Southern Baptists will elect a new president and move forward in missions, family life and vision for the Kingdom of God during their June 11–12 annual meeting in St. Louis.
“I think it’s going to be an outstanding convention,” said James Merritt, the outgoing president.
Only one presidential nominee has been announced, Dallas-area pastor Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church, to succeed Merritt, an Atlanta-area pastor who has served the maximum two consecutive one-year terms.
The election will take place Tuesday afternoon, June 11, in St. Louis’ America’s Center, site of the two-day SBC annual meeting and various auxiliary meetings such as the June 9–10 Pastors Conference and Woman’s Missionary Union Annual Meeting and Missions Celebration.
Retired Texas appeals court Judge Paul Pressler will be nominated for first vice president. Pressler, 71, is the author of “A Hill on Which to Die,” published by Broadman & Holman of the SBC’s LifeWay Christian Resources.
The SBC’s passion for missions likely will be fueled by the Tuesday appearance of aid workers Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer who were arrested last year by the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan for sharing their faith — and by the convention’s closing speaker Wednesday afternoon, Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ.
“And I think we’re going to see once again some very dynamic reports from both the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board,” said Merritt, who will have visited all of the IMB’s 15 regions worldwide by the time the convention meets along with various NAMB stateside missions points.
Through a missions emphasis fashioned around the SBC theme of “The Highest Power for the Greatest Task,” Merritt said he has been praying that the convention “will make a fresh commitment to evangelism and to missions to reach people for Christ.”
“I will always believe that missions, as much as anything else, is what really distinguishes us from so many other denominations,” Merritt said. “It’s one thing to say you believe in salvation by grace through faith alone, but if you really believe it, then who should have more of a passion for souls than Southern Baptists?”
Of the 80-year-old Bill Bright who stepped down last year from the helm of Campus Crusade, Merritt said, “Maybe with the exception of Billy Graham, probably no one has had more of an impact in the 20th century for world evangelization than Dr. Bill Bright,” through a worldwide evangelistic organization now reaching nearly 200 countries and innovative resources such as the “Jesus” film which has been translated into more than 700 languages.
A continuing emphasis on strengthening families, with messengers (members representing local churches) to learn details about the first-ever conventionwide family rally — June 19, 2003, in Phoenix, Ariz., the day after the June 17–18 SBC annual meeting there. The rally is among the initiatives of the SBC’s two-year-old Council on Family Life led by former SBC president and Oklahoma City-area pastor Tom Elliff.
Introduction of a new thrust, “Empowering Kingdom Growth,” described as a vision for what Jesus taught and called for — a thoroughgoing concentration on the Kingdom of God. The work of an eight-member Cooperation Task Force of state convention and SBC entity leaders, the EKG thrust has been endorsed by the Southern Baptist Association of State Convention Executive Directors and the SBC Executive Committee.
This year’s convention will continue a change made last year to begin the final SBC session Wednesday afternoon at 3 and ending around 6, replacing the Wednesday evening session. Merritt, pastor of First Baptist Church, Snellville, Ga., said the change drew a great response from messengers — and bolstered attendance at the closing session. “People are excited about getting out earlier on Wednesday, so they can either go back home if they need to that evening or have a little leisurely time to go out to dinner with friends,” he said.
Merritt’s presidential address is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday, while Claude Thomas, pastor of the Dallas/Fort Worth-area First Baptist Church, Euless, will deliver the convention sermon at 8:30 that night.
Interpretations of “The Highest Power for the Greatest Task” theme will be presented by Robert “Bob” White, executive director of the Baptist Convention of the State of Georgia, on Tuesday morning; evangelist Junior Hill of Westmeade-Decatur, Ala., Tuesday afternoon; Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Valley Community Church, Lake Forest, Calif., and Terry G. Fox, senior pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church, Wichita, Kan., both on Wednesday morning.
The week prior to the SBC, the annual Crossover evangelistic effort coordinated by NAMB and Missouri Baptists will penetrate metro St. Louis with the gospel. Hundreds of adults and teenagers will participate in missions opportunities throughout the region.
(BP)
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