Dr. Bill Mackey
Dr. Bill Mackey, executive director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, has recently written on the work of both the Southern Baptist Convention’s Great Commission Resurgence Task Force as well as the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s own Great Commission Task Force. Here’s a re-post of his comments made in his column in the Western Recorder newspaper as well as on his own blog, Partners in the Mission:
Great Commission Task Force
Although most of the focus in Southern Baptist life these days is on the Southern Baptist Convention’s Great Commission Resurgence Task Force, the Kentucky Baptist Convention’s own Great Commission Task Force is also at work. The Kentucky committee’s work has now advanced to the place where the committee is ready to conduct listening sessions with Kentucky Baptists.
These will take place at Severns Valley Baptist Church in Elizabethtown on June 7 and at Central Baptist Church in Winchester on June 8. Both listening sessions will begin at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
Dr. Hershael York, chairman of the group, is inviting Kentucky Baptists to participate to allow the Task Force “… to hear how people in Kentucky Baptist churches feel about what we’re doing, about what our priorities are and should be.” This is a great opportunity for Kentucky Baptists to be heard and to assist the committee in its work.
The KBC Great Commission Task Force is composed of 15 outstanding lay people and ministers from all regions of the Commonwealth. Dr. York is providing excellent leadership for the group that is made up of both experienced KBC leaders and some representing new generations. Dr. Don Mathis, this year’s KBC president, and I are serving as ex officio members.
In the meantime, we await the action by messengers to the SBC annual meeting on the SBC Great Commission Resurgence Task Force report entitled, “Penetrating Lostness.”
The GCRTF is to be commended for its prayerful and thorough work in producing a final draft in such a short time frame. The more I read the report the more impressed I am with its scope.
Kentucky Baptists have a natural affinity for the report’s emphasis on missions, ministries, church planting, evangelism, the centrality of the local church and the Cooperative Program as well as with other aspects. The challenge section has something for every member, church leaders and all denominational entities.
If approved, many of the specifics of the report implementation will be worked out in the months ahead by various boards and the SBC Executive Committee.
Although we may have reservations about the impact of certain recommendations, this is a time to unite and move forward together. It will be regrettable if all of the energy, debate and print do not result in greater commitment to the Great Commission and our cooperative missions and ministries.
It is good to affirm the Great Commission but the most important concern is to have a growing commitment to the Great Commission in our hearts and lives. For me that means a stronger commitment to our corporate work through the Cooperative Program and personal involvement in evangelism, missions and compassion ministries to the glory of God.
Dr. Mackey will have further comments on the SBC report in a post scheduled for Tuesday. I’ll post those comments here as well.
Totally agree that although there are some vital questions and issues that need to be addressed we must at present move forward in returning to our commitment as Southern Baptists in seeing God’s Great Commission fulfilled in Kentucky, our nation and our world! And thank you Dr. Mackey for keeping us focused on what it truly important in this process.