Pastor Mike's Weblog

Becky and I had the special privilege of visiting with some wonderful people from a former church today. We caught up on everyone's family and work, and of course on what our respective churches are doing. It was rejuvinating to listen to what God is doing there since our tenure many years ago. Many have come and moved on to places of ministry; but the church plows on, accomplishing Kingdom work, because of priceless folks like the ones we spent time with today.

They were servants in our first pastorate who adopted a young pastor and his budding family. Their home was a regular stop on visitation nights for coffee, bread pudding, and encouragement. Many a meal was shared in their home with their family. Many hands of cards, camping trips, witnessing opportunities, weeping, and rejoicing. They remain close to our heart and we make the time to visit them whenever we are in East Tennessee.

It seems that there have been special folks like them in every church we have served. From here (East TN) to MS to West Tennessee there have always been a precious few souls who have adopted us and showed copious amounts of love, encouragement, and service to our family. Some have adopted the kids as their own, becoming surrogate grandparents, while others have chosen to hold Becky and I close and be a source of life for us. We have been and are currently extremely blessed with choice servants of our God who make it their special ministry to love and minister to their pastor and his family. I could never begin to repay them. But I am grateful that God keeps an accurate ledger and His reward for them will be great.

Pastors and churches survive because of such people. There have been times that they have been the deciding factor between staying in the battle and giving up. God has used them to lift us up when we were at rock bottom and despairing of going any further. They will never know how special their ministry is or has been. I am convinced they are not involved in it for reward or recognition. They do it out of love for God and their pastor. When I reflect on all these individuals I cannot restrain the tears and the praise to God. He knows our weaknesses and battles, and He has His instruments of encouragement in the right places, waiting to step in and make an eternal difference in the life of a pastor, his family, and a church and greater ministry.

To those of you who have served us in such a special way, today and in the past: We love you with an everlasting love. I look forward to the day when we stand before Christ. When you stand timidly before Him in awe, and see the great treasure that He is about to bestow upon you, I will be there praising Him and bearing witness before all of the great ministry you have performed to me in His Name. I will embrace you and as we weep together for joy I will remind you of all the times you made the difference between me leaving ministry or continuing onward. All of the impact on this world and Christ's Kingdom that He has accomplished through His ministry entrusted to me is in great part because of your love and faithfulness. Keep serving Jesus by serving others. Yours is a ministry of incalculable importance.

An article posted on the Florida Baptist Witness website entitled 'Emerging Leaders or Submerging Servants' caught my attention today. It was written by Ben Brammer, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, NC, and a Ph.D. candidate at SBTS. He raises an issue with younger leaders who he claims are jockeying for positions of leadership within the SBC, reportedly because they 'have an opinion and a weblog'. Apparently, having a weblog and expressing a contrary opinion automatically tosses one's hat into the ring for a leadership position. In fact, the younger pastors that I know consider it futile to even try to participate in national convention operations; and that is the point.

Tim Sweatman, in his blog 'A View from the Hill' has posted an excellent rebuttal that I agree with in its entirety. Follow the link to read it.

Another blogger posted a comment on one of my previous posts expressing similar views. I would be interested in other comments as well.

The issue at hand with our SBC International Mission Board is still boiling, even though the old charman of trustees and the executive board of trustees have rotated off. According to the public record provided by Wade Burlison on his blog (his personal recounting) he was again publicly blasted for his stand and his blogging about public information. This time by outgoing chairman Dr. Tom Hatley, who in the past seemed to be of much milder temperment. According to information Bro. Wade has posted, he has been prohibited from attending any trustee Forums or executive sessions for the next year, nor serve on any committees of trustees. Then why even allow him to be a trustee? If he is silenced and prohibited from working as a trustee, why keep him? This is simply the old-school breed of trustees slamming him for making them look bad for overstepping their authority.

The issues at stake are cooperation and an agency of our convention re-writing their own doctrinal guideline apart from the BF&M, which is the official adopted doctrinal guideline of the SBC and all its agencies. The most recent blast came as a result of the May 10 post on Wade's blog concerning public information about a blue-ribbon panel to investigate the new policies instituted by the board of trustees that limit cooperation and dictate beyond the boundaries of the BF&M. When Wade approached a microphone to respond and ask for specific allegations, his microphone reportedly was ordered turned off by charman Hatley. When Wade approached Dr. Hatley after the meeting, Dr. Hatley refused publicly to speak with him.

Read the following excerpt copied directly from Wade's blog:

"I think last year's Executive Committee led by Dr. Tom Hatley and the new Chairman Dr. John Floyd who was the Chairman last year of the Personnel Committee that established the new policies, are all extremely sensitive because of past, and potential further, criticism related to the two new policies within the convention.

I think Dr. Hatley's and Floyd have a great deal to be concerned about.

Why in the world are we establishing doctrinal parameters at the IMB that exceed the BFM 2000? Does every agency have the authority to determine what they will and will not believe? Can the IMB be Landmark? Can the IMB be anti-reformed? Can the IMB refuse to appoint godly conservative missionaries who affirm the BFM 2000 but don't agree with new doctrinal requirements established at the whim of trustees without support of IMB administration?"

Dr. Floyd is a former employee of the IMB, retired and drawing a pension from the IMB, and now to serve as chairman of the trustees. The issue has been raised that this in itself may possibly be a breach of board policy. No official word has come from the IMB concerning this. It, too, seems to be swept under the rug, or at least casually overlooked.

