SBC annual meeting gaveled to close June 24, 2009
- 9:24:00 PM
SBC President Johnny Hunt has gaveled the 2009 annual meeting to a close. Next year's meeting will take place in Orlando, Fla. Read More...
North American Mission Board President GeoffHammond concluded his moments ago and gave messengers an update on the God's Plan for Sharing (GPS) initiative, which has launched and has a goal of seeing every Southern Baptist church planting churches by 2020.
The registration total has reached 8,790, Registration Secretary Jim Wells reported minutes ago. Kentucky leads the way with 1,597 messengers, with Tennessee (805) and Georgia (730) second and third, respectively.
Messengers moments ago approved a recommendation from the Committee on Order of Business that Mac Brunson, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., preach the 2010 convention sermon. Michael Catt, pastor of Sherwood (Ga.) Baptist Church, will serve as the alternate.
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary President Danny Akin delivered his report this evening and during question-and-answer time was asked about the seminary's relationship with the church planting movement Acts 29, which was founded by Mark Driscoll, controversial in some circles.
"There is no relationship between Acts 29 and Southeastern," Akin said, adding he has spoken at an Acts 29 event once, on the subject of expository preaching.
"We do have on our campus from time to time men that we may not necessarily agree with on everything," he said. "… There're doing certain types of ministry that we think our students could benefit from hearing."
The Wednesday evening session of the SBC annual meeting is under way. The session is running 25 minutes head of schedule because the Resolutions Committee finished its report earlier today. Among this evening's highlights: the election of the 2010 convention sermon preacher (6:50 p.m.); North American Mission Board report (8:05 p.m.). Full schedule at http://www.sbcannualmeeting.net/sbc09/program/
Duke McCall asks alumni to 'rally around' Southern Seminary June 24, 2009
- 5:35:00 PM
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary hosted its Sesquicentennial Service this afternoon in Alumni Memorial Chapel, and 95-year-old Duke McCall, the seminary's seventh president, asked the seminary's alumni and friends to "rally around her as a present on her 150th birthday." President from 1951-1982, McCall acknowledged that he has had his differences with the seminary's conservative leadership; McCall was a moderate during the Conservative Resurgence. Read More...
SECOND UPDATE: Hunt names 19-member GCR Task Force June 24, 2009
- 11:48:00 AM
Speaking from the podium, SBC President Johnny Hunt this morning publicly named the 19-member Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. Although Hunt earlier had named only 18 people, he later clarified that he also would serve on the task force. The Task Force is: Read More...
At 90, evangelist Billy Graham says he is too aged to attend the annual meeting, but he did take the time to write down a personal message and have his pastor, Don Wilton of First Baptist Church of Spartanburg, S.C., read it to messengers. Read by Wilton this morning, Graham's message said, in part:
Southern Baptists pause to pray for Obama June 24, 2009
- 9:48:00 AM
SBC messengers passed a resolution this morning that pledges to pray for President Obama, and they put it into practice moments later when Resolutions Committee Chairman Danny Akin called on the body to pause and pray for their commander-in-chief. Read More...
Pro-adoption resolution, sexuality/ public policy resolution pass June 24, 2009
- 9:17:00 AM
Southern Baptist messengers this morning passed resolutions on President Obama (see previous blog entry), adoption and orphan care, and biblical sexuality and public policy. The adoption resolution passed unanimously, while the biblical sexuality resolution -- which deals with homosexuality -- passed near-unanimously. Read More...
Messengers seconds ago passed a resolution that calls the election of President Obama a step toward nationwide racial reconciliation but that criticizes him for several of his policies. The resolution passed nearly unanimously by a show of ballots. It says, in part:
Southern Baptist messengers this morning will consider five resolutions, including ones on President Obama (see previous blog entry), adoption and orphan care, and biblical sexuality and public policy.
