The president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) told a gathering of Baptists in Alabama last week he is concerned about conservatives in the convention becoming complacent.
If conservatives fail to attend annual meetings in sufficient numbers, gains they have made in the convention during the past 20 years could be compromised, he predicted.
Paige Patterson, currently serving his second one-year term as SBC president, spoke April 28 to 87 persons attending the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Alabama (SBCOA) at Raleigh Avenue Baptist Church, Birmingham.
In introducing Patterson, SBCOA Moderator John Killian noted Patterson is one of two men widely credited for conservative victories in the SBC, the other leader being Judge Paul Pressler of Houston.
Seminary president
Patterson, who also serves as president of Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., addressed current conditions in the SBC. For his text, Patterson chose what he called a “peculiar text but a good one” (2 Kings 13:14-21).
He noted the text begins with a visit by King Joash to the dying prophet Elisha. Patterson pointed out Elisha rebuked Joash for striking the ground three times instead of five or six. This indicated that he would not completely overcome his foes.
“What disturbs me about the Southern Baptist Convention is the tendency to only go halfway,” Patterson said. “We strike the ground three times instead of five or six.”
But he added, “in some ways, I don’t think things could be better.”
Patterson noted that Baptist pastor Jerry Falwell recently had 200 of his people to meet with 200 gay and lesbian leaders in Lynchburg, Va., in an effort to “lower the rhetoric” on both sides. As a result of the visit, Patterson said at least seven of the 200 homosexual representatives made professions of faith in Christ.
Last year the SBC planted 1,749 new churches in the U.S., Patterson noted. He predicts a greater surge in the future. “It is an exciting time to be alive. This could be the generation that witnesses the return of Jesus Christ,” he said.
“For years we were afraid of the big cities,” Patterson said. But because of special evangelistic outreach, more churches will soon be established by the SBC in Philadelphia, Cleveland and Chicago, he noted.
Although the SBC’s plans for witnessing in Chicago initially brought protests from other religious groups, Patterson said the outcome will be positive with a statement of religious liberty to be released soon by representatives of various faith groups in Chicago. The statement is expected to highlight the right to evangelize and the right of any person to change his faith.
Patterson noted the SBC currently has work in 134 countries “that we admit to. Amazing, wonderful!”
But he said he fears “we are striking the ground only three times.”
Patterson said, “I am finding a lot of people are not going to the convention this year. One pastor said he likes the way things are going, ‘so we don’t have to go.’ That’s how we got into trouble years ago.
“See to it that your church has a full contingent of messengers to the state convention and to the SBC,” he said. “We have to be informed, and we have to vote.
“If the SBC will stay ‘steady as she goes,’ our convention will stay solid till Jesus comes,” he said. “Far more important,” he added, is that “only Bible-believing Christians are soul-winners. Six billion people must hear the gospel.”
In an interview after his message, Patterson said, “My number one fear is that we would be comfortable in our success. And that we will do our work in the strength of our own hand rather than prayerfully seeking the strength and blessing of God in it.”
International missions focus
Patterson said this year’s SBC annual meeting (June 13-14 in Orlando, Fla.) will focus on international missions.
He said he hopes convention-goers this year will be divided into two groups: “those who are deeply committed to international missions and those who are desperately ashamed of themselves for not being committed to international missions.”
SBCOA officers were elected in the business portion of the meeting. Killian, pastor of Maytown Baptist Church, was re-elected as moderator; Tommy Fountain, pastor of Golden Acres Baptist Church, Phenix City, was elected vice moderator; and Paul Hicks, pastor of Northside Baptist Church, Cullman, was re-elected as secretary-treasurer.
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