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It just dawned on me this week that I am preparing for my 25th consecutive Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. To host the convention in Texas is icing on the cake.
In 1982 I was pastor of the Boeuf River Baptist Church in Rayville, La. God blessed my ministry there. It was one of the most enjoyable times of my life. Once the folks at Boeuf River realized there was a problem in our Southern Baptist Zion, they rallied to the cause.
My wife and I, along with Norman and Ella McKnight, Elsie Adcock, and Nell Morgan drove to New Orleans. Jimmy Draper won the election. This was my formal introduction to the Conservative Resurgence. Unbelievably, in ’83 a group from Boeuf River traveled to Pittsburgh to participate again. Each year it seemed the drama built. Who would control the direction of the convention? Would it be what I called the Bureaucratic-Liberal Coalition or the Grassroots Conservative Southern Baptists?
I was there for the 1985 convention in Dallas when the largest deliberative body ever met for business. There were exotic sites such as St. Louis, Kansas City and Atlanta along the way. We ventured out in rickety church vans and stayed at Motel 6, all out of a conviction about the Word of God.
San Antonio was the host city for the 1988 annual meeting. The meeting held a personal attraction for me. I had been nominated to serve on the Christian Life Commission (now the ERLC). An announcement was made that the moderate-liberal coalition would offer an alternate slate. My name along with many others would be challenged. Not only was the Committee on Nominations report affirmed by the messengers, but Jerry Vines was elected by the slimmest of margins to continue the resurgence.
There have been several intense annual meetings since then for me personally and for Southern Baptists in general. Every year brings its own intrigue and drama. There are always new issues or resurfacing of old issues that demand the attention of Southern Baptists.
Some have lost interest in attending the convention sessions. Ironically, conventions over the last couple of years have taken on the composition of the pre-resurgence times. Mom and Pop Baptists are not coming in large numbers any more. Denominational employees, both state and national, larger- and medium-size church pastors and staff, and locals make up the majority of the attendees. A small special-interest group can wield a disproportionate influence at the annual meeting because of the smaller numbers.
Such groups might even be able to push through decisions unrepresentative of most Southern Baptists. If traditional, conservative Southern Baptists want to see the continuation of our current priorities, they need to attend the meetings. I encourage all Southern Baptists in Texas and beyond to be in San Antonio as messengers and to vote their convictions.
God bless you, God bless the Southern Baptist Convention and God bless Texas!