Is it any wonder that many are expressing dissatisfaction and outrage at such actions? To whom do we need to appeal for such actions to be stopped? What is the process to remove trustees who go beyond the boundaries of board policy and SBC-adopted doctrinal guidelines? How does the Convention (that is you and I) hold such people accountable? To whom do we direct our concerns? Who will listen? Does anyone in leadership care that the churches and leaders in our churches are extremely dissatisfied with the current directions of the IMB board of trustees, and to a lesser extent the NAMB board of trustees?

I submit, this is not the way to bring on board a younger generation of leaders in our Convention. This is precisely why so many are leaving, and many more will depart over this I am sure.

Rest....the word brings to mind all kinds of images. A peaceful scene, a light breeze, a gently swaying hammock, a good book, and plenty of time. Does this sound relaxing? For many this picture brings more anxiety than a day of work.

As a younger pastor in our Convention I am amazed at all the events that seem to go speeding by week after week. We have recently witnessed a trustee and guideline conflagaration with our International Mission Board, most recently two missionaries who were threatened to be removed, then reinstated, then reportedly misquoted by the IMB; the investigation and resignation of the president of our North American Mission Board, with resulting differing explanations from said president and entity trustees; nominations for SBC president with accompanying endorsements that look akin to the US presidential races and not at all like a Christian organization concerned with sharing the gospel with a lost world; state Baptist colleges and entities battling with state conventions over who is in control and who can provide leadership; and all this amid declining baptisms and a growing feeling of alienation by the newest generation of SBC leaders.

Wade Burlison, on his blog, has posted 5 issues that we need to keep in view as we approach this year's Southern Baptist Convention meeting in June. I repost them here for your consideration. I endorse them as well and believe that these guidelines will aid us in steering a straight course for the days ahead of our convention.

(1). We must stop narrowing the parameters of cooperation in the area of missions and evangelism. We cannot, we must not, define Southern Baptists in more narrow terms than our Baptist Faith and Message and more importantly, we cannot disenfranchise committed, conservative Southern Baptists who hold to the integrity of the Scriptures but differ on the interpretions of minor doctrines of the sacred text.

(2). We must broaden the base of service in the SBC to include more than just a few who are recycled in their appointments. This broadening of the tent of service will insure that the SBC will remain broad in cooperation, grasssroots in the authority structure, and viable for the next generation of Southern Baptists.

(3). We must actively seek to engage the new generation of Southern Baptists who are unfamiliar with the SBC by ceasing the attachment of perjorative labels on fellow Southern Baptists, and more importantly, forsaking any exclusivist spirit which refuses to cooperate with those we identify as "different" from us. Even though I have spoken clearly and directly against Landmarkism in the SBC, I love my Landmark brothers and look forward to cooperating with them in our work. Unfortunately, the spirit is often not reciprocated. The same could be said of any other minor doctrinal issue where there is disagreement. We are large enough as a convention to work together in fulfilling the Great Commission without demanding conformity in issues of soteriology (Calvinism vs. Arminianism), ecclesiology (Landmarkism vs. traditional denominational views), eschatalogy (dispensationalism vs. other views), missiology, etc . . .

Young leaders in the SBC need to rally around the gospel. We as a convention must learn to emphasize the essentials, display a charitable spirit to those who disagree with us on the non-essentials, and most of all, work together to further the Kingdom of Christ.

(4). We must elect Presidents of agencies who are empowered to lead according to the vision God gives to them. Trustees are responsible to hold accountable administration and to help establish policy, but trustees must never confuse their roles with those of administrators. Therefore, there must be trustees elected to the different agencies who take seriously their responsibility and accountability to each other AND the SBC at large.

(5). We must move in a direction where people in our world know what Southern Baptists stand for, not what we stand against. We are for the the proclamation of the gospel. We are for the good news of Jesus Christ. We are for helping those in need both materially and spiritually. We are for so many good things.

Kudos to you Wade!

Thanks to so many of you who still lift us up in prayer. I still am experiencing no cancer symptoms or side-effects from the treatments and I attribute this to our wonderful heavenly Father acting upon the prayers of so many. I see the oncologist again in July for another check-up. Thanks to those of you who still send reminders of your prayers. I appreciate every one; our God keeps a record.

A recent development has been a diagnosis of compound migraines. Some time before it was discovered that I had cancer I would experience fireflies, flashes before my eyes, then numbness in my right arm, leg, and my mouth. This would pass after about 30 minutes and would occur very infrequently. Since completing treatments it has occured a few more times, once with a terrible headache and symptoms that lasted over 4 hours. After an examination and brain scan it was determined that I have compound migraines. Migraines and strokes are somewhat related and can have some of the same symptoms. The difference is that strokes cause permament damage, while migraines do not cause any. I was given a prescription for pills to lessen the effects when they come on, and speed my recovery. I would appreciate your prayers for this as well. Apparently this is something that will just have to be dealt with on an ongoing basis, since there is no cure.

I am, however, fully functional again with memory and concentration having returned. I am happily writing steadily as well as preaching full-time again. Again, thanks for your prayers and expressions of love and concern. Becky and I are truly thankful for all of you.

Family Bible Study Sunday School Commentary for May 21, 2006

Lydia: Willing Service  Acts 16:11-15,40; Philippians 1:3-11

Answer honestly: Are you doing your part in serving God in your church? If not, why not? Is it because you feel unqualified? Are you uninspired? Or are you simply uninterested? The Bible makes it clear that God expects His people to invest themselves in service through His church.

Submission seems to be a dirty word in our society. It implies weakness and a lack of assertiveness. We are taught that submission only comes as a consequence of defeat. How ironic, then, that Jesus instructs us to be submissive. He, the most powerful man alive, practiced submission and modeled it for us, not as a sign of weakness, but as a sign of strength.