Fresh Wind of God?

Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist in Pensacola, Fla., was quoted in a Feb. 22, 2010, Baptist Press article regarding the four key positions waiting to be filled in Southern Baptist life. Traylor is serving as chairman of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) presidential search committee and as a member of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force, which has already released a progress report and will bring its final recommendations to the Southern Baptist Convention this June in Orlando, Fla.

Baptist Press quoted Traylor as saying, “It’s a key time in the life of the convention — with a new CEO coming in Nashville [at the Executive Committee], a new IMB (International Mission Board) president, a new NAMB president and a new president of the convention [to be elected in Orlando in June]. If we can get the right four men lined up, we hope to catch a fresh wind of God.” These remarks should concern every Southern Baptist, especially in light of the huge recommendations that will be coming from the task force that Pastor Traylor serves on and in consideration of his leadership in finding a new president at NAMB. I know that we need to elect the right men to key positions of leadership, but taken at face value as quoted, it seems as though a fresh wind of God is entirely dependent on these four right men. I pray I am wrong about this quote. Certainly there is the chance that Ted Traylor’s comments have been reported and taken out of context. For the sake of a true fresh wind of God, I hope this is the case.

Barry Holcomb
Russellville, Ala.