Pressing On: How strong is our marriage?

Tim Yarbrough
Arkansas Baptist News

I have been known to compare the relationship of the Southern Baptist Convention and its member churches to a marriage where a husband and wife – rather than grow closer over the years – seem to have grown apart. While the couple are still married and love one another, they just don’t seem to have that cozy relationship they once had.

YarbroughOf late, one has to look no further than the discussion surrounding changing the name of the Southern Baptist Convention for proof of this supposition.

I fancy myself to be an objective and sometimes critical thinker, but as I have mentioned in this column before, I can’t think of many reasons why changing the name of the Southern Baptist Convention would make much of a difference in the convention’s church planting and evangelistic efforts.

Conversely, the Southern Baptist Convention – like every good marketer – should continue to find ways to brand itself that result in maximizing efforts for its churches to reach the world for Christ.

A couple of excellent examples are World Changers and disaster relief – both of which are ministries that much of the world I’m certain do not immediately connect with Southern Baptists.

Having been in many Southern Baptist churches across the United States over the past 20-plus years, I know that not all Southern Baptists connect World Changers and disaster relief with their denomination either.

And it really doesn’t matter to them that World Changers – which I had the privilege of being a part of early in its history – was once a part of the former Brotherhood Commission (when World Changers was launched nationwide in 1990), the North American Mission Board (from 1997 to 2011) or LifeWay (where its home is now). Rather, I believe most simply applaud the efforts of students and leaders to further the cause of Christ through missions involvement.

Another example is our denomination’s disaster relief ministry. Southern Baptists from every state convention have been on the scene of major disasters our country and the world have faced for nearly half a century. If the convention chooses to change its name, does that mean the famous bright yellow Southern Baptist Disaster Relief logo will change as well? I doubt there has ever been a victim of a disaster who has rejected a hot meal or cup of cold water because it was being served by Southern Baptists.

As the Lord has tarried now more than 10 years into the 21st century, I believe Southern Baptists and their churches stand at the crossroads of history and legacy. Will we continue to “major on the minor” or choose to boldly hoist the name of Jesus high and proclaim His name to the nations?

Folks don’t get to heaven because they’re Southern Baptists … but only by knowing the One who shed His precious blood and laid down His life to bridge the gap between God and man. 

For all that Southern Baptists stand for, I believe they are mainly known as a people of the Bible who love and live to honor their Lord, Jesus Christ.

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Tim Yarbrough is editor of the Arkansas Baptist News. Contact him at tim@arkansasbaptist.org.