Archive for October, 2014
Southern Baptists: Let Your Voices Be Clear in Houston and Beyond
In an unprecedented action on October 14, the city attorneys of Houston, Texas, subpoenaed sermons and other communications from selected pastors who opposed the city’s HERO ordinance (formally called “Houston Equal Rights Ordinance”). This ordinance bans discrimination “on the basis of protected characteristics” in “city employment, city services, city contracting practices, housing, public accommodations, and private employment” (City of Houston, Texas, Ordinance No. 2014-530).
Then on Friday, October 17, the city’s mayoral office revised the subpoenas, removing the word “sermons”; but other communications by these pastors are still targeted by the subpoenas. On Saturday, October 18, the Houston Chronicle reported, “The subpoenas now seek ‘all speeches or presentations related to HERO or the Petition’ the pastors delivered, revised, approved or have on hand.”
Regardless of the nature of communications they want from the pastors and churches, this is a blatant example of governmental overreach and is a clear attempt to silence the voice of the Church in Houston, Texas, America, and the world.
This is America
In this critical moment, the Mayor’s Office in Houston—and every other city in our country—needs to remember that this is America, governed by the United States Constitution which contains the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment of our nation’s Constitution states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
This amendment protects religious Americans and their leaders from governmental intrusion into the church and government regulation of religious speech. All Americans, including pastors and other religious leaders, are to be extended the freedom of association, as well as given complete protection if we ever desire to make a formal complaint to the government over something of concern or seek its assistance about something of concern to us. In all of this, never are we to fear any punishment or governmental reprisal.
Southern Baptists Must Rise Up and Be Clear in Houston and Beyond
Southern Baptist family, we must rise up together and be clear in Houston and beyond. While many in mainline denominations will shy away from this discussion, and some evangelicals may also be silent, as Baptists, we must rise up and be very clear. We have and always will rise up with a clear voice on the following matters:
1. Standing on the Bible as God’s Word
God’s Word is “truth without any mixture of error” (The Baptist Faith and Message). We stand upon it and its absolute authority on all it declares, whether it is marriage between a man and a woman only or salvation by faith in Christ alone. Therefore, we will rise up under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, standing courageously on the Word of God, and standing with others who do the same.
2. Seeking to Win Others to Faith in Christ
As Southern Baptists, we will hold the truth of God in one hand and the love of God in the other hand. Compromise will not occur with matters regarding the transforming power of genuine salvation through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We will share the Gospel with all people, wanting them to know the power of God’s love found only in a personal, dynamic, life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.
3. Defending Religious Liberty
We boldly declare that “church and state should be separate” and that we “believe that the state owes every church protection and freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual end” (The Baptist Faith and Message).
On October 16, 2014, Russell Moore, president of the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, wrote a good word for all of us to remember: “Religious liberty isn’t ours to give away to Caesar, and soul freedom isn’t subject to subpoena from City Hall.”
God alone is the Lord of the conscience and Government has no right to manipulate or intimidate any of us regarding religious conviction and practice. Southern Baptists have always stood tall for religious liberty. Our heritage is stacked high with heroes who have stood in tough times, defending religious liberty. We defend religious liberty at home and across the world.
This is why Southern Baptists and others must stand together with these pastors in Houston who are under attack and scrutiny. We must express support #4Houston5 and commit to pray for these five pastors who are facing this present challenge, as well as all pastors in Houston and beyond.
4. Caring for All People Compassionately
While we disagree with those who operate from an ideology that is completely at odds with what we believe is declared in God’s Word, we will care for them compassionately. Pastors, spiritual leaders, and churches must rise up, caring compassionately for all people.
5. Praying for Our Nation Continually
In times like these, we should be rising up tall by falling before our Father in Heaven, crying out to Him endlessly in repentance, appealing to Him in His Sovereignty for the next great spiritual awakening in our land. I have said for months, and it is becoming more obvious by the day, that we must enter into a major season of clear agreement and visible union, coupled with extraordinary prayer, for the next Great Awakening in America.
Please join us and call upon others to join us at pray4awakening.com. In the coming days, I will be giving more clear definition about what all of this means, but we will fail Houston, America, and the world if we do not pray like never before. We need spiritual awakening in America.
A Clear Notification to Houston and Beyond
As a clear notification to the city of Houston and other cities in our country and beyond—you can propose laws to try to silence the voice of the Church, but the Kingdom of God is unstoppable. Scripture is clear: “The gates of hell shall not prevail against” the Church of Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18).
In the end, the Lord will win! King Jesus Reigns!
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
President, Southern Baptist Convention
*******
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is currently serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention is America’s largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.7 million members in over 46,000 churches nationwide.
To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.
Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
Follow Dr. Floyd on Twitter and Instagram @ronniefloyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
10 Burdens About the Southern Baptist Convention, Part 2
Last week I began to share 10 burdens many leaders have about the Southern Baptist Convention. To understand how this list was comprised, I would encourage you to go back and read Part 1 in its entirety.
Last week in Part 1, I shared these five burdens:
- Revival and Great Awakening – A heart and growing desperation for a great move of God in this generation.
- Unity and Cooperation absolutely must happen across the Southern Baptist Convention in order for us to realize the future God has for us.
- The Cooperative Program is needed & valuable. Therefore, we need to discover ways to help all generations understand its importance for what we do today and for our future.
- The Great Commission – We need to remember what we are about, reaching America and the World for Jesus Christ.
- Change the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention
Now, it is time to share the remaining five burdens some of our leaders have about the Southern Baptist Convention.
Communication – Tell the compelling story of who we are and what we are about.
Our story as Southern Baptists is highly compelling. I believe in who we are and what we are doing together. As in any church and certainly in our Southern Baptist Convention, we must find ways to tell our story better – what God is doing through His people called Southern Baptists. I believe we are going to do this at our 2015 Southern Baptist Convention in Columbus in a fresh and compelling way.
Better engagement of the younger generation in the Southern Baptist Convention.
Be encouraged – we are seeing this change right now before our eyes. In the most current research about our recent annual convention meetings, our younger generation is attending more than we have seen in recent history. The Great Commission Resurgence Task Force’s desire when their recommended resolutions were adopted in 2010 was to hand the next generation a convention they would be fired up to lead in the future. What is happening through our North American Mission Board and the overwhelming response they are receiving at their various gatherings has been incredible. Additionally, with the International Mission Board’s decision to call David Platt as President, and involving younger adults serving as trustees of our national entities or committee members in our national and state conventions, I believe we are making incredible strides in better engagement of the younger generation in the Southern Baptist Convention. I am excited about the days ahead and the remarkable changes that will occur in the decade ahead.
Duplication – Address structural challenges in the Southern Baptist Convention that permit duplication of ministries, resulting in monies being spent that should be spent elsewhere.
This is something that only our national entities, state conventions, and local association can address; not only individually, but collectively. I do know that our churches expect that duplication not take place and monies not be wasted.
Since our polity does not let us determine this from the bottom up or from the top down, those who lead a national entity, a state convention, or an association will have to lead out in an evaluative, strategic, and aggressive effort to eliminate any duplication and communicate the actions you take to all of our churches.
I am convinced that our churches will rise up and give more through the Cooperative Program when they have complete confidence that the monies received are stewarded in the highest manner and truly used to fulfill the Great Commission effectively and aggressively.
Diversity – Celebrating our progress and continuing with intentionality.
Theologian and scholar, Timothy George, in an article entitled, “Troubled Waters”, stated these words:
Southern Baptists have become one of the most ethnically diverse and multilingual denominations in the country.
His words are true. We should celebrate as a denomination that we have over 10,000 churches who are ethnically diverse and multilingual.
In our national church planting strategy, many of the 15,000 churches we will strategize to plant will be ethnically diverse and multilingual. Southern Baptists have learned and are becoming more convinced daily that if we are going to reach our nation with the gospel, we must aggressively win people, disciple people, and plant gospel churches that are ethnically diverse and multilingual.
Legacy Churches – Raise up a generation of young men willing to bring new life to these kinds of churches.
While we do celebrate planting new gospel churches, we have thousands of legacy churches that need young men to invest their lives to leading and revitalizing. It is not more spiritual to plant a church than it is to follow God’s calling in our lives and ministries to a legacy church or the international mission field.
Therefore, I want to appeal to not only our younger generation of pastors, but to all of us: Celebrate the legacy of thousands of our churches located in villages, communities, towns, and cities that are in great need of being re-energized and revitalized by the leadership of a biblical preacher committed to evangelism and discipleship, empowered by the Holy Spirit. To pastor search committees of legacy churches, call God’s man regardless of his age, but also don’t eliminate any man because of his age, whether he is older or younger in years.
Where do we go from here?
We keep these ten burdens on our heart and call out to God about them regularly. These are real issues that demand our attention in prayer, but also in strategy.
This Week
Please pray for me this week as I travel to Lynchburg and Louisville. I have the privilege to speak at the ReFUEL Conference for Pastors at Thomas Road Baptist Church, to the staff at Highview Baptist Church, and at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary chapel service for Heritage Week. It will be a joy to engage with pastors, staff members, and students this week.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
President, Southern Baptist Convention
*******
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is currently serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention is America’s largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.7 million members in over 46,000 churches nationwide.
To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.
Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
Follow Dr. Floyd on Twitter and Instagram @ronniefloyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.