Reflections on SBC21

by Josh Dickens

I had the incredible opportunity to attend this year’s annual meeting of Southern Baptist in Nashville. I left greatly encouraged to be around thousands of like-minded Baptists. However, I also acknowledge the great difficultly laying ahead for the future. It is well documented the SBC is at a crossroads increasing diversity, multigenerational leadership, and philosophical, social, and cultural divisions all are causing us to ask once again, “what is a Southern Baptist anyway?” In the wake of this ever-rising identity question, I offer eight reflections on the current state of the SBC. Our very identity as Southern Baptist is still a great cause we can all celebrate.

1. SBC Life begins and ends locally

The Southern Baptist Convention began on my knees in a room with ten to twelve area pastors. I was invited as a guest to discuss the upcoming Convention and to pray together that God would unite and move among us in the upcoming weeks. The table included small church pastors, a megachurch pastor, and a revitalization pastor. While there was disagreement around the table, there was a unity of desire for God to have his way among his people. This is the beauty of what it means to be Southern Baptist. This fact remains all too often forgotten or abandoned. Social media has caused us to appear much more divided than we really are. Southern Baptist must remember involvement and cooperation begins at the local level. If you don’t even know the name of other pastors in your city, then keep your opinion about the state of the SBC to yourself.

• Cooperation must never be held, hostage

The very nature of cooperation demands trust and vulnerability. Nothing hurts trust and vulnerability more than when cooperation is held hostage. Cooperation held hostage looks like making demands for one to get want he or she wants under threat of no longer cooperating. All too often, we have failed to trust the person while allowing the way we passionately approach issues to determine our level of openness, trust, and cooperation with each other. This should not, could not, and will never be what Southern Baptist cooperation was intended to be.

• We humbly chose to be Great Commission Cooperation

The nature of our identity is at stake. The Southern Baptist Convention was formed to send missionaries. The Convention was not formed to speak to major cultural issues, or to be the largest Christian denomination, or for our cultural influence to be held like a carrot before politicians to be earned. We are a convention of churches independently choosing to cooperate because we know the Great Commission is the greatest call from Christ to his church. The church is his bride, and we care about what he cares about. He came, so we go. God sent his son, so we send ours. Southern Baptists of generations past have chosen to be this kind of people. Now it’s our generation's turn. When we choose to send, we choose to be Great Commission Baptist.

• Pastor J.D Greear’s Leadership

Pastor J.D Greear's presidency at SBC21 displayed incredible humility, courage, and strength leading our latest historical moment. His voice from stage brought humor, and control to a room of, at one time, 15,000 individuals. Unfortunately, the nature of our parliamentary procedure makes hearing from everyone impossible and open discussion difficult. But J. D’s wit and display of strength caused the room to remain focused. J. D’s age should not be quickly overlooked. The SBC has rested on the statesmen of the conservative resurgence for generations now. While we will remain forever thankful for them, J. D rose to be an example of the future for our generation. Pastor Greear’s presidency and SBC2021 will stand as checkpoints for our generation to look back on and see an example of what is the very best about being Southern Baptist.

• Sending Celebration

As I sat in the Sending Celebration, my mind when to people I know on the field. Then I thought about the grandparents and parents who were saying goodbye and it hit me afresh, this only makes sense if we believe it all. Southern Baptists are a people of the book and always have been and by God’s grace always will be. When we send, we sign that pledge with our hearts and prayers. When we go, we sign with our lives.

• Commit to pray

Southern Baptists are a praying people. I was struck multiple times by how much we prayed in a business meeting. Southern Baptists have not gotten everything right, which has been well documented, but Southern Baptists are a praying people. Prayer is in the nature and DNA of what it means to be Southern Baptist. And because of this, God has not quit on us. SBC history is full of mistakes and blunders, but we serve and cry out to a God who redeems. He has taken us from being founded in racism and division to being the most diverse denomination in the world today. As we pray and seek his face he will continue to redeem and make us better. And because we believe this, we commit to pray for the SBC, for our leaders, our pastors, and our churches

• Our Congregational Polity

I believe Southern Baptist polity is Biblical. I believe Southern Baptist polity is historically accurate to the early church. I believe Southern Baptist polity is not only the right way but the best way of church governance. I also believe Southern Baptist polity has caused more confusion, more arguments, and more division than any other issue we face today. If our churches developed a clear understanding of congregational autonomy, I believe more than 90% of all SBC divisions would be resolved. The beauty of our polity is while what happened in Nashville matters deeply to the SBC. It does not, cannot, nor was it designed to change in any way the local church where one belongs. I have heard it said Southern Baptists are independently autonomous and hierarchical in their blame. While this is said in jest, let it not continue to be so due to our theological ignorance. I do not nor will I ever expect the New York Times to understand how a Resolution is nonbinding on our churches. However, I do expect our pastors to not only understand but carry themselves accordingly.

• Young and Growing 

What started in Georgia as a way for white men to send slave-owning missionaries overseas has become the most ethnically diverse Christian denomination in the world. The SBC today looks a lot more like Revelation 5 and 7 than it does just representing the South. Standing in that room and looking around one begins to believe we have been a people sending missionaries since 1845. However, with this diversity comes many challenges, we must learn to surrender our preferences while never our doctrine. And we must relearn the difference between the two. We must learn to be open-handed with the influence and ministry the Lord has blessed us with. And finally, we must learn to recognize the beautiful ways others do ministry. And we must also realize some methods will not look anything like what we have done before. The only way we will reach the world is through every possible method and means. The SBC diversity positions us, if we are willing, to be in position to leverage all methods and means for the Great Commission.  

I am encouraged by the Southern Baptist. We have much to disagree about in the days ahead. But we also, have much to unify around. Jesus didn’t die for the Southern Baptist; he died for his church. And because I am a good Southern Baptist, I will never get the two confused. But I believe Jesus loves the Southern Baptist Convention because the Southern Baptist Convention loves the same things he does. Let us always be this way. As we advance His Kingdom together.