December 30, 2002

EDITORIAL:
2002: A year that began and ended with missions
___Thank God, we can't predict the future. If we knew a year ago what we know now, we might not have had the heart to rush into 2002. On the other hand, we might not have been able to wait to live through the good times. Since we can't see what lies ahead for 2003, here's a look back at the top stories of the past year:
___ Missions crisis. Last January, missionaries appointed by the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board began receiving a letter from IMB President Jerry Rankin, telling them they were expected to affirm the c

Only God knows what 2003 will bring. Pray that we will follow God's guidance to be a people who will advance the cause of Christ throughout the year.

ontroversial 2000 Baptist Faith & Message statement. The letter created angst on the mission field that echoed back to Texas, where messengers to the BGCT annual session had rejected the 2000 BF&M as contrary to historic Baptist doctrine. The BGCT Executive Board created a transition fund to help resettle missionaries who would be fired or forced to resign because they could not affirm the document. Although Rankin and other IMB administrators denied missionaries must affirm, the dictum was applied forcefully in some regions. Some missionaries who refused to affirm reported they were being fired or forced out.
___ War and rumor of war. The year began with the "war on terrorism" in full swing and ended with clouds of war with Iraq boiling on the horizon. War always presents people of faith with spiritual questions: Is this cause just? Are the methods and means of this war those that God could ordain? These wars, branded as they are by the images of militant Islam, escalate the spiritual dimensions of development and deportment.
___ SBC and states' rights. The Southern Baptist Convention controversy, long conducted on a national level, played out prominently in several states this year. The SBC Executive Committee refused to relate to a new convention in Missouri, even though it previously lovingly embraced new conventions in Texas and Virginia. The reason was simple: The new Missouri convention was started in opposition to the newly dominant fundamentalist leadership of the older Missouri Baptist Convention. In contrast, the new conventions in Texas and Virginia were started by fundamentalists who faulted the older BGCT and Baptist General Association of Virginia for not following the increasingly fundamentalist path of the SBC. This fall, the Executive Committee rejected a proposal that would have forced the SBC to recognize only one convention per state. In a related matter, the SBC North American Mission Board attempted to place one of its own staff members in a position to control budgeting and programming of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention, which the SBC faulted for relating closely with the American Baptist Churches and the Progressive National Baptist Convention. D.C. Baptists responded with a hearty, "Don't tread on me."
___ Follow the money. For the past couple of years, the BGCT Executive Board--stung by a sagging economy and defections of churches to a rival convention--has operated on a cost-protecting below-the-adopted-budget budget. The Executive Board has cut staff, primarily through attrition, and trimmed operations to the bone in order to maintain its commitments to missions, evangelism, church-starting and institutional ministry. This fall, however, the BGCT adopted a 2003 budget of $50.9 million, an increase of $2.8 million over this year's budget. Part of the increase is predicated on churches adopting a new allocation formula that will channel 79 percent of Cooperative Program mission gifts to BGCT causes, a shift of about 7 percentage points. The new giving plan is expected to generate new funds for nine BGCT causes--intercultural initiatives, theological education, African-American ministries, Texas Baptist Men, a world missions network, Mexico Partnerships, Hispanic work, associational projects and bivocational/smaller church ministries.
___ Church and state. Shots zinged across the aged wall of separation between church and state. President Bush maintained support for faith-based initiatives, which provide government support for ministries operated by churches and religious groups. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Cleveland families can use government vouchers to send their children to private and parochial schools. The battle over posting the Ten Commandments in the Alabama Supreme Court building is escalating but not resolved. And Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee, a key advocate for church-state separation, surmised the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees religious liberty, would not pass Congress today.
___ Face of Texas. The complexion of our state continued to change this year, with Hispanics increasing at historic proportions. By 2010, Texas will not have a majority ethnic group, and between 2026 and 2035, Hispanics will comprise the majority of Texans, according to BGCT research director Clay Price. The convention continued to respond to this opportunity to spread the gospel: The majority of BGCT church starts were Hispanic congregations. River Ministry and partnerships with Baptists in Mexico are growing. Hispanic Baptist Theological School is expanding to educate coming generations of ministers. The affiliated Hispanic Baptist Convention, already strong, is gaining strength. And the Baptist Standard is working with Hispanic leaders to launch a new publication for Hispanic Texans.
___ Clergy sexual abuse. Pedophilia committed by priests rocked the Roman Catholic Church this year. That problem is not widespread among Baptists. But more churches are taking steps to protect children and women from would-be predators and to provide counseling for victims, fallen ministers and their families.
___ Persecuted church. Texas is a safe place for Christians, but that is not the case around the globe. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Christians were persecuted for their faith this past year. The Standard carried stories of religious persecution from the Republic of Georgia, Sudan, North Korea, France, China and Indonesia.
___ Winds of worship. The intense debate over how to worship God didn't generate as much ink this year as years past, but it very likely remained the No. 1 issue to be resolved in many congregations. Christians, particularly Baptists, care deeply about worship, particularly the songs they sing in worship. We can pray that time heals all tunes.
___ Missions passion. The International Mission Board's Baptist Faith & Message mandate was a huge story in 2002. But an even bigger story was Texas Baptists' passion for missions. A survey of the Baptist Standard's 772 pages this year reveals story after story of how our churches and people channeled enormous energy into telling other people about the saving love of Jesus Christ. A week did not pass in which this paper didn't report about at least one church, association or group engaged in a creative, vibrant local, state, national or global missions endeavor. The BGCT reflected that spirit this fall, when it voted to create a world missions network to enable even more Baptists to go "on mission" for the sake of the gospel.
___Only God knows what 2003 will bring. This week, pray that we will follow God's guidance to be a people who will advance the cause of Christ throughout the year.
--Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
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