2nd Opinion: Things I learned as a BGCT officer

Posted: 11/18/05

2nd Opinion:
Things I learned as a BGCT officer

By Stacy Conner

It has been an honor to be the second vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The year has been challenging–full of early mornings, eye-opening experiences and blessings.

The BGCT is doing very good work. This has been evident in the convention's responses in this year of natural disasters. From the tsunami in southern Asia to the hurricanes on the Gulf Coast, the churches, Texas Baptist Men and staff of the BGCT have answered the call with resources and the love of Christ. These efforts went above and beyond the extraordinary tasks of ministry that are accomplished everyday. On a daily basis, Texas Baptists care for children, minister at hospital bedsides, educate students for numerous professions, prepare ministers, start churches and take on countless other tasks. All these are carried out in the name of Christ.

However, I have seen a few trends that concern me.

The BGCT's greatest threat is not a rival convention, the accusations of mistreatment by a seminary president or misinformation spread against the convention. Most informed Baptists can see through those things.

The greatest threat to the BGCT is apathy. If a church sends its mission gifts to the BGCT but does not involve itself in the life of the convention, apathy will follow. Dissatisfaction grows out of ignorance. We need to continue the statewide campaign of educating and informing Baptists of the good work of the BGCT. Installation of regional consultants, regional dinners with BGCT staff, creative communication, promotional DVDs, etc., are great steps toward helping churches know how their resources are being utilized by the BGCT. A major part of that effort is the goal of placing the Baptist Standard as an educational tool in the life of every church. If your church contributes to the BGCT, you owe it to yourself and your church to find out what is going on and involve yourself in the ministries of our convention.

Churches should be wary of the temptation to go it alone. Some mistakenly believe that efforts by single churches are more productive than unified efforts. I will not deny the blessings of a mission trip for the life of a church. We have experienced those same blessings at First Baptist Church in Muleshoe. We have sent two groups to help with hurricane relief, and our youth are looking forward to Kid's Heart in the Rio Grande Valley next summer. However, the temptation for church leadership is to earmark funds formerly sent for BGCT ministries to local mission trips. These local trips last only a few days. The work of the BGCT goes on day-in and day-out all over Texas. Funding for local mission trips should come from offerings above and beyond those given to the Cooperative Program.

Also, the suggestion floating around that the convention should help or enable churches to send their own missionaries sends the alarm bells flashing. Remember, we have always said, “We can do more together than we can do apart.”

Some days, in the BGCT, celebrating our diversity sounds more like special-interest squabbling. As an outside observer, I have come to see that serving as executive director of the BGCT is an impossible job. Charles Wade has days when it seems everyone is tugging at him. I witnessed these tensions at the Baptist World Alliance and numerous other regional events. I have seen him, when speaking impromptu, list a dozen ministries and fail to mention just one, only to be accused of not caring about the one. The executive director feels the tension between traditional Baptists, who want decisions made one way, and newcomers, who have different visions. He works with those who believe we all ought “to just get along” and those who see a “fundamentalist” or a “liberal” under every bush. He stands between those who feel entitled to make decisions on behalf of the convention and those who feel they have no power. He navigates the impossible with grace. But if we are not careful, we become cozy in our niche and forget that Christ is the Savior of all people. As the followers of Christ, our goal should be ministry for the greater good, not just what is good for me and mine. Let us celebrate our diversity in Christ by working well together.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas is a great convention of 5,700 churches. Let us work to keep ourselves involved, educated, committed and serving the world and one another in the love of Christ.

Thanks again for the blessing of serving as a vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Stacy Conner is pastor of First Baptist Church in Muleshoe and recently served as the BGCT's second vice president.