts choose the name to include “Baptist” or “Southern Baptist.”  Others choose to leave Baptist out of the name, as a way of making the church look more inviting to all people, and using Southern Baptist ideology in the workings of the church and in theological education.  For the last several years this has not been a problem, or so it seems.

Until recently, conversely the last few years, it seems that there has been a thought process which left those in leadership with the impression this name issue was a problem.  Leadership seems to have acted on this issue because they felt the name was hindering the outreach of new church starts, that the name is “too regional” to impact areas outside of the south, and that the perceived issue of slavery was hurting the cause of Christ in pioneer areas.  Thus, the issue of a name change of our established convention became an issue which cost money and time to think through and to think out and then to meet so that a proposal might be submitted at the 2012 Convention (which met in New Orleans the week of June 17).

In the brightness of spiritual light and forethought, the heads leaned in around the tables in Nashville and struck out to make a recommendation for a name change.  In the end, due to legal issues and a sentimental feeling toward the established name, the committee with agreement of the Executive Committee came up with a truce to stay with the name “Southern Baptist Convention” and add the “moniker” or “nick name” of GREAT COMMISSION CHURCHES.  In other words, a Southern Baptist Convention church in Wyoming or Utah or New York State can use any name, for example, ChristPoint Church, in order to identify themselves as a functioning church without being offensive, but educate and utilize Southern Baptist Convention literature to introduce themselves as a “Great Commission Church” once they get someone in the doors of the church.  In doing so, they invented a way of removing any potential “stumbling blocks” for new members or new converts to Christ.

Before I go any further, may I ask a couple of questions?  Is the gospel itself not offensive?  Does the Bible not tell us that Jesus came as a “rock of offense?”  One more if I may; when and where did Jesus change His way of doing things so others might not be turned away from God?  Have mercy, we are in a terrible shape!            

No, if you have not come to a conclusion yet, I am not for changing the name of Southern Baptist just because we are not effective in some areas because of our ties to slave owners.  Here is my reason why: slavery ended a long time ago and we do not harbor any thinking or teaching regarding the oppressive and demeaning practice of slavery.  Additionally, many of the churches in the south have various ministries and members who are of minority status.  Therefore, I feel we are being judged unfairly.  Yes, I still believe the eleven o’clock hour, particularly in Alabama, is the most segregated hour there is, but I for one am working on that.  The Bible says that Jesus loves all people; no matter where they come from or where they are going.  He desired to reach all people; He said, “He came to seek and to save that which was lost.”  Because of what He taught, through word and deed, I am as a part of the church, to do the same.

Therefore, I am to be a Great Commission Christian.  As the aforementioned scripture calls us, so we are to do and be: we are to teach, to baptize and to lead others to understand the love and mercy of a great, awesome, powerful God.  Where are we to do such?  We are to do it where we are and where we go.  Jesus told the disciples:

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 1:8 (KJV)

As Baptist-SOUTHERN BAPTIST- we are, have been and always will be Great Commission Churches.  You can add it as a “moniker,” a “nick name,” a “designation,” a “pet name, or a “handle” but it still stands: THIS IS WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE ARE TO BE!  In America we have served well, shared the gospel and still do, through various forms and ways.  Locally, in our Jerusalem, Rockford is taking the message of Christ to the lost and dying; as is every Baptist church-or every Baptist church should-in the state convention.  In our Judaea, the state of Alabama has over the last few years alone, been touched by the message of Christ, with many coming to know Him through outdoor sporting events, the Horse Whisper events, Vacation Bible School, and various opportunities which have been afforded us through natural disasters.   We have opened the door of Christ to the Western states over the last several years, establishing the voice of Christ in those areas, as we have attempted to reach out to our Samaria.  As part of our Samaria we are reaching into the northern states, establishing churches and giving a voice with feet and hands to Christ, so people will see Him and believe on Him for salvation. 

Then there is the “uttermost parts of the earth.”  There is more to tell than we have time to cover, as we have-Southern Baptist Churches-established schools, taught farming, assisted with clean water and health clinics, all in an effort to show the love of Christ and earn the right to be heard.  When that time comes, Southern Baptist have been ready with the answer that Christ is the only way to the Father and we must confess our sins and believe on Him for salvation. (Romans 10:9-10, 13)

So call us what you want, but in the end, WE ARE SOUTHERN BAPTIST WHO TAKE THE GREAT COMMISSION AND SERVE OTHERS THROUGH THE LOVE OF CHRIST.  Speaking for myself, as well as 322 others I serve with, we are proud to be called Southern Baptist and we seriously take the message of Christ and are going to the ends of the earth, both in individual areas and simultaneously.

Someone said it best, when the moniker was voted on at the convention last week, “I am not for the change of the name, but isn’t this what we are to do, to be Great Commission Churches?”  The old man was right-the problem is not the name, the problem is what we are to be.  Dr. Rick Lance, Executive Director of the Alabama Baptist Convention and a dear friend, says it best, “We are Alabama Baptist telling the Good News of Jesus Christ.  We have One Mission: The Great Commission; One Program: The Cooperative Program; and Many Ministries: Great Commission Ministries.” 

I pray we become what God desires us to be, before it is too late…