We Baptists must face facts; Baptist life has shifted immensely in the last fifty years.  From the deep divisions within Baptist denominations to the apathy that exists among a younger generation, Baptists find themselves at a crossroads into their future.  The decisions our conventions, institutions, and agencies make now will have a lasting effect for may generations to come.  Thus, in a reality where everyone seems to be downsizing, it is time for this generation to cast a vision so large that it will take Baptists to a place they have not seen in recent memory…a unified mission.

 

The New Baptist Covenant meeting in Atlanta, GA on January 30th will be a good start, but conveners of the meeting must make certain that the momentum created by the NBC will not cease when everyone leaves.  The theological foundation for this meeting is a solid footing for all Baptist to stand.  Luke 4 reads, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour’” (NRSV).  When Jesus read this passage aloud in his hometown synagogue, he set forth his mission (which is our mission) into the world.

As a Baptist minister, this mission is a vision that stirs my soul and inspires my intellect.  For too long now, much of Baptist life has been focused upon the schisms that exist between certain factions.  Whether it was north and south or fundamentalists and moderates, we have lost our focus while the world around us suffers.  While I will never forget what fundamentalism has done to Baptist life and will fight it with every fiber of my being, I refuse to let myself be jaded to the point where I feel like we cannot create a future that focuses upon brining hope to those who need it most. 

As Baptists from around the country converge on Atlanta in January, there are some thoughts I would like for all of us to consider.  First, the Baptist future must focus upon missions and ministry.  Missioligists report that the face of missions is changing.  We live in a world where individuals can communicate with remote areas quickly and effectively, gaining crucial information for missions and ministry.  This ability has empowered local congregations through personal relationships to continue their financial support of missions, but also to be directly involved in mission endeavors.  More and more congregations (especially younger generations) are involving themselves in mission efforts around world, sending resources and personnel directly to these projects.  As we continue to discover the great need of others around our global community, the strategy of missions will become more and more crucial to the Baptist vision.  We must continue our individual focus, but somehow coordinate an overarching strategy that will provide partnerships empowering each other to do more.

Secondly, we must continue our support of theological education that stresses both a theological and practical experience.  It is time for our seminaries to begin working together in a cooperative effort to train men and women for future generations.  Around the country, Baptists have a number of excellent seminaries doing outstanding work.  If a North American partnership can be created among our seminaries, this would offer our students the opportunity to learn within different cultures and regions enabling them with an experience that will help them in the future.  There are other seminaries that are not even located within this country.  If we are serious about recasting our vision with a global focus, then we must begin to create partnerships that offer our students a global vision and allow foreign students the ability to experience our seminaries.  This global partnership will help us with understanding and empower us with a global strategy of reaching everyone with the Gospel.

Thirdly, we must recognize the collapse of borders.  For generations upon generations, we have operated under the understanding that everyone had their place within Baptist life.  Associations worked locally.  State conventions promoted and implemented missions and ministry around the state.  National conventions supported the global effort.  In everything I have mentioned thus far, there is an understanding that our world operates with very faint borders.  In other words, the information age has literally opened-up the world and created a true global community.  The next great Baptist movement must take this into account. 

Therefore, while there will always be a place for local organizations, a new Baptist model must be created to conduct mission and ministry for a new era.  Dr. Herb Reynolds once spoke of an organization he called The Baptists of the Americas.  I’m not certain if that is the direction we need to tread or even big enough for consideration, but I would like to encourage leaders from every Baptists convention, institution, and agency attending the New Baptist Covenant to give serious consideration to gathering around a table and discussing the possibility of creating a new Baptist model for the future.  The window of opportunity is opening for this to be a possibility, but there are organizations that must lead out in this effort.  Two such organizations are The Baptist General Conventions of Virginia and Texas.  These two organizations have the resources and the networks to give leadership to create a new Baptist movement that would offer all Baptists a place to partner in missions and ministry.  In this season of Advent, it is time for a new day to dawn…a day when Baptists can cooperate together for a global purpose…the purpose that Jesus spoke of when unrolled that scroll in Nazareth.