A Much Needed Word from Jerry Rankin

I love Dr. Jerry Rankin and will miss him as our IMB President tremendously. Over at his blog, he has posted a very, very strong post on SBC Leaders who are in denial about the current state of the SBC and even the need to always evaluate it. If you are a Southern Baptist and care (really care) about reaching the nations with the Gospel, I urge you and dare you to read what he has do say.

Click here to read the whole thing.

A sample:

"I am incredulous that so many seem to be in denial of the trends. Everyone expresses concern about the 20-year decline in baptisms. When you consider that most of our baptisms are children or re-baptizing people already in our churches or born-again believers coming from other denominations, it is even worse than the statistics indicate. Any honest consideration of results and collective performance of what should be a powerful, spiritual synergy of 45,000 churches reflects we are not effectively winning the lost and making disciples in our own country or among the nations!
In spite of the fact our declining rate of growth has actually tipped to the negative side and the downturn is going to invariably gain momentum, blinded leaders are treating it as blip or temporary aberration. Some seem to actually believe we have 16 million Southern Baptists! I don’t think the New Testament provides an option for the concept of “inactive” or “non-residential” church members. When will we acknowledge we are not as big as we think we are and are getting smaller?
The fact that on the average Cooperative Program giving has not even kept up with inflation for 20 years doesn’t keep some from the delusion that a little more education and clever promotion is going to turn it around. Blaming it on the lack of stewardship on the part of people in the pew is a cop out. Could we not do a better job of focusing on things that would compel greater giving and stewardship? How about actual engagement in the mission of God rather than sustaining a denominational bureaucracy?"

Help us, Lord.