NASHVILLE, Tenn.?When Texas pastor Chet Haney arrived at the Crossover Nashville kick-off rally late Saturday morning, the volunteers assigned to help 147 area churches were walking out the door. That didn’t stop Haney and his wife, Terri, from finding a place to serve.

When he saw group gathering at nearby First Baptist Church of Nashville, Haney asked if they could use any extra people. “When we got over there they had a group of good volunteer drivers and they were glad to see us,” said the pastor of Parkside Baptist in Denison.

In a nearby government housing area known as Shelby, the Haneys found “a lot of ministry to be done.” At the first house they found a friendly face and distributed Bibles to the woman and her four grandchildren. “She wasn’t really open to a full length gospel presentation so we didn’t get as far as we’d have liked,” Haney told the TEXAN, adding that she allowed them to have prayer with her and the kids.

As they continued up and down the rest of the street, the Haneys saw a woman walking to meet them who asked, “‘What are ya’ll doin’?'”

Haney said, “The Bibles we were passing out caught her eye and she took one. We got to share the Lord with her and she prayed to receive Christ,” Confident that the woman was sincere, he remembered, “She thanked me four times. She said, ‘Thank you so much for being here, for coming to our part of town.'” Haney said he imagined from her weather-beaten face that she had some sad stories that grew out of a difficult life.

The downtown Nashville church that organized Crossover visits in the area was working on behalf of nearby Edgecliff (Baptist Church). “It’s an older church that had to go bivocational just last year due to decline, but it was well known in that neighborhood as we talked with the people,” Haney said.

The second person the Haneys led to the Lord was the same age as their oldest daughter. The 22-year-old woman was a marginal member of an area church, but had no assurance of her salvation, Haney said. “She listened very carefully and was glad to get the Bible,” he added, noting that his wife talked with her at length about the need for discipleship.

Haney said the first words of a next-door neighbor were “‘Praise the Lord'” when she heard about the young woman’s spiritual decision. “We encouraged her to pray and follow up with her,” Haney said.

When they asked the neighbor how they might pray for her own family, she said, “‘Pray old forky toes will keep out of my business.'” Haney said the Devil’s presence was evident throughout the neighborhood where they visited. “We literally prayed for Satan not to discourage this young girl.”

Further down the street the Haneys met an elderly woman sitting on her porch to avoid the heat in her kitchen. “It was like she was sitting there waiting for us to arrive. When Terri was explaining the gospel to her, saying ‘H’ stands for heaven, she said, ‘I’m not going to heaven?no way! What are you thinking? Me go to heaven?'” Haney’s wife explained how the woman could receive the gift of eternal life and while she seemed to clearly understand the gospel, she would not accept it, he said.

A few doors down the sound of gospel music could be heard from a radio. At the exact moment when Haney was praying with a woman who received Christ as her Savior, they heard a song about the joy of having Jesus come into a life. “I’m hearing this song while we’re praying,” he shared. “It was the coolest thing!”

Haney’s commitment to evangelize continued throughout the week, making an appointment to pursue a discussion he had earlier this year with a storekeeper in a Nashville mall. The Pakistani Muslim read a tract Haney gave him when he was in town for a conference and the two continued to correspond by e-mail regarding the man’s faith.

Meeting for breakfast at a downtown Nashville hotel, the man was eager to discuss the questions he had about Christianity and ultimately accepted Christ as Savior. Haney is working with a Southern Baptist church near the man’s residence to be certain he is discipled.

