The Southern Baptist Convention has lost nearly a half-million members in the past year, which represents the largest decline in more than a century. Pastor and author Rick Warren is addressing the problem in new four-part video series, “SBC at the Crossroads.”
He recently announced the series in an open letter to Southern Baptists and the series comes after the church he founded, Saddleback, was ousted from the SBC over its break with scripture concerning the ordination of women. Some question the timing of the series.
“The SBC is in crisis,” he said. “Over the course of 17 years, the denomination has lost three million members. This isn’t a glitch or the result of a pandemic; it’s a trajectory we’ve been on for a while. Some SBC leaders seem unable to admit it or talk about it, but denial is dishonesty. We should be worrying about it.”
Acknowledging that the causes of decline in the SBC are many and complex, Warren firmly believes that the principles the Holy Spirit laid out in starting the early Church are the pathway to revitalization. Drawing on his experience working with thousands of churches over the past 43 years, he asserts that the convention must remember its foundation, repent and return to the things that once made it strong and healthy.
Warren’s new video series will focus on the biblical pathway for revitalizing hearts, churches and the denomination. Titles include:
Part 1: “Denial or Revival?” Contributing factors to the 17-year decline of the denomination and biblical steps to recovery and revitalization.
Part 2: “What is a B.A.P.T.I.S.T.?” Baptists’ historic identity and the seven unique distinctives that once made the SBC a powerhouse of Great Commission growth.
Part 3: “New Testament Case for the Ministry of Women” New Testament passages that support the Great Commission ministry of women following a three-year stud.
Part 4: “Acts 1-2 Twelve Step Recovery for Churches and the SBC” Holy Spirit-led principles from Scripture that reveal a pathway for renewing churches to revive a declining denomination.
“If something is worth saving, you fight for it,” Warren said. “My Southern Baptist roots are deep. I have Southern Baptist pastors on both sides of my family going back four generations. They brought me to Christ, they educated me in college and seminary, and they supported me in ministry. I urge the SBC to reflect on Revelation 2:5, which says, ‘Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.'”
More information is available at www.sbcstand.com
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
