Dr. Ed Stetzer is known around the world for his expertise in church planting and missiology. He is an exemplary husband, father, church planter, pastor, missiologist, and leader. Dr. Stetzer has planted churches in New York, Pennsylvania, and Georgia and transitioned declining churches in Indiana, Georgia, and Tennessee. He has trained pastors and church planters on five continents, holds two masters degrees and two doctorates, and has written dozens of articles and books. Ed is a columnist for Outreach Magazine and Catalyst Monthly, serves on the advisory council of Sermon Central and Christianity Today’s Building Church Leaders, and is frequently cited or interviewed in news outlets such as USA Today and CNN.
Ed is Visiting Professor of Research and Missiology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Visiting Research Professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has taught at fifteen other colleges and seminaries. He also serves on the Church Services Team at the International Mission Board.
Ed is currently interim pastor of Two Rivers Baptist Church in Nashville, TN.
Ed’s primary role is President of LifeWay Research and LifeWay’s Missiologist in Residence.
He has written the following books:
Dr. Stetzer spends much of his time traveling the globe speaking at conferences and churches about church growth, church planting, and missiology. Baptist21 is grateful for the contribution Dr. Stetzer has made and continues to make on the Kingdom in the 21st Century. We are excited about what he will bring to the B21 panel on June 15th. You can register for this event here.
Connect to Ed’s research blog at EdStetzer.com or follow Ed on Twitter, Facebook, Vimeo, or YouTube
B21 Panel @ SBC2010:
Baptist21 will once again host a panel luncheon during the Tuesday lunch break of the Southern Baptist Convention. We are excited to provide this panel as a time to hear from key voices in the SBC. We are confident this event will have a lineup that is compelling to ministers, especially young ministers, in helping us navigate through discussions of mission and ministry. The panel will also be vital to the Great Commission Resurgence conversation.
What: “b21 Panel” – This will be a forum discussing the present and future of the SBC. There will be a major focus on the work and report of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. This is a significant time as we discuss how to best cooperate together in the Mission of God. Key questions will be raised for each panel member and there will be a time of Q & A.
Topics: These are some possible topics that will be covered
When: June 15th 11:30 am – 1:30 pm (during the lunch break of this year’s Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando immediately following President Hunt’s address). Lunch will be provided.
Where: The panel will be on site at the Convention in the Orange County Convention Center, West Building in Room W320/Chapin Theater on Level Three
Who: (Confirmed Speakers)
*There are more influential speakers that will be announced as soon as we are able to work out details with them. Stay Tuned!
Why: This is a pivotal year for the SBC with the report coming from the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. This could be a “tipping point” for our future. We want to have significant leaders help guide us in thinking through these issues.
Yet to Come:
This is going to be a key year for the future of the SBC. We urge you to make plans to be in Orlando for it. We hope this panel will provide an exciting venue at the SBC for you to connect with others, receive resources, and gain insight from key leaders.
1. Missionary Work Overseas – It’s hard to imagine what it’d be like to grow up amongst a people and die without ever hearing the gospel. Yet, there are large numbers of peoples who still find themselves in this situation. That’s one of the key reasons that Southern Baptists continue to pool their monies and people together in order to reach these peoples and cultures. What’s it like to lead the first person from a completely unreached people group to Christ? Many have never done this. But, by God’s grace and great sacrifice by men and women, many more will have this experience. The nations need Jesus. In order to hear of Jesus, they need missionaries. That’s why their work is so significant to the SBC and the kingdom of Christ.
2. Changing Presidential Leadership – The significance of Southern Baptist entity heads is often under-appreciated. The decisions that these men make impact massive amounts of people for good or for ill. Southern Baptists are at a critical point in time with three key presidencies opening up. The Executive Committee, NAMB, and IMB presidencies are all open or opening soon. B21 is praying and asking you to pray for the men who will fill these positions. Placing the right men at the head of these entities will do much to advance the Great Commission.
3. Dr. Danny Akin’s GCR Sermon – Whether you’re talking about Dr. Danny Akin’s passion, his preaching, or, simply, his love for the Great Commission, it would be misguided not to mention his work in 2009 as one of the most significant stories. Standing behind the pulpit in SEBTS’s chapel, Akin delivered what would become a great rallying point (and point of controversy) in his GCR Axiom sermon. Clearly coming from a heart for nations, Akin set in motion a movement (or gave it a BIG push) that would change 2009 and, by God’s grace, the way SBC approaches the Great Commission.
4. Increased SBC Unity – By almost all accounts, there seems to be a growing unity in the SBC. That is, we are more unified today than we have been in past years. What this means or implies is up for some debate. Yet, B21 thinks that there is a growing unity around the Great Commission. For instance, at the B21 event at the SBC, the panelists came from all kinds of theological and methodological stripes. Yet, these men were unified around the Great Commission and the BF&M. Still more, the lunch for the 600 attendees was provided personally by SBC President, Johnny Hunt (a man that has embodied unity around the Great Commission as much, if not more, than anyone). Hunt, as many know, would disagree in many ways with the panelists. Yet, because of its Great Commission purposes, he supported the B21 panel. In fact, B21 believes that the unity that Southern Baptists presently enjoy, in large part, is due to the excellent leadership of Johnny Hunt. With men like Hunt leading the way, Southern Baptists have a lot to hope for in the coming days.
5. Union University’s “Southern Baptists, Evangelicals, and the Future of Denominationalism” – Dr. David Dockery has, amongst other things, turned Union University into one of the leading think tanks for Baptist life. Like in his past conferences, Dockery put together a line up that included the most significant and helpful voices in Baptist life. And they didn’t disappoint. Southern Baptists owe a debt of gratitude to David Dockery for putting this conference together, the effects of which we are still enjoying.
6. Higher Attendance at SBC Louisville – Okay, so it didn’t hurt that the SBC was in a town filled with young people and in the heart of the church-saturated part of the country. But, we’d argue, it is still quite an achievement to get that many people in this kind of economy to attend the SBC. Even if the economy wasn’t in the shape that it was (and is), it’s still hard to get people to spend their time at a convention. Come on, there are Southern Baptist associational meetings that know how difficult it is to get people to participate. The numbers at the 2009 SBC pointed to great life and health. It pointed, perhaps, to a resurgence in Great Commission engagement in the SBC. It will be interesting to see how many show up in Orlando.
7. Cancer Classroom – Several prominent Southern Baptists found out that they had cancer this year. This, of course, is terrible news. But, by God’s grace, these men who have taught the church so excellently in their preaching ministries are now teaching the church in a different way. They’re showing the church how godly men suffer. Johnny Hunt and Matt Chandler, to name a couple, continue to battle cancer. They continue to teach us of Christ. Pray for these men and that their cancer will provide great opportunity to advance the kingdom of Christ.
8. Christmas in August – After the heart wrenching news of the IMB financial shortfall, causing them to stop sending “M’s”, Southern Baptists responded to calls from Hunt, Akin, and others to take a special Lottie Moon Christmas offering in August. Thus, the “Christmas in August” movement was born. It’s this kind of responsiveness in which B21 finds great encouragement.
9. SBTS’s Sesquiencentennial – Southern Baptist Theological Seminary celebrated its 150th Anniversary. This is even more significant in light of an economic situation that’s included the closing of several schools’ doors. SBTS survived the Great Depression, Liberalism, and is currently thriving under the excellent leadership of Dr. Albert Mohler. Their story is amazing and a testimony to God’s grace. SBTS professor, Greg Wills, masterfully tells the story in Southern Baptist Theological Seminary 1859-2009. We’re praying for at least 150 more!!
10. GCR Task Force – There aren’t many things that you can get 95% of Southern Baptists to agree on. Clothing style? No. Worship style? No. GCR? Yes! When Southern Baptists were given the opportunity to affirm or deny the formulation of a Great Commission Task Force, they overwhelmingly voted for it. Thus, President Hunt put together a 23 member, GCR task force. The task? They are to examine the Southern Baptist entities and structure in order to bring an assessment to the 2010 SBC in Orlando. Everybody is looking forward to this report. They need our prayers. Sign up to pray here.
The introduction, direction, and explanation for the baptist21 vision series entitled “SBC21: The Duties and Dangers of This Present Hour” has been laid out in two previous posts. Here are Part one and Part two of the introduction to this series.
The first blog in the series is dealing with the Gospel, here are Part one and Part two.
So, getting the Gospel right has tremendous implications for being Baptist in the 21st century. For too long the Gospel has been envisioned as a hoop to jump through in order to get “in,” and then we live moral lives after that in order to get more reward in heaven when we finally die. This type of gospel leads to a moralistic, legalistic church. It displays for the lost that in order to be a Christian it means doing x, y and z, instead of teaching them that they can do nothing to commend themselves to God and are in desperate need of the mercy of Jesus. We teach justification by faith, but we fail to teach sanctification by faith and the need to constantly be reminded of the gospel in order to be conformed to the image of Christ and see our idols of self, money, and a host of others knocked down. This error leads to an elitist, self-righteous church who fails in the Missio Dei. The first implication of not getting the Gospel right is that legalism keeps people from Christ.
Second, discipleship and holiness are about learning to believe and apply the Gospel. At root all sin is a failure to believe and apply the gospel. Saying that we want to be gospel-centered is about more than just sharing the gospel. It is about living the gospel. Our actions often betray us! We can SAY that we believe in a gospel of forgiveness but when we hold 10 year long grudges against family members it reveals something different to the world. We can SAY that we believe in a God who was longsuffering with us in Jesus but when we blow up in anger at a traffic jam it betrays our confession. We can say we believe in a generous Gospel but when our iphone bill keeps us from sacrificially giving to meet the needs of the poor it is because we do not really believe that Jesus became poor so that we could become rich in Him (2 Cor. 8:9).
Third, being Gospel-centered should also call the SBC to repentance for our failures at being community and seeing that the Gospel demands a corporate nature to the Christian life, not an individual one. The Gospel is about Christ building his church (Matt 16). The Gospel is not just about reconciling enemies to God. It is also about reconciling us to one another (cf. Eph. 2). We live in an age where interfacing with a computer screen is more popular than spending time with flesh and blood people. We live in an age where tragically a celebrity like Alyssa Milano can say that a baseball stadium is the last place in America that a person can actually find community. The lack of community in our churches betrays our confession of the Gospel. When we have two men in our congregation who sit on opposite sides of the “sanctuary” because “she said, she said” between their teenage daughters has caused them to not want to speak to each other anymore it is because we do not really believe the Gospel. Those actions display to the world that we believe in a Gospel where Christ’s death is enough to forgive our sins but it is not enough to forgive sins committed against us. When we have cliques in the church (or cliquish churches) that make “outsiders” feel uncomfortable, it displays to the lost that we believe in a Gospel where Christ’s death makes us “insiders” with God but it is not enough to make them insiders with us. When we have members of our churches who give to “meet needs” in the congregation but also feel that the person they gave to now “owes them one,” or when we have people who are in need but refuse to accept generosity because they do not want to be obligated to anyone, it is because we do not really believe in a Gospel of grace in which Christ has given to us more than we deserve or could ever payback! When we have people who refuse to bear with one another in the church it is because we do not really understand how much God has put up with us! The church is to be a gospel-centered community that loves the brothers and sisters (cf. John 13), and in so doing attracts the nations to King Jesus, but too often in the American church (SBC) all people see is dis-community and a measly Gospel. We need to recapture the community-centered nature of the Gospel.
Fourth, we must know the Gospel so that we can engage in God’s Kingdom mission. The Gospel is the Gospel of the Kingdom. Through his vicarious death and victorious resurrection the Messiah has ascended to the throne and is establishing his rule (Psa. 110). That rule is now visibly manifested in the church. We live in submission to the rule of our king by believing the Gospel, and this means lives that are radically different from the kingdoms of this world. We, as citizens in the kingdom of light, call others out of the kingdom of darkness as we declare the Gospel with our lips and display the Gospel with our lives in the church under the rule of King Jesus. We as Southern Baptists need to be gospel-centered because we live in a post-Christian America and an unreached world. In order to rightly engage this culture with the Gospel we need to be keenly aware of what the Gospel is, not relying solely on a pre-packaged “plan of salvation” that communicates only with people are already just like us. We need to live the Gospel in community with one another and declare it to the lost, and through these redeemed communities the lost will see the Gospel and the reign of King Jesus on display. If the lost do not hear it they will not be saved (cf. Rom. 10).
The Gospel is the glorious message of God acting in Christ to rescue a people for himself, establish his kingdom and remake the cosmos! The Gospel needs to be the center of our lives. If it is then we will raise children who reject pharisaical self-righteousness and avoid self-crushing guilt, and instead embrace the fact that they are sinners in need of mercy. If we center our lives on the Gospel then we will display the cross-love of Jesus as we care for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We will live life in community together as a display of the Gospel to the world. We will not make sarcastic comments about the “sinners” around us because we recognize our own deep sinfulness and the incredible grace of Jesus. We will be driven by the Gospel mission to get this message to those who currently have no access to it. Our prayer to God is that we and all Southern Baptists in the 21st century would be known as holding to what is of “utmost importance!”
Jon Akin
The introduction, direction, and explanation for the baptist21 vision series entitled “SBC21: The Duties and Dangers of This Present Hour” has been laid out in two previous posts. Here are Part one and Part two of the introduction to this series.
The first blog in the series is dealing with the Gospel, Part one is available here.
So, what is the Gospel? Tim Keller argues persuasively I believe that we need to speak of it in two ways: diachronic and synchronic (the first two approaches above). The diachronic approach explains the Gospel as the Grand Meta-narrative of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and the Consummation (all of this centered on Christ). This approach emphasizes that God is remaking as very good everything that he made good in the beginning and was broken by sin through the fall, and all of this is centered on Jesus Christ and his work. This is the grand story of God rescuing humanity and remaking the world in Jesus. Ephesians 1:10 states that God’s purpose in history is the “summing up of all things in Christ.”
The second way is the synchronic approach that summarizes what the Bible teaches about the Gospel. This fits closely with Paul’s statements about the Gospel in the opening verses of 1 Corinthian 15. This approach defines the Gospel as the perfect life, substitutionary death, and victorious resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as an atonement for sin and deliverance from death for those who turn in repentance from sin and in faith to Jesus. This group is rightly concerned over “definitions” of the gospel that leave out the cross of Christ (1 Cor. 2:2)! Paul says that this message is “most important” (1 Cor. 15:3), and that this is the message that is “passed on” (1 Cor. 15:3) to others. This message of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus is what the eyewitnesses of these events deemed as most important to pass down to future generations of believers. So, any gospel definition that leaves out the cross or the resurrection is certainly deficient in the eyes of the Apostles.
How do these two approaches fit together? Is there a way to relate them? With all of the discussion and the rhetoric on either side trying to debate what the Gospel is from “competing” perspectives what is lost is the connection between these two approaches. The reason why the synchronic way of approaching the Gospel is central to the diachronic approach is that the fate of the cosmos is tied to the fate of humanity and the kingdom is tied to the king! Creation was not broken until the King, Adam, sinned. Adam’s sin brought about the curse that broke the cosmos (and alienated all of humanity). That is also why the redemption of mankind is tied to the renewal of creation. The cosmos is screaming for the “sons of God” to be revealed (Rom. 8:19), and Jesus is the New Adam and the firstfruits of the New Creation. One cannot speak of the renewal of the cosmos apart from mankind’s redemption in Christ, because mankind was created to rule and steward that cosmos (cf. Psa. 8). Indeed, the coming of Messiah to rescue his people and judge his enemies is the catalyst to the right ordering of the cosmos (Isaiah 11). So, the message of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus to deliver humanity from sin and death is the core of God’s work in the world to make all things new.
We are grateful for our Southern Baptist brothers and sisters who came before us, fought for the Gospel, and passed it on to us. The inerrancy battles included battles over the atonement and what Christ accomplished on the cross. Our forefathers preached (and sang) a bloody cross that satisfied the wrath of God against sin. Also, in an era where evangelicalism began to debate issues like inclusivism and universalism, our Southern Baptist forbearers declared the exclusivity of Christ with boldness and clarity. They fought for these and more. We are grateful that they have passed down the Gospel to us. This first section of our vision series is about embracing our Baptist heritage and rejoicing in what they have given to us. So this post about the Gospel looks back to brothers and sisters to whom we are joyfully indebted. We want to carry on the heritage they have passed to us in the Gospel. It is also introductory for what it means to be Baptist in the 21st century. We need to believe, communicate, and live a more robust and comprehensive view of the Gospel as we move forward as Baptists in this century. We have to be gospel-centered instead of centering on something else. For too long in Southern Baptist circles being Gospel-centered has meant praying a prayer to receive Jesus as your Savior and then sharing him with others so He can become their Savior. The Gospel is MORE than that, and being Gospel-centered means not only believing but living the Gospel. The Gospel is far too glorious to explain in one post, so we will often be exploring the subject of what it means to be Gospel-centered and how that works out in our lives, churches, and ministries.
Jon Akin
