June 18, 2001

Merritt re-elected SBC president,
defends convention course
___By Trennis Henderson
___Kentucky Western Recorder
___NEW ORLEANS--Insisting he doesn't "lead by looking in the rearview mirror," Southern Baptist Convention President James Merritt said anyone who chooses to leave the SBC, "I think it's their loss."
___Merritt, pastor of First Baptist Church of Snellville, Ga., was re-elected by acclamation June 12 to a second term as SBC president.
___Other officers elected during the June 12-13 SBC annual meeting in New Orleans are First Vice President Ed Litton of Alabama and Second Vice President T.C. Pinckney of Virginia.
___During a news conference after his re-election, Merritt was asked about his reaction to recent actions by the Baptist General Convention of Texas reducing funding to several SBC entities and offering alternative giving plans.
___"I think it's a tremendous tragedy," he told reporters. "It's a sad day for a lot of Baptists in Texas to have to be given that choice."
___Describing the SBC as "a convention that is willing to stand for the truth," Merritt said, "I don't choose to major on people who are against us or people who feel like they need to leave us. I would say that to anyone, whether it's Baptists in Texas or anywhere else."
___Merritt has held several key SBC positions during the denomination's conservative shift of the past two decades. In addition to his role as president, he has been president of the Southern Baptist Pastors' Conference (1995) and chairman of the SBC Executive Committee (1995-97), resolutions committee (1993) and tellers committee (1987).
___Merritt was nominated by Al Mohler, his longtime friend and president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. Describing Merritt as "faithful, forceful and fearless," Mohler said he has led the SBC "wisely, winsomely and well."
___Merritt's election came just three hours after he delivered this year's presidential address. Speaking to a crowd of about 9,000 registered messengers at the Louisiana Superdome, he warned against "cultural rebellion" and "doctrinal recklessness."
___Holding up his Bible, Merritt added, "Southern Baptists, we ought to preach this book, promote this book and practice this book. Any time this word is diluted, denied or debased, we ought to defend it with pride. This is a battle worth fighting."
___During his news conference, Merritt addressed issues ranging from Bold Mission Thrust to homosexuality.
___Messengers received a brief final report on Bold Mission Thrust, Southern Baptists' ambitious ministry plan launched in 1976. The convention fell short of several key goals in such areas as baptisms, new congregations, Sunday School enrollment and Cooperative Program support. Some observers have suggested the conservative political focus of the past two decades took time and energy away from the convention's ministry emphasis.
___"I have never bought into the idea that the conservative resurgence had any negative impact on evangelism and missions," Merritt responded. "The only people I believe really are aggressive in the areas of missions, evangelism and soul-winning are those who have the theology to do so, and I believe those are the conservatives of the Southern Baptist Convention."
___Noting that Bold Mission Thrust "was probably overly ambitious," he said, "A lot of the goals we set, regardless of what would have happened in our convention, were just unattainable."
___He added, however, that Bold Mission Thrust's lofty goals "raised the bar" for Southern Baptist mission and ministry efforts, leading to significant gains in overseas baptisms, career missionary appointments and other achievements.
___Merritt also responded to a question about his decision against meeting with Mel White, executive director of Soulforce, a homosexual rights group that has protested the SBC's stand against homosexuality.
___Soulforce literature distributed outside the Superdome charged that "when you use God to condemn and reject gay people, you are committing spiritual violence against them." The material urged SBC messengers to "re-examine their beliefs about homosexuality and to be sure that they reflect the love of Christ."
___"There is a fundamental disagreement and difference between those who represent Soulforce and those of us in the Southern Baptist Convention," Merritt said. "I know that only God can change the mind of Rev. Mel White or Soulforce or anyone else. I can assure you they're not going to change our minds. I did not see any good that could come out of meeting" with Soulforce leaders.
___Despite that stand, Merritt added, "I love Mel White. We love homosexuals. When we say to the homosexual, 'You're living in sin; you need to repent and get right with God,' we're doing the gracious, loving thing. We're not being unkind and intolerant."
___Merritt said his goal is for "the world to know what Southern Baptists are for, not necessarily what Southern Baptists are against."
___"Really and truly, what Southern Baptists are all about is not about fighting homosexuality; it's not about ranting and raving against the culture; it's not about trying to come up with a laundry list of how many things we don't like or how many things we're against."
___By contrast, he said, "What we're really all about is there are millions of Southern Baptists who came in contact with and had the greatest experience of their life when they met a man who lives named Jesus Christ. ...
___"We must, more than ever, prioritize taking the gospel to the next generation," he said. "We must continue to be in the vanguard of taking the gospel around the world. ... I have done everything I know how to do to focus like a laser beam on missions and evangelism."
___Noting that "we still call sin what the Bible calls sin," he added, "I'm grateful to God to be a part of a denomination that is willing to face a culture that worships the god of political correctness. We do this out of a heart of love for those who need the Savior--with no malice whatsoever."
___Merritt, 48, was elected last year as the SBC's first baby boomer president. A graduate of Stetson University in DeLand, Fla., and Southern Seminary, he has been pastor of the Georgia church since 1985. He previously was pastor of churches in Mississippi and Kentucky.
___In addition to his SBC positions, Merritt is a trustee of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., and a former member of the Georgia Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
___First vice president Ed Litton is pastor of First Baptist Church of North Mobile, Ala. He was elected by a vote of 2,176-636 over Ted Stone, a member of Grace Baptist Church in Durham, N.C.
___T.C. Pinckney, elected second vice president by acclamation, is editor of the conservative Baptist Banner in Virginia. A member of Good News Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va., he also serves on the SBC Committee on Order of Business.
___In other elections, Lee Porter was re-elected registration secretary and John Yeats was re-elected recording secretary.
___Porter, a retired pastor and denominational worker, has served as registration secretary since 1978. He was re-elected by a vote of 1,717-950 over Jim Wells, a director of missions from Missouri.
___Yeats, editor of the Oklahoma Baptist Messenger, has served as recording secretary since 1998. He was re-elected by acclamation.
___

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