LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention has seen many accomplishments recently, but it serves a denomination that faces serious challenges, according to LifeWay President Jimmy Draper.
In a candid address to messengers June 15, Draper countered expanding programs at LifeWay with concerns about the denomination’s future.
Among LifeWay’s accomplishments, Draper said, are the more than 100,000 professions of faith as a result of Vacation Bible School, the opening of 10 new LifeWay Christian Stores and the production of more short-term Bible studies, such as Extreme Love and Know Fear.
But Southern Baptist churches serve in a country where people are confused about God, said Draper. “A lot of people just don’t ‘get’ God,” Draper said. “They don’t understand Him. As a result, they don’t know what sin is or what happens when we die.
“The business of the day is situational ethics; the sport of the day is hedonism; and the religion of the day is moral equivalence. Two-thirds of Americans believe Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists are simply praying to the same God by a different name. We’re to engage the culture. Are we able to rise to the challenge? But challenges don’t exist just beyond the church or denomination,” he added.
“One [concern of Draper’s] is the decrease in baptisms for the fourth consecutive year,” he said. “It reflects a denomination that has lost its focus. More than 10,000 churches didn’t baptize a soul. There’s a lack of urgency in our churches to baptize. Many people say that a profession of faith is enough. But perhaps our denomination is simply failing to reach people for Christ.”
His other concern deals with demographics. “Walk around this building and notice how many people you see who are under the age of 40,” he said. “There’s not many. There is a lack of denominational involvement and loyalty among young ministers. We haven’t shown them the relevancy of being Southern Baptist. We battle in many churches over trivial issues like forms of worship, or who’s in charge.
“How do others view us?” he asked. “We should be proud of our stand on the authority of Scripture, our affirmation of the Baptist Faith and Message, our faithfulness to sound doctrine in the face of a cultural backlash. At the same time, many people see Southern Baptists against everything and trusting no one — even each other.
“The struggle for the last 25 years in this convention was for scriptural fidelity, and we won,” Draper continued. “Now let’s do something with this victory. Let’s pass it on to the next generation.”
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