Kevin Bussey revealed the form of this resolution last week when he posted a mock resolution to make Starbuck’s coffee the official coffee of the SBC.
I had sent it to him and others to get some feedback as to the wording. If you have yet to send me back your feed, hurry. I am about to submit it.
I post it now for the general population of the convention and give you the opportunity to comment.
By the way, after this, I am taking a few days off of blogging. The Primer was exhausting and I have full plate this week. See you soon – probably by the end of the week.
WHEREAS the people of the Southern Baptist Convention commonly hold the Bible as God’s Word; inerrant, infallible and inspired; having affirmed that it has authority over our lives as expressed in the Baptist Faith and Message adopted in the year 2000; and
WHEREAS the Bible records, in Matthew 20:24-28 and Mark 10:4-45, Jesus teaching His disciples that leaders in the Kingdom of God are marked as different than worldly leaders in that they are servants rather than masters; and
WHEREAS our culture has shown a marked inclination to distrust the leadership of all religious entities, often citing self serving motives; and
WHEREAS the greatest testimony to our culture of God’s nature, goodness and mercy is to mirror the self sacrifice of Christ’s submission to the Cross; and
WHEREAS those Southern Baptists that bear responsibility of any nature, including but not limited to, local church Sunday School teachers, Volunteer Nursery Workers, Trustees, Committee Members, Deacons, Ministers; Associational Directors of Missions, Officers, Entity Trustees, Committee Members and employees; State Convention Officers, Entity Trustees, Committee Members and employees; Southern Baptist Convention Officers, Entity Trustees, Committee Members and employees; are all considered to be leaders in the Kingdom of God; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED that the Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina, June 13-14, 2006, do affirm the servant nature of leadership in the Kingdom of God; and be it further
RESOLVED that the Southern Baptist leaders at every level and of every calling are now urged to exemplify the greatest servant nature, seen in Christ’s example of self sacrifice, by laying aside any personal gratification or aspiration while seeking to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every gender, age, culture, tribe, tongue and nation.
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Kevin Bussey
on Apr 24th, 2006
@ 12:30 pm:
Art,
My mockery was not a jab at your great work. I was just having fun.
Your work is appreciated and you deserve some time away. I am praying for you with all that has been weighing heavy on your heart!
art rogers
on Apr 24th, 2006
@ 2:05 pm:
Kev,
I never took it that way. Just explaining why it might sound familiar to some and referencing them to your page for some Starbuck’s & SBC related conversation.
But whatever you do, don’t listen to him about the BBQ!
Jeff Richard Young
on Apr 24th, 2006
@ 3:41 pm:
Dear Art,
I really like it. For just a moment, as I was reading it, I had a glimmer of hope that men in positions of SBC leadership, who at one time had been humble servants of Christ and the church, would hear this resolution and repent, returning to where they were at first. So could me in. I’ll vote for it. I’ll also try to practice it more here in my small positions of church leadership.
Love in Christ,
Jeff
Jamie Wootten
on Apr 24th, 2006
@ 5:34 pm:
Art,
I believe we all need a dose of that. Enjoy your rest.
one of the good guys
on Apr 25th, 2006
@ 1:27 pm:
I think this type of resolutions is a great idea. I hope it has “some legs,” as they say.
Taran
on Apr 25th, 2006
@ 9:56 pm:
In your 5th section, I might rearrange the order. It seems that you are progressing from a “lower” to a “higher” hierarchy of service. (Please note that I am not saying that this is intentional, it just gives that impression). May I suggest mixing up the levels of leadership. (i.e. deacons, SBC workers, nursery workers, pastors, state workers etc.). If you disagree with that thought, I would at least put Volunteer Nursery Workers at the apex of church leadership ;)
Just a minor thought on a really, really well worded resolution.
art rogers
on Apr 26th, 2006
@ 8:31 am:
Taran,
Thanks. I actually was putting them first in the order for that very reason: I was elevating them to the highest level of actual impact and down the list to people of the lowest level of actual impact.
I did realize that I left Missionaries out of the list. I am not sure what I was thinking, other than if you give up your life to go share the Gospel somewhere else, you are probably already in compliance with this resolution.