EDITORIAL: Sane future: Go back to the basics

By almost every indicator, Texas Baptists enjoyed a terrific annual meeting in McAllen last week. We engaged in lively and serious business decisions. We experienced compelling worship. We encountered front-line evangelism and ministry. We enjoyed warm fellowship.

But one indicator—only 783 messengers, by far the lowest total on record—pointed beyond mere attendance. Sure, we can expect a relatively small crowd when we gather at the edges of our state. Still, the locale doesn’t totally explain the low participation in our convention. And even though we ratified an innovative plan to improve the annual meeting, the program isn’t the main problem.

As we discussed last week on this page, apathy poses the gravest threat to our convention. Widespread apathy—reflected in the decision by myriad members of thousands of churches to stay home—contrasts ironically with the passion preached down in the Valley.

A population tidal wave is deluging Texas, Executive Director Randel Everett reported. And Texas is a national leader in hunger, child poverty and dropouts, outgoing President David Lowrie acknowledged. Still, our hope is in Christ, and we can overcome our state’s challenges with God’s help, new President Victor Rodriguez affirmed.

These messages challenged and inspired messengers. But let’s be honest: We’ve known about Texas’ demographic shifts for years. We’ve heard laments before. And we’ve always believed the power of God is greater than this world.

It’s time to admit believing is not enough. Hope is hollow if we don’t possess the vision and summon the courage to act. If we’re going to replace apathy with passion and also succeed at our most vital tasks, then the way forward becomes clear. We must enjoin the agenda outlined by convention leadership last week—starting churches to reach the lost and sustaining ministries to meet the tangible needs of Texas’ most vulnerable and hurting residents.

We must go back to the basics and focus our convention on tasks that (a) require broad cooperation and (b) address our state’s pressing needs—spiritual lostness and human misery. So, we must pour all our funding and resources into:

• Church starting, evangelism, missions and collegiate ministry, to ensure we compellingly present the gospel to every Texan in her own language, his own context.

• Education, to train pastors and other clergy to start and equip churches and to educate strong, vital laypeople to lead the churches, shine in their communities and make money primarily to fund God’s tasks. (Seminaries and religion departments should team with business schools to train savvy entrepreneurial church planters and bivocational pastors.)

• Benevolence and advocacy, to nurture the orphans, feed the hungry, lift children and families out of poverty, care for the aged and the afflicted, and guide our society to be just, equitable and caring.

Of course, this means the convention no longer would sponsor other tasks we cherish and value. This is hard to say, because it means the end to some longstanding ministries and programs. But we cannot afford to do everything. Besides, we already underfund and understaff them. Discontinuing signals no disrespect or lack of love for either the ministries or the individuals who carry them out. We should affirm their value but proclaim they be taken up through other means—associations, strong churches, institutions, or highly competent and energetic individuals. In such an environment, they may become even more valuable, because they must adapt to true and felt needs.

Albert Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” The next annual meeting is 11 months and two weeks away. Now is the time to start planning a new budget and defining a new, laser-focused vision for reaching the lost and helping the hurting. Now is the time for sanity.