John Marshall, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Springfield, Mo., preached the Convention Sermon, which concluded just before noon Eastern. Following is a sample of what he said:

"If the Great Commission Resurgence is to happen, we gray heads are going to have to yield to some younger men. We are going to have to say, 'It's alright for you to be different from us.' …

"… Remember … back in the 1970s and 1980s when we prayed for a spiritual awakening all the time? … Would it not be a tragedy if after all of our years of praying … God is now going to answer our prayer through a younger generation and we drive them off? … We prayed for this to happen. Let it happen by the grace of God.

"… Our people have been conditioned to equate 'go' with 'go and stay.' That's wrong. Those are not the same thing. … I promise you that 90 percent of the people in your pews equate 'go' with 'go and stay.' … Every believer is called to go. … If you want to be like Jesus you have only two options: No. 1, you can be a career missionary, or No. 2, you can spend the rest of your life going on short-term mission trips."