Resolution No. 1

ON EDUCATING CHILDREN

WHEREAS, Children have been entrusted to parents by the Lord and represent our nation’s future and our spiritual legacy; and

WHEREAS, God has given parents the responsibility for the upbringing and education of our children (Proverbs 22:6; Deuteronomy 6:6-7); and

WHEREAS, Many negative influences are attempting to transform the moral foundation of the culture by reshaping the core values of our children, undermining historical truth, and promoting promiscuity, violence, and other immoral behaviors; and

WHEREAS, Children are vulnerable to marketing and entertainment campaigns that redefine truth, morality, and family relationships; and

WHEREAS, Homosexual activists and their allies are devoting substantial resources and using political power to promote the acceptance among schoolchildren of homosexuality as a morally legitimate lifestyle; and

WHEREAS, Educational institutions are often an effective gateway to children’s hearts and minds; and

WHEREAS, Parents have access to textbooks, curricula, special programs, teachers, and other school personnel, giving them tremendous power to effect change in schools; and

WHEREAS, All citizens have the right and responsibility to participate in local, state, and national elections and to use their influence to effect change; and

WHEREAS, Involved parents are the ultimate influence in the lives of their children; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, June 21-22, 2005, urge parents and churches to research and monitor the entertainment and educational influences on children; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge parents and churches to exercise their rights to investigate diligently the curricula, textbooks, and programs in our community schools and to demand discontinuation of offensive material and programs; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge our churches to assist and support parents as they investigate community schools and as they train and disciple their own children; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend godly teachers and students who feel called by God to take a stand for Christ in secular schools as a light shining in the darkness; and be it further

RESOLVED, That as citizen Christians we commit to hold accountable schools, institutions, and industries for their moral influence on our children; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we urge Christian parents to fully embrace their responsibility to make prayerful and informed decisions regarding where and how they educate their children, whether they choose public, private, or home schooling, to ensure their physical, moral, emotional, and spiritual well-being, with a goal of raising godly men and women who are thoroughly equipped to live as fully devoted followers of Christ.

Resolution No. 2

ON STEM CELL RESEARCH

WHEREAS, The Bible teaches that all human life is sacred (Genesis 1:26-27); and

WHEREAS, Humans have a sacred trust to care for the most vulnerable among us (Matthew 25:31-46); and

WHEREAS, Current trends in stem cell research promise great benefit to some and threaten great peril to others; and

WHEREAS, Stem cell research using non-embryonic stem cells offers tremendous hope for millions of people and has already produced many successful results in humans, such as relieving the symptoms of juvenile diabetes, reversing Parkinson’s disease symptoms, regenerating heart tissue, and restoring feeling and mobility to people with spinal cord injuries; and

WHEREAS, Embryonic stem cell research currently requires the destruction of human embryos; and

WHEREAS, Embryo-destructive research has not produced any positive results or cures; and

WHEREAS, Even if it does, it is never morally acceptable to prey on some humans to benefit others; and

WHEREAS, We do not believe that the issue of world competition in embryo-destructive research justifies our nation’s entry into this barbaric activity; and

WHEREAS, The United States House of Representatives has voted to provide federal funding for human-destructive research on embryos being stored at fertility clinics; and

WHEREAS, The United States Senate is preparing to vote on this issue; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, June 21-22, 2005, wholeheartedly support efforts to find cures and therapies for human maladies that respect the sanctity of all human life; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we strongly support stem cell research that does not require the destruction of human embryos or put them at risk in obtaining human stem cells; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we deplore embryo-destructive research, since it kills human beings in their earliest stages of development; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we express our deep disappointment in those members of the United States House of Representatives who voted in

NASHVILLE, Tenn.–Messengers proposed 24 motions during the opening day of the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting on such topics as theological training for missionaries, Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and ministry to people seeking to overcome “same-sex” attractions.

Russ Bush of Raleigh, N.C., moved that the SBC’s International Mission Board bring to the convention in 2006 a plan for continuing support of “theologically conservative” educational institutions “with Baptist doctrinal and polity convictions that are engaged in leadership training and theological education on the various mission fields of the world, and that clearly explains and reaffirms the Board’s intent to continue to require theological training in a Baptist seminary for all full-time missions personnel.” Bush’s motion was referred to the IMB, to report back to the 2006 convention to be held in Greensboro, N.C.

Wiley Drake of Buena Park, Calif., moved that the SBC president “appoint a study committee to evaluate and make recommendations to the SBC in 2006” on whether it is biblically correct for a church to be organized pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code which prohibits nonprofit corporations from engaging in political campaigns. Drake’s motion was referred to the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC).

Grateful for convention action establishing a task force on ministry to homosexuals as a result of his 2001 motion, Bob Stith of Southlake, Texas, moved that “the SBC establish as quickly as possible a liaison position to coordinate and enhance the ministry of the convention’s task force on ministry to homosexuals and those who struggle with unwanted ‘same-sex’ attraction.” As Stith recommended, the motion was referred to LifeWay Christian Resources, the North American Mission Board and the ERLC.

Motions referred to the Executive Committee because they affect the SBC constitution or bylaws proposed:

> that the SBC’s bylaws be amended to allow for resolutions to be brought to the Resolutions Committee for review as early as April 15 or in the beginning of the afternoon session of the first day of the annual meeting, submitted by Drake.

> that at least one woman be appointed to the committees of every SBC entity, submitted by Sharon Luke of Leesville, La. Concerned that “many of these are made of all men,” she stated, “We have to accept the fact that our women also have viewpoints on what’s being done. Sometimes they see things in a different way because they’re the nurturers and they attend to many things that the men don’t. So their viewpoint and ideas on these things are not addressed.”

Welch responded, “There’s not a husband here that doesn’t agree with that.”

> that the SBC annual meetings no longer meet on the week following Father’s Day, submitted by Robert Wensil of Iron Station, N.C.,

> that the SBC recognize and fund the Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship as a “formal evangelistic mission entity” to Jewish people worldwide, submitted by Connie Saffle of Wichita, Kan., in keeping with the Acts 1:8 emphasis on global evangelism.

> that the Executive Committee ask for a “good faith estimate from state conventions who (sic) are in cooperation with the SBC as to when they will reach the original goal of a 50/50 split of Cooperative Program funds between the SBC and state conventions,” submitted by Ron Wilson of Thousand Oaks, Calif.

> that the SBC invite the Woman’s Missionary Union to become an SBC entity, submitted by Leslie Stock, from Boonville, Mo. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the WMU is neither owned nor operated by the SBC. As the sole auxiliary to the SBC, WMU cooperates closely with IMB and NAMB to encourage churches to give generously to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions.

>that the SBC Bylaw 26 be amended by changing the words “with the exception that” to read “unless,” and that the words “may be” be amended to read “is,” submitted by Jeff Purvis of St. Louis. Bylaw 26 allows messengers to direct the Committee on Order of Business to facilitate immediate consideration by messengers of motions dealing with internal operations or ministries of SBC entities. His change would instruct the Committee on Order of Business by two-thirds votes to give immediate consideration at the same or a subsequent session.

Referred to LifeWay Christian Resources was a motion requesting:

>that LifeWay “make available once again through any and all willing local, hometown Christian bookstores, including LifeWay Christian Bookstore, any undated LifeWay and convention study curriculum and dated and undated Vacation Bible School materials at the same prices as with LifeWay, with the same opportunities for returns for credit as with LifeWay,” submitted by Tim VanLandingham of Valdosta, Ga.

VanLandingham said that his motion grew out of concerns that Southern Baptist churches in communities far from a LifeWay store either have to pay “large shipping and handling charges” to obtain VBS materials through a catalog, or else elect to “visit their local Christian bookstore where they well find a variety of VBS materials from various publishers, but not LifeWay.” Two motions were referred to all 12 SBC entities:

>that all SBC entities review all aspects of their areas of ministry as they impact or serve single parents and their children, and remove any barriers to effective ministry to single parents and their children, submitted by Gerald Dominy of Rogersville, Ala.

>that GuideStone Financial Resources become the primary insurance provider for all employees of SBC entities and agencies, submitted by James Salles of Beaumont, Texas.

Salles’ motion was mirrored by Charles Edwards of Immokalee, Fla. Edwards moved that the SBC or Executive Committee “require” GuideStone to bring a report “to justify” why their “rates for health coverages (sic) are so far out of line with other [insurance] companies.” Despite the applause for the motion from messengers, Edwards’ motion was ruled out of order by the chair because on SBC entity cannot be required to direct another SBC entity to take any action.

