What is Our Goal?

What is Our Goal?

By: Terry Ryan

As a Southern Baptist Pastor I have recently began to look at the denomination and ask, "What is our goal?" In a recent on line article by Ed Stetzer (First-Person: Southern Baptist weight 'What Now?', http://bpnews.net/44930/firstperson-southern-baptist-weigh-what-now), posted Sunday, June 14, 2015, Dr. Stetzer affirms what many in Southern Baptist life have seen as a growing trend over the last two decades, a trend toward decline. In fact this is no longer a trend toward decline, we are in decline as a denomination. In the Florida Baptist Witness Blog, posted 15 June, 2015 (http://gofbw.com/blog?id=246) Kevin Bumgarner leads with, "The three people who spoke Sunday evening (June 14) during the Southern Baptist Convention's 2015 Pastor's Conference in Columbus, Ohio, set a somber, yet inspiring, tone for the two-day event." Bumgarner quotes Ted Traylor, a Baptist Pastor from Florida as saying, "We stand in need of God's favor because we stand in need of unity." Bumgarner goes on to say, "The analogy he (Traylor) was trying to draw was that in one hand we need God's favor, and in the other hand we need God's unity." Certainly, we do need God's favor and God's unity but is that our goal? If so, would it be better to ask, what is the motivation for this goal?" While unity is good for any organization, we also must ask ourselves, "would more unity bring us closer to our purpose?" and just as importantly, "would more unity bring real growth?" When we think of growth we need to think of real Kingdom growth; which means real salvation, real spiritual increase individually. This increase in not just a numeric increase in attendance or even in baptisms, but an increase at the individual level, in the individual heart.

It is curious that after all these years we have become very adept at identifying the issue but seem to miss the solution. While it is clear most Southern Baptist would agree that two of the strengths of the denomination is in the cooperative program and the focus on missions, we seem to have lost the founding principle of who we are. While these two above articles point us toward unity, they miss something. While unity is important, the unity of the local churches, association, and conventions in not what makes a difference to the lost individual within our communities. If a community views a local church as uncaring, detached and irrelevant that community will see any association or unity with that church as uncaring, detached, and irrelevant. The solution to the decline of the Southern Baptist Convention is not to establish more unity within an already declining unit; to do so is simply circling the wagons. When a once functional organization becomes dysfunctional it is often because that organization has lost it's focus on the mission for which it was established.

So, what is the solution? We must go back to the root of who we are as Southern Baptist remembering that unity was achieved not as a goal but as a byproduct of our mission. The Southern Baptist did not establish the cooperative program as our mission; our mission caused us to establish the cooperative program. Therefore, the cooperative program, convention unity, or associational ties cannot be the goal; these are simply tools for the mission and grow out of a common purpose. If we make the tool (cooperative program, convention alignment, association involvement or general unity) the goal, we are dangerously close to idolatry. There is an old saying, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." We have forgotten it seems that it is the sovereign Lord who changes hearts not a churches unity. Dr. Stetzer touches this when he states, "It is as important as it has ever been for Southern Baptists to share and show the love of Jesus." but this cannot be something we do as an add on to other programs and plans, it must be the focus of all we do. We have forgotten our mission. Jesus made his mission clear. While on trial Pilate asked Jesus (John 18:37, ASV), "Art thou a king then?" The answer stated by Jesus is our mandate as well, "Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end have I been born, and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." Our goal is not unity, our goal is to bear witness to the truth. Unity comes from a common goal but cannot be the goal, for if unity is the goal of an organization that organization will become a closed loop and slowly spin down to die. Unity (a small thing) will come once we focus on the truth (a big thing).

We must return to being witnesses of the truth. This is the goal of our Savior, and it must be our goal. Moreover, as this is our goal we should have a healthy view of what it takes to achieve it. For too long have we been known as much for what we are against as for what we stand for. As we focus on the goal (bearing witness of the truth) it becomes no longer what we are against but the focus becomes the "truth." Paul told Timothy, (2 Tim 3:14-17) "But continue in the things that you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from a babe you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfected, thoroughly furnished to every good work." We must return to the truth as our purpose; the truth is the only purpose in which we can have assurance. Only the truth can save the individual, only the truth can bring real unity,only the truth is reality.

Terry Ryan is the Pastor of First Baptist Church of Cutler Ridge in Cutler Bay, FL. He has been married for 34 years and is the father of 2 sons and the grandfather of 5. He served in the U.S. Navy of 20 years and was formally on the staff of the Florida Baptist Convention.