By Eddie Wren, President of the LBC
Why should you volunteer to be a messenger for the 2018 Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas?
I am so glad you asked!
I believe four reasons prevail.
First, to witness the Southern Baptist Convention.
Oh, some will say the SBC is nothing but an oversized business meeting, but the meeting is fascinating nonetheless. Get the business meetings from your grandmother’s church out of your head. The SBC is not like her meetings.
Instead, there will be reports and presentations from the major entities of the SBC.
The Executive Committee of the SBC, The North American and International Mission Boards, Lifeway, Guidestone, the seminaries and others will give presentations and answer questions. The meeting can actually be fascinating, or at least entertaining.
Second, in the couple of days that are the SBC, you will also be privileged to hear good preaching from preachers you may otherwise only hear on television or the radio. If you go early you will hear lots of good preaching at the SBC Pastor’s Conference.
But if you cannot attend the Pastor’s Conference there will still be opportunities to hear good preaching. Steve Gaines, Ravi Zacharias and Paige Patterson will all preach during the convention. Perhaps you have heard them on disc or audio of some type, but there is nothing like hearing the preaching of God’s Word in person with the gathered church.
Third, you should attend the SBC and experience the fellowship that attending allows. Whether it be at dinner, in the display hall, the hall outside the convention hall, or on the sidewalk, you will meet someone or see someone you know and experience wonderful fellowship.
Each year I get to see pastor friends I have known since seminary days and with whom I have remained friends. Each year the SBC seems to initiate new friendships as well. The SBC is great for fellowship.
The last and probably most obvious reason to attend the SBC is to elect a new president.
This year is not like some years when only one nominee is announced. At least two men will be nominated to be president of the SBC this year.
The presidential election is important because the president is a representative of all Sothern Baptists. He also performs important tasks such as making appointments to various boards.
The election of the president should not be taken lightly.
Louisiana Baptists should take this election seriously enough to investigate the two candidates, discover which one holds the values Louisiana Baptists hold dear, and then vote for that candidate.
If you need information on the candidates, it is available in abundance. Simply google Ken Hemphill and J. D. Greear and you will find all you need.
The SBC presidency is important to our work and worthy of your participation in the election of the president.
With the SBC in close proximity this year, take this opportunity to enjoy the SBC, enjoy friends, and vote for a president.
Eddie Wren is pastor of First Baptist Church, Rayville and president of the Louisiana Baptist Convention.