Eight other motions were ruled out of order, including this motion that was deemed to be more appropriate as a resolution.

>that the SBC president send a letter to the Disney corporation telling them that the SBC will end its boycott of Disney on June 22, 2005, also submitted by Drake. It was ruled out of order because it addressed a resolution passed in 1997 representing the collective opinion of messengers at that time but could not bind future messengers or conventions. A current convention cannot retract the resolution of an earlier convention.

These motions were referred out of order as they attempted to instruct an entity to take an action, a role reserved for the entity’s board:

>that a 10 percent “tithe” of this year’s budget for the ERLC be allocated to the Center for Reclaiming America of Coral Ridge Ministries in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to support efforts to “reestablish the right to acknowledge God in America” and “ to correct the major American problem of federal judges making laws rather than interpreting laws,” submitted by Hiram Smith of Pensacola, Fl.

> that the SBC encourage all affiliated churches “not to remove the name ‘Southern Baptist’ or ‘Baptist’ from their church signs,” submitted by Chris Burghoff of Alabama who quoted Southern Seminary President Al Mohler in saying, “’We have a living heritage.’ Therefore Southern Baptists should not hesitate to take a stand for being Southern Baptists,” he said.

> directing WMU to amend its charter to make the SBC its sole member, submitted by Leslie Stock of Boonville, Mo. However, because the WMU is not an entity of SBC, the convention cannot direct its affairs.

>that LifeWay and NAMB study how single adults are being ministered to by the SBC;

>that the Executive Committee publish “line-item expenditures and receipts in all financial areas from every reporting entity,” including salaries, bonuses, benefits and claimed expense account amounts for all reporting entity personnel, submitted by J.D. Muschany of Lebanon, Mo.

>that LifeWay examine the Disney movie “America’s Heart and Soul” and the accompanying study guide for biblical soundness, and make the movie and guide available to all southern Baptists in the event they are found biblically sound, submitted by Drake.

A motion by Kent Cockran of Raytown, Mo. Moved:

>that all SBC entities “respond to a covenant with Southern Baptists … to go the extra mile” in their business, ethics and public financial disclosure practices, submitted by Kent Cochran of Raytown, Mo. The motion was ruled out of order becaouse the Committee on Order of Busines could not determine the intent of Cochran’s motion.

–Compiled from a Baptist Press report by Brent Thompson and reporting by Tammi Ledbetter

 

 

As the sixth recipient of the M. E. Dodd Cooperative Program Award, Texas pastor Steve Swofford of First Baptist Church of Rockwall urged fellow Southern Baptists to avoid robbing “Peter to pay Paul” by replacing CP gifts with direct mission funding.

“I am truly blessed to pastor a church that believes so strongly in the Cooperative Program,” Swofford told the June 21 gathering of the Southern Baptist Convention. “I’ve always believed that God blesses the church that tries to bless the world and I know of no better way to try to bless the world than through the Cooperative Program.”

Swofford continued, “I thank God for men like M. E. Dodd who had the vision to lead all of us to see how much more we could do as we cooperate together. Both at home and abroad, it’s the envy of other Christian organizations as a funding tool. They know how well it works. There is no better way to get more bang for our buck than CP. It has been God-blessed and God-used.”

The Texas pastor drove the point home for churches of all sizes by adding, “I know that this is the day of hands-on missions when many of our people want to go and see and feel and touch and I understand that nothing will turn the heart to missions faster than a hands-on experience. But we dare not rob Peter to pay Paul. We must not back off one to enjoy the other for it is the Cooperative Program that makes it possible for our missionaries to be there to meet and greet our people and to be there when our people go … It’s CP that enables us to educate and to send and do almost everything we jointly do as Southern Baptists.”

The award, inaugurated during the 75th anniversary celebration of the Cooperative Program in 2000, honors a person, congregation or organization that has demonstrated continuous, long-term excellence in supporting missions and ministry efforts of state and regional conventions and the SBC. Swofford received a sculpture of a farmer “sowing the word as he walks across the world,” explained SBC Executive Committee President Morris Chapman in recognizing Swofford.

In the 16-plus years since being called to FBC Rockwall, Swofford has led his church to give 18 percent of its undesignated offerings through the Cooperative Program, amounting to about $462,000 in 2004. In 1989 the church was giving $67,000 to CP. Attendance has grown from an average of 250 in worship attendance to over 1,200 in one of three morning services today.

Swofford chaired the Home Mission Board and now serves on the International Board as well as having served on the board of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. “Steve has a heart for missions,” Chapman said, describing this as “a life-time achievement award” for his commitment to the Cooperative Program.

“May God help us to stand behind, stay with and increase our part in the Cooperative Program,” Swofford said in closing, “knowing it will bless the world and then God will bless us because God blesses the church that tries to bless the world.”

NASHVILLE?Dallas pastor Mac Brunson of First Baptist Church drew from the apostle Paul’s instructions to Timothy to relate the importance of preaching biblically, ministering to people and being “on mission” around the world. “He began to reflect back on his own personal ministry and say, ‘Everything God called me to do I was faithful to do. I served with a clear conscience.'”

Warning Timothy to kindle afresh the gift God had placed within him, Paul reminded Timothy to “stick to the word,” Brunson said. Moving to 2 Timothy 1:15-16, Brunson told pastors, “You are called to do more than master texts and tradition. You are called to have a devotion to ministry and mission.” From the examples Paul cited of individual believers who had abandoned him in a time of great need, Brunson said ministers often neglect ministering to one another.

“I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that coming to these conventions are men who are at the end of their rope. You’re struggling. You’re hurting. It’s tough and you’re frustrated.” He speculated that some came to the convention as the last thing to be done before going back to resign a church, leave a wife or give up on ministry.

“The thing that concerns me is we say we’re the most committed to ministry, yet those of us so often seem to be the least concerned with a brother that is hurting. We don’t even stop and speak to somebody in the hallway. It’s as if my position is so great and so important and you are so beneath me that I don’t have time for you because you can’t pull power plays and you can’t benefit me.”

Like the child who refuses his mother’s instruction in etiquette by saying he’ll use the proper silverware when he’s away from home, Brunson said, “If we don’t minister to one another in here why should God let us get out of here and say we’re going to minister out there?

The lone example Paul gave to commend ministry shown to him was Onesiphorus, Brunson said, describing the service he offered as a cool breeze on a hot day. “Some guys say I don’t have to go overseas to do missions. We can do that right here at home.” From verse 17, Brunson observed that Onesiphorus eagerly searched for Paul. “You’re not gonna find them sitting on your blessed assurance in your pastor’s study. You’re gonna have to decide God didn’t just call you to preach. God called you to minister and part of ministry is missions.”

Brunson said he’d spent the last several years doing everything he could to be able to stand and say that a church can begin as large a building program as it wants to and still do more for missions than has ever been done before. “Your ministry at home should never negate your ministry around the world.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn.?Christians must reclaim intellectual ground they surrendered years ago by being equipped to explain why they believe the Bible, Houston-area evangelist Voddie Baucham told the SBC Pastors’ Conference.

Preaching during its opening session June 19, Baucham, a Houston-area evangelist, lamented that many Christians, in response to the rise of rationalism and secular humanism, retreated years ago from intellectual pursuits and some have instead taken a mystical view of their faith.

“We are at a place where theology and doctrine are bad words. We are at a place where there’s a generation coming up that will believe anything if you say it with enough feeling. So there is an intellectual wall that needs to be rebuilt. We need to be a people who continue to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind, and all our strength.”

Preaching from 2 Peter 1:16-21, Baucham said that passage is foundational for answering the most crucial question that Christians can answer: “Why do you choose to believe the Bible?”

Some will answer, “‘Well, I believe the Bible because I was raised like that.’ Well, bless your spirit if that’s your answer. But please, don’t go out of here and say that to anybody.”

Baucham said others will answer that they believe the Bible because it works for them. “My mother’s Buddhism worked for her,” Baucham noted. “That’s why she was a Buddhist. I need something more than ‘Because it works.'”

“Here’s the answer. I give it to you and I’ll unpack it for you: I choose to believe the Bible because it’s a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report supernatural events in fulfillment of specific prophecies and claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin.”

Baucham said Peter’s words in 2 Peter 1 lay the foundation for an argument for the Bible’s authority. First, in verse 16, Peter wrote that the disciples did not follow “cleverly devised tales.” And in verse 21, “But men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

Further, Baucham said, eyewitnesses recorded the New Testament documents during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses, as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15, which says the resurrected Christ was seen by more than 500 brothers at once, most of whom were still alive at Paul’s writing.

Baucham cited prophecies such as Psalm 22, part of which Jesus quoted on the cross and which foreshadows details of Jesus’ crucifixion.

“Folks, that was written 1,000 years before by a man who had never witnessed crucifixion because it had not been invented.”

“We have got to teach the people of God, number one, that the Bible has the answer, and number two, how to learn and give it,” Baucham continued. “Anybody who can learn this passage in

NASHVILLE, Tenn.?In what will become an annual Monday morning conference for minister’s wives, well over 1,000 women gathered in the Ryman Auditorium, challenged by the faith and experience of speakers who have walked in their shoes and modeled the qualities found in the Colossians 1:9-10 theme to “walk worthily.”

Anita Renfroe of suburban Atlanta ensured the audience was awake for the back-to-back messages from three women, opening the session with spirited music, followed by her comedy routine. The author of “The Purse-Driven Life” entertained the women, connecting with their experiences as ministers’ wives.

“I know why Christian women are gaining weight at a faster rate than the rest of the population,” Renfroe offered. “It’s because of that little bitty book we all read and then asked, ‘Lord, enlarge my territory.'” Then she recalled a t-shirt she’d seen that read, “If our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, then I’m not fat, I’m just a megachurch.”

No subject was off limits for Renfroe, whose husband tells his buddies that the couple is in “estrogen evangelism.” She told of her gratitude for “23 years of hot, righteous monogamy!” Describing her husband’s ministry for 20 years as an associate pastor, she explained, “That means he actually did all the work,” drawing laughter from wives of associate church staff members.

Renfroe said knowing that none of her children had been on Jerry Springer gave her hope that they had turned out well. “I learned a couple of things as a mom?if you need to hide a present, put it in the dishwasher. And no matter what a brochure says, absolutely nothing is fun for the whole family.”

Standing on the stage of the Ryman Auditorium, Renfroe said she composed the song “I Can Smell Your Breath” from a hit by country music star Faith Hill, who was in the youth group of the first church Renfroe’s husband served while in seminary. Sporting a long blonde wig and eventually a gas mask, Renfroe changed the words to describe waking up to a husband with bad breath.

SUSIE HAWKINS

As Bible study teacher Susie Hawkins of Dallas attempted to follow Renfroe’s act, she told the audience, “Anita’s job was to warm you up. Instead, she’s got you hanging off the rafters.”

Hawkins drew her own share of laughs by describing the reception she was given at the first church her husband served after seminary. One woman asked if she could sing solos, another wondered if she could play the piano and a third asked if she’d think about being the director of the upcoming Vacation Bible School. “I told O.S., ‘I don’t care when we move there but it has to be after Vacation Bible School.”

Having been a pastor’s wife in Oklahoma, Florida and Texas, Hawkins commiserated with the women who are expected to be like Shirley Dobson as a wife and mother, Martha Stewart in the home, Beth Moore as a Bible teacher, Karen Hughes as an administrator, Elisabeth Elliot as a missionary, Lottie Moon as an evangelist and minister to the sick like Mother Teresa.

Instead, Hawkins said the wives of ministers should “take a deeper look at what God has called us to be and what God has called us to do.” She offered an overview of the role of a pastor’s wife, drawing from historical and biblical evidence. “Because of the Reformation, marriage and children and wives regained a certain amount of respect and women came to be considered an important part of the husband’s ministry.”

