SBC Meeting Indianapolis

Friends,

I have just returned home from the SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. I was not a messenger this year, but wanted to be there to speak personally with colleagues, SBC leadership, IMB Trustees, and other messengers as the Lord would direct.

I also wanted to hear first hand the proceedings and encourage my former supervisor and friend Avery Willis. Avery didn't win and is actually relieved! God will continue to use him mightily throughout the world. You can keep up with what he is doing at averywillis.com.

Dr. Johnny Hunt, someone I greatly respect and enjoy personally, was elected President on the first ballot and will do a fine job. I knew of his great evangelistic and missions heart, but he surprised me in his interview with Baptist Press just prior to the convention with his comments expressing concerns about the IMB policies on PPL and baptism. I hope and pray he will be of some help in addressing those policies.

I did not go with a plan to offer a motion as I wasn't a messenger. I did however have many conversations with those who share concerns over the IMB Trustee policies for missionary candidates. It's my understanding there were those who considered motions in this regard from both a pro and con perspective, but none made it to the floor. I hope and pray that means there were some good private discussions with others to come to address these issues. I know that many are expressing their disagreement with these issues...some openly like at imbchange.info and some in conversations. We'll see what develops. The next IMB BOT meeting begins June 23.

I roomed with my good friend Scott Patty and two other guys from Grace Community Church in Nashville, TN and they were most encouraging and incredibly fun to hang out with. There were many excellent presentations and reports...my favorites were David Dockery's presentation on Confessional and Cooperative needs; Frank Page's President's address, Danny Akin's Southeastern Seminary report, and Al Gilbert's Convention Sermon. I think Dr. Page did a wonderful job leading not only this convention meeting but the SBC the last two years. The NAMB and IMB reports and presentations were excellent and inspiring and creative.

There were some awkward moments for me personally, but overall my interaction with IMB'ers, Trustees, Pastors and others were very good and I'm grateful I was blessed by the Lord with good interactions and discussions in Indianapolis.

Thanks to those of you who prayed and wrote before and during the Convention.