If you were not in one of our four morning worship services yesterday, I announced to our congregation that we have made a major strategic and financial decision with the Board of Directors (Financial Leadership) of our church. For a few months, God has really been working in my life about what actions I need to take and our church needs to take to get the Gospel to the nations in a more effective manner. Serving as the Chairman of Southern Baptist’s Great Commission Resurgence Task Force has so changed my life and ministry perspective.

I have been on national television for about 20 years. In fact, upon Richard Jackson’s retirement from the North Phoenix Church, I became the Invitation to Life preacher for the Southern Baptist Convention’s former Radio and Television Commission. Through the years, we have been on the former ACTS network, WGN in Chicago, and for the past several years, only on the DayStar Television Network, which is a growing national and international Christian Network out of Dallas, Texas.

I announced to our congregation today that for a season of time, two or three years or perhaps for a long time beyond, we are suspending our national and international television ministry in order to allocate more money to seeing the nations come to Christ through the work of Southern Baptists. I shared with them that I had to ask myself several hard questions: Is the pure Gospel being preached on this channel by someone besides me? The answer is yes. Is this the best way to appropriate monies so the Gospel can go where it has never been before? The answer is no. While exceptions to this might be justifiable on a secular network, I felt the answer was no on this network, even though we had witnessed many come to faith in Christ. I felt for us to allocate more monies so that more missionaries could go to North America and to the nations of the world would at this time be more beneficial for Kingdom work. Therefore, on Sunday, July 18, we will have our last national and international television broadcast for this season of our lives.

Therefore, under clear and definitive leadership from the Holy Spirit, we are suspending this national and international broadcast in order to allocate more monies to reaching the nations. If we ever go back on television nationally and internationally, it will be beyond the monies we will begin allocating in October of 2010. We will continue to have a weekly reach into our region and perhaps our state through major television affiliates.

The entire experience of some of our Southern Baptist Convention leaders questioning the Great Commission Task Force’s recommended Great Commission Giving, saying that it jeopardizes the Cooperative Program, never made sense to me at all. Why? Well, I knew our own growing commitment to the Cooperative Program. The following has been our journey in monies allocated to the Cooperative Program:

COOPERATIVE PROGRAM GIVING
2007-2008 $243,000
2008-2009 $350,000
2009-2010 $400,000

In the past two years, in the worst of economies, our Cooperative Program gifts have increased 64.60%. This $400,000 we are giving to the Cooperative Program this year is coming from a budget allocation, as well as some monies that come from the “Reaching Our Mission Offering” our people give to annually. With the decision announced today to suspend our national and international television ministry in order for more monies to be allocated to the nations, we will begin to give the following to the Cooperative Program, which is our financial priority as Southern Baptists to see the nations come to Christ:

2010-2011 $500,000 (October 1-September 30)

We are praising God for this decision our leaders have made with us. Therefore, when September 30, 2011 arrives, we will have seen our Cooperative Program giving double over the past four years in some of the worst years of economic challenges in our history. An article reported that our $400,000 gift to the Cooperative Program this year places our church in the Top 50 Southern Baptist Convention churches in total giving to the Cooperative Program, so perhaps this elevation to $500,000 will move us into the Top 25 or 30 churches in total Cooperative Program giving. This has occurred even while last year our own church cut our budget $600,000 and our staff team is closing in on year two without any raises. Hopefully, this 2010-2011 budget will permit me to grant salary increases to our team. The great news in this Cooperative Program allocation as well is that all these monies will come from the source of our budget alone, be consistent annually and become our base commitment in years to come. This will also allow more monies in the future to be allocated through our “Reaching Our Mission Offering” for Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong. This past year may have been our best for those offerings due to our church walking with me in this GCR process. I shared with our team, as well, what I feel these two offerings need to become in the next years and I believe we will see it happen.

This is a huge, strategic shift for us both in ministry and financially, but we are confident of God’s leadership. Our church broke out in spontaneous applause when I announced this to both of our campuses today. Neither Jeana or I expected that at all. With Internet technology, television is changing anyway, and we will engage in new ways to connect through the web around the world.

We believe this strategic and financial move for our ministry will result in placing the Gospel into our state, nation, and world in a more effective long-term way. Please pray for God’s blessing and financial provision for our ministry. We must do so much more in years to come to get the Gospel to the nations. I thank God for this GCR process that has so changed my life and perspective. Thanks for walking with me through this GCR journey. May we truly see a Great Commission Resurgence.

May the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Glory of God be extended to the nations!

This summer is filled with some very exciting moments. You cannot miss July 4, our annual Summer Freedom Celebration. This is the big day for celebrating our nation, but it is also a day to thank our great God! This is why we informally call this our “God and Country Day.” The music and worship will be powerful, and this year we will revisit history under the theme of “GENERATIONS!” I will preach a message that is suitable for the moment.

Late that afternoon and evening, gather with us for our “Fireworks at the Crosses” at The Church at Pinnacle Hills. Last year’s crowd was estimated at 4500-5000 people. It is the greatest fireworks show in our region. If you have been before, I know you will not miss it. If you have never been before, come this year! It is fun, exciting and inspirational. Right before dark and the fireworks display, I will baptize at the foot of the crosses. If you have been waiting to be baptized, wait no longer. Call one of our offices today or sign up online. Just think – you will be able to say, “I was baptized on July 4 at the foot of the crosses!”

Four Fun Sundays with Charles Lowery will highlight July 11, 18, 25, and August 1. While I will be here some, I wanted you to hear Charles (in all of our services) talk about what it means to be “Balanced and Blessed.” Charles was with us about three summers ago and our people loved it! It is a great change of pace for our church as we hear and see God use his unique giftedness among us. Do not miss any of these Sundays.

We need your financial support this summer. Please give consistently and faithfully. We are counting on you to stand with us weekly.

Thanks for Investing in The Summer of 2010!

This past week I was away at the Southern Baptist Convention. This week will be a week of catching up on many details in our ministry.

Some matters occurring of great significance:

1) Over 500 students are attending Student Camp this week. With the oil spill in the Gulf, our camp had to change locations. We were able to secure Camp Windermere in Missouri. We are most grateful.

2) July 4 we will have our God and Country Celebration in the morning services at both campuses. This will be comprised of wonderful music, powerful drama, and a biblical charge from God’s Word.

3) Fireworks at the Crosses will happen on the evening of July 4. Please do not miss this incredible celebration. It is fabulous fun for all.

Pray for Sunday and join me for the last message in our series.

The next few hours may be some of the most critical in the recent history of the Southern Baptist Convention.  Opinions and thoughts have been shared by thousands, but in these hours only God can do what should be done. More than ever before, we must pray.  We must pursue God.  We must cry out to God for revival and awakening.

As the GCR presentation is made on Tuesday at 2:45 p.m. (EST) and the messengers have an opportunity to discuss and determine the destination of the seven recommendations of the GCR Task Force, we are trusting God for His will to be done.  We believe Southern Baptists desire greatly to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and make disciples of all the nations. