Life is going to be very busy over the next several weeks. I plan to post a comprehensive response to Dr. Hankins's stated objections to my study around mid-October. I apologize for the delay, but family, work, and sermon preparation must come first.
If you are in search of the more comprehensive apology noted in the Florida Baptist Witness, please see this post. Thank you.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Encouragement
The last few days have been challenging. I have been called "young," "naive," "unappreciative," "uncooperative," and a few other things that I'll not type (no cursing, but close).
I have been asked three times, twice with a rather derisive tone, "how old are you?"
I have been addressed "man to boy."
I have been told that the only reason that I conducted a study of the breakdown of CP funds was so I would be mentioned on blogs and twitter. Little did this individual know that I had wanted my numbers to be released anonymously without providing any narrative or commentary. The Florida Baptist Witness, understandably, refused to release an anonymous study, and I decided, on balance, it was better for Southern Baptists in the pew to know how little we are getting to the ends of the earth than to remain silent.
To be sure, much of the angst I've received is due to the way the article on my study concluded. In retrospect, I should have simply said that states spend 2/3 of CP receipts. The study was about how we spend CP dollars relative to our Great Commission mandate. I should have just said that. So, in large part, I'm reaping what I sowed.
Nevertheless, I needed some encouragement.
Today it came.
I received some communication today from people who called to let me know they had no idea the allocation of CP funds was so heavily weighted toward state missions. One person thought the study was "meaningful," "insightful," and "undeniably connected to reality."
I stand behind the study. I believe the Lord is calling Southern Baptists to assess how we allocate CP funds and to begin making some difficult, but necessary changes.
I have been asked three times, twice with a rather derisive tone, "how old are you?"
I have been addressed "man to boy."
I have been told that the only reason that I conducted a study of the breakdown of CP funds was so I would be mentioned on blogs and twitter. Little did this individual know that I had wanted my numbers to be released anonymously without providing any narrative or commentary. The Florida Baptist Witness, understandably, refused to release an anonymous study, and I decided, on balance, it was better for Southern Baptists in the pew to know how little we are getting to the ends of the earth than to remain silent.
To be sure, much of the angst I've received is due to the way the article on my study concluded. In retrospect, I should have simply said that states spend 2/3 of CP receipts. The study was about how we spend CP dollars relative to our Great Commission mandate. I should have just said that. So, in large part, I'm reaping what I sowed.
Nevertheless, I needed some encouragement.
Today it came.
I received some communication today from people who called to let me know they had no idea the allocation of CP funds was so heavily weighted toward state missions. One person thought the study was "meaningful," "insightful," and "undeniably connected to reality."
I stand behind the study. I believe the Lord is calling Southern Baptists to assess how we allocate CP funds and to begin making some difficult, but necessary changes.
Breaking Down the Southern Baptist Dollar
On average, about 1 cent of every undesignated dollar a Southern Baptist puts in the offering plate goes to support our collective efforts in international missions through the IMB. With the image below, I have tried to put the CP allocation budget in proper perspective. It remains the case that we spend approximately 1/2 of 1/3 of 3/50 of our undesignated offerings to reach the nations through the IMB . . . 1 penny out of every undesignated dollar.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
God Has Blessed Us - Why
Psalm 67 (New American Standard Bible)
For the choir director; with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
1God be gracious to us and bless us,
And cause His face to shine upon us.
Selah.
2That Your way may be known on the earth,
Your salvation among all nations.
3Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy;
For You will judge the peoples with uprightness
And guide the nations on the earth.
Selah.
5Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
6The earth has yielded its produce;
God, our God, blesses us.
7God blesses us,
That all the ends of the earth may fear Him.
For the choir director; with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
1God be gracious to us and bless us,
And cause His face to shine upon us.
Selah.
2That Your way may be known on the earth,
Your salvation among all nations.
3Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy;
For You will judge the peoples with uprightness
And guide the nations on the earth.
Selah.
5Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
6The earth has yielded its produce;
God, our God, blesses us.
7God blesses us,
That all the ends of the earth may fear Him.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
FBW Article - Day 2
Today, a state executive director told me that he had just told 140 pastors that I had called their churches weak. He clearly was misunderstanding and attempting to paraphrase this statement, "conventions exist because thriving local churches do not."
This statement does not suggest that our state conventions are full of weak churches. The statement is not descriptive but proscriptive. It is a proposed theological rationale for conventions.
In short, I was saying just the opposite of what the executive director had thought I was saying. So, please allow me take another stab at this.
To the extent that the Lord has blessed states with thriving churches, they should strive to get more and more funds to places where thriving churches do not exist(both within and without the state). The Lord has been very good to us in the south! We have many thriving churches.
We should rejoice and strive to send and allocate more for the establishment of thriving churches elsewhere.
My statement was inspired by Piper’s now famous dictum, “missions exists because worship does not.” Just as Piper was not saying that churches are not worshipping God. I am not saying that existing churches in the SBC are not thriving.
On the contrary, because there are successful churches in our states, the need to establish thriving churches is proportionately greater outside of our states than within them (particularly in the southern states).
We may have some minor disagreements on the way forward, but I believe we can all agree that the current allocations do not represent our best foot forward and that we can do more both at the church level and the state levels.
My desire is that more of our cooperating be directed at using the resources given by thriving churches for the establishment of more thriving churches. Resources should also be used to help assist churches who are struggling. The focus of the work of conventions should be establishing and maintaining thriving local churches because disciples are still made in local churches. This is true across town and around the world.
So far, no response that I have received to the FBW article has mentioned or interacted with this reality: we spend 1.31/person domestically and .038/person internationally.
Put another way, on average, less than .012 of every dollar given to an SBC church makes it to the nations (the IMB). Surely we are not pleased with the status quo. Surely we cannot ignore this fact at such a time as this. May God help us and give us the way forward.
This statement does not suggest that our state conventions are full of weak churches. The statement is not descriptive but proscriptive. It is a proposed theological rationale for conventions.
In short, I was saying just the opposite of what the executive director had thought I was saying. So, please allow me take another stab at this.
To the extent that the Lord has blessed states with thriving churches, they should strive to get more and more funds to places where thriving churches do not exist(both within and without the state). The Lord has been very good to us in the south! We have many thriving churches.
We should rejoice and strive to send and allocate more for the establishment of thriving churches elsewhere.
My statement was inspired by Piper’s now famous dictum, “missions exists because worship does not.” Just as Piper was not saying that churches are not worshipping God. I am not saying that existing churches in the SBC are not thriving.
On the contrary, because there are successful churches in our states, the need to establish thriving churches is proportionately greater outside of our states than within them (particularly in the southern states).
We may have some minor disagreements on the way forward, but I believe we can all agree that the current allocations do not represent our best foot forward and that we can do more both at the church level and the state levels.
My desire is that more of our cooperating be directed at using the resources given by thriving churches for the establishment of more thriving churches. Resources should also be used to help assist churches who are struggling. The focus of the work of conventions should be establishing and maintaining thriving local churches because disciples are still made in local churches. This is true across town and around the world.
So far, no response that I have received to the FBW article has mentioned or interacted with this reality: we spend 1.31/person domestically and .038/person internationally.
Put another way, on average, less than .012 of every dollar given to an SBC church makes it to the nations (the IMB). Surely we are not pleased with the status quo. Surely we cannot ignore this fact at such a time as this. May God help us and give us the way forward.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Initial Thougts on FBW Article
On the whole, today has been a good day. The study of our CP giving was posted for all to read in its entirety. Hopefully many will read the study and not just the article.
In retrospect, I should have simply stated that states "spend" nearly 2/3 of the CP funding they receive. I did not mean to imply unethical or illegal activity. The states spend CP funds with the blessing of the messengers who bother to go and vote. My recommendation is that we change how we vote - that we urge conventions not to spend 2/3 of Southern Baptist's CP giving while billions who live outside our states continue sit in darkness. I called Dr. Hankins this morning and apologized for the unintended connotation of the word and asked for his forgiveness. He agreed, and also pledged to pass this apology along to his peers if my study comes up in conversation.
The other questionable word choice in the document was narcissistic. The response by a few Southern Baptists to Article IX did (and still does) seem to me to be self-serving or inward looking. I should have avoided "narcissistic" and gone with "inward looking." The point of the study is to get us looking where our great, missionary God is looking - to the ends of the earth. Anyhow, another poor word choice for which I would like to apologize - primarily because I had just a few individuals in mind but my study makes it seem like I had more people in view.
As for the claim that my study is "fatuous," "meaningless," and "not connected to reality," I am not sure how to take these critiques. The study is most certainly connected to reality - real money and real humans who have never heard the name of Jesus. It is really true that less than 1.5 cents of every dollar given to an SBC church goes to the IMB. I really have a friend serving with the IMB who is now living with the reality that one of their anticipated team members will not be joining the team. There's nothing more real than that.
Dr. Hankins and I spoke for quite some time. We had a very fruitful conversation. He agrees most states should send more to the SBC national, and he has some good ideas for getting there. He seemed a bit surprized to learn that it was reading his book, One Sacred Effort, that began to inspire me to move beyond my suspicions to conduct this study. He outlined a plan that I hope he will strive to get his other colleagues to sign onto. If he does, he will be my new best friend, though we still have some minor differences on the role of state conventions.
I will respond more comprehensively to the critiques by Dr. Hankins in the days to come.
Thank you for considering the study. Most importantly, I pray God uses it to light a fire in us for His gospel and His glory.
In retrospect, I should have simply stated that states "spend" nearly 2/3 of the CP funding they receive. I did not mean to imply unethical or illegal activity. The states spend CP funds with the blessing of the messengers who bother to go and vote. My recommendation is that we change how we vote - that we urge conventions not to spend 2/3 of Southern Baptist's CP giving while billions who live outside our states continue sit in darkness. I called Dr. Hankins this morning and apologized for the unintended connotation of the word and asked for his forgiveness. He agreed, and also pledged to pass this apology along to his peers if my study comes up in conversation.
The other questionable word choice in the document was narcissistic. The response by a few Southern Baptists to Article IX did (and still does) seem to me to be self-serving or inward looking. I should have avoided "narcissistic" and gone with "inward looking." The point of the study is to get us looking where our great, missionary God is looking - to the ends of the earth. Anyhow, another poor word choice for which I would like to apologize - primarily because I had just a few individuals in mind but my study makes it seem like I had more people in view.
As for the claim that my study is "fatuous," "meaningless," and "not connected to reality," I am not sure how to take these critiques. The study is most certainly connected to reality - real money and real humans who have never heard the name of Jesus. It is really true that less than 1.5 cents of every dollar given to an SBC church goes to the IMB. I really have a friend serving with the IMB who is now living with the reality that one of their anticipated team members will not be joining the team. There's nothing more real than that.
Dr. Hankins and I spoke for quite some time. We had a very fruitful conversation. He agrees most states should send more to the SBC national, and he has some good ideas for getting there. He seemed a bit surprized to learn that it was reading his book, One Sacred Effort, that began to inspire me to move beyond my suspicions to conduct this study. He outlined a plan that I hope he will strive to get his other colleagues to sign onto. If he does, he will be my new best friend, though we still have some minor differences on the role of state conventions.
I will respond more comprehensively to the critiques by Dr. Hankins in the days to come.
Thank you for considering the study. Most importantly, I pray God uses it to light a fire in us for His gospel and His glory.
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