Her Ephesians 4 text instructing Christians to walk worthy of their calling paralleled the session’s Colossians 1 theme as Hawkins told the women they are called as a partner, to a people and for a purpose. “If you are married to a man who is called to ministry, then you are called as his partner in ministry,” she stated.

“I’ve heard too many times, ‘That’s his job, but I’m not called. I don’t have to do that stuff.'” Hawkins urged women with that attitude to “think and pray on this because the Bible is very clear that we are called as well.” The primary role of a minister’s wife is to be a helper to her husband, praying and encouraging him, she noted.

By exercising the godly characteristics of humility, gentleness, patience and acceptance of one another in love, the wives of ministers will encourage unity in the church as they serve people. By maturing in the fullness of Christ, Hawkins said the wives will achieve the purpose of glorifying God. While the setting for ministry may change, she said the purpose remains the same.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn.? Southern Baptist Convention messengers meeting in Nashville amended the charter of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, declaring the SBC the “sole member” owner of the seminary’s legal corporation and ending public disagreement between the seminary and the SBC’s Executive Committee staff over legal ramifications of the sole membership corporate model.

Messengers approved the charter change 5,627 to 1,528?a 78-to-21 percent margin.

In a debate held before messengers at two consecutive annual meetings, NOBTS trustees argued that unique features of Louisiana law could put the SBC’s Cooperative Program assets at risk of ascending liability in any future lawsuit against the seminary. NOBTS President Chuck Kelley also warned against the centralization of power vested in the SBC Executive Committee as a violation of Baptist polity, pointing to actions that occurred over the past few years as the EC lobbied for sole membership.

In preliminary remarks June 21, SBC Executive Committee President Morris Chapman said the discussion on sole membership “has no standing alongside” the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, sufficiency of Christ for salvation, nor the God-inspired, infallible, inerrant word of God. “But it does have standing in the rich heritage of our convention existence,” he reminded, calling the recommendation “the result of over seven years of research and review by your Executive Committee.”

Chapman disputed Kelley’s claim that an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention is an autonomous body. “This is not and has not been the tradition of the SBC.” While stating that the local church, state conventions and Southern Baptist Convention are all autonomous, “the entities of the convention are owned by the SBC,” he said to the applause of Executive Committee members and staff seated on the platform and much of the audience.

“Each SBC entity willingly and voluntarily cooperated in naming the SBC as a sole member with the exception of New Orleans Seminary. Presently, the seminary’s board of trustees is the sole member of the seminary. Consequently, trustees could rightfully challenge the SBC’s ownership in a court of law in generations to come.”

Chapman insisted that the issue boils down to ownership. “The question is, do you or do you not believe the Southern Baptist Convention should own the entities that receive Cooperative Program funds. If the answer is yes, then voting to approve these charter changes already approved by the seminary board is the final step in joining all other entities in naming the Southern Baptist Convention as the sole member.”

Initially, in 1995, the role of the corporate “member” was introduced in the SBC when the North American Mission Board was created. Soon after, the Executive Committee asked every Southern Baptist entity to comply with the corporate model language, seeking to avoid the problems experienced in a number of state conventions where some Baptist colleges and other institutions changed their bylaws to break free from denominational oversight. Between 1996 and 2004, all entity boards except for NOBTS responded with charter changes that satisfied the EC and messengers gathered in annual session.

After messengers to last year’s convention approved an EC recommendation requesting NOBTS adopt the model, the seminary’s trustees complied in October, adopting sole membership while asking seminary officials to state their reservations at this year’s annual meeting.

Kelley was allowed six minutes to respond to the recommendation?”twice as long as he was afforded last year,” Chapman noted. The NOBTS president spoke for 12 minutes, pleading with messengers to allow seminary trustees to suggest an alternative to sole membership that would clarify the SBC’s ownership of the 88-year-old school within the framework of Louisiana law.

SBC attorney James P. Guenther rebutted Kelley for just under 12 minutes while another 10 minutes of debate occurred on the floor involving three messengers favoring the recommendation, three messengers opposing it and an additional rebuttal from the platform from Guenther. Two NOBTS attorneys were on the platform to address the issue if called upon.

Kelley noted the following points of agreement between the seminary and Executive Committee:

4gratitude for the conservative resurgence and its impact on the SBC;

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. ? The 10 Austin Southern Baptists who volunteered to help in this year’s Crossover evangelistic blitz may think they live in Hill Country, but the street they were assigned for their door-to-door visits in Tennessee proved a lot steeper than any Texas incline they knew of.

That didn’t deter the group from joining approximately 150 members and visitors at Judson Baptist Church on Nashville’s south side. Armed with free Holman Christian Standard Bibles to give away and bottles of water to keep them refreshed, the Texas contingent traveled by foot from house to house, most of them situated on two-acre lots.

“We plowed some hard ground today,” stated Michael Lewis, pastor of Great Hills Baptist Church of Austin. Of the dozen or so visits his team made, most of the people answering their doors professed to be Christians. Only after working through the survey questions asking why people attend church, whether Bible reading is helpful and how the local church might serve them better could the volunteers sense whether the resident claimed to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The 80-something Nazarene woman patiently listened as Lewis conducted the survey, ultimately asking if she’d like to accept Jesus as her personal Savior. “Well, I thought I’d already done that, but you wanted preach a sermon,” she told the Texas pastor. Team members assured her they wanted to make sure she understood the gospel message and laughed at her blunt response as she clarified her commitment.

Lewis wasn’t taking any chance on being misunderstood as he delivered a clear presentation of the gospel at every door that was opened. That included a retired LifeWay employee who was grateful for the opportunity to fellowship with other Southern Baptists. He welcomed the foursome into his home to pray with his wife who was dealing with the effects of Parkinson’s disease.

“Here’s my list of the preachers we watch each week,” the man shared, naming Ed Young of Houston and Ronnie Floyd of Springdale, Ark. When he pointed to a picture of his recently married daughter, the Texas group discovered that she lives in the same town as Lewis and he encouraged the father to point her to the nearby Austin church.

The next household listened carefully to the FAITH presentation, affirming their trust in Jesus Christ. Seventeen-year-old Roy Stewart understood the importance of taking the gospel to the people, having trusted Christ as his Savior only a few months earlier.

“A friend invited me to Great Hills and I listened to Pastor Lewis preach each week and got saved,” Stewart explained. Now he’s a part of a youth group that regularly shares the gospel with other teenagers. “We made 16 stops and shared the gospel five times,” Stewart told the Judson Baptist members. ‘Those driveways were like that,” he added, aiming his hand straight upward.

“People are talking about how hot it is here,” stated Candy Devany of Pflugerville, Texas. “Oh, come on?this is beautiful,” she told the group at Judson Baptist. On her team’s last visit they presented the gospel message to a young Muslim teenager and were at the point of praying with her when the father interrupted them. “She had said she wanted to accept the forgiveness God made available, but when her dad walked out he shared that they were Muslim. It was a good conversation and I think God will use this young girl who is open.”

One of the Nashville church volunteers told of their visits in a nearby neighborhood, expressing appreciation for the involvement of Texans Liliana Lewis and David Brandt, both from Great Hills Baptist Church in Austin. After nine visits, no one had professed faith in Christ, he said, “but Liliana said we have to do one more visit.”

Approaching a nearby house that was not on their list of assignments, they found a woman with three young children. “This young girl didn’t speak English so Liliana took over and I heard the entire FAITH presentation in Spanish,” added the Judson Baptist church member. The Lord was in that visit. Both the mom and her 7-year-old daughter gave their lives to Jesus.”

Turning to the Texans, he added, “We just want to praise God for that. Liliana is a great lady and I know she’s a blessing to your church.”

“I learned a lot today about visiting,” shared Murph Cathcart of Nashville. Teaming up with Texans James and Peggy Tisdale, the longtime Judson Baptist member said, “James told me to go and knock on the door, tell them my name is Murph and this is James and Peggy and we have a little survey. Then he would take over.”

“We do this all the time at home,” stated Tisdale, who currently serves as transitional pastor at Andice Baptist Church in Florence, Texas. Pointing to Murph, he added