SBC Leader Urges Church Unity, Relevancy, and Missionary Emphasis
by Allie Martin
September 27, 2006
(AgapePress) - - During a chapel address earlier this month at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) made a heartfelt appeal for unity in the denomination.According to SBC president Dr. Frank Page, much of the effectiveness and power among Southern Baptist churches has been stolen by Satan, and there are many factions throughout the denomination that promote division. Meanwhile, he notes, the SBC is viewed by many people today as archaic and irrelevant.
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Dr. Frank Page |
In his recent speech, Page said anyone who pastors a church should ask some important questions whenever that church begins to make a decision. "You need to ask, 'Is this decision going to bring relevant life to us? Is it going to bring relevancy to us?' It's not just a question of inerrancy, but of relevancy," he contended.Also, the SBC leader said, churches need to consider issues of congregational diversity and effective outreach to the varied groups within the church. "Are we going to be able to connect with younger people?," he asked. "Are we going to be able to connect with churches of varying styles? Are we going to be able to reach out ethnically to the groups across our land? Are we going to be relevant?"
Divisions throughout the SBC, Page insists, are the roadblocks to revival in the denomination.
Although he did not mention some of the most recent controversies specifically during the Southwestern Baptist Seminary address, issues such as the use of a private prayer language and methods of sending missionaries are being debated throughout the Convention.
"You see, the early church had very little influence -- but [it had] great power," the SBC president observed. "The church today has great influence, but no power. We're losing our relevancy, and we've held on to old programs that may have been wonderful programs in the fifties and the sixties, but they simply do not reach out to the lost in the 21st century."
While the early church was met with persecution, Page added, "the modern-day church is met with a yawn." He encouraged SBC churches to recapture their relevancy by renewing their focus on fulfillment of the Great Commission through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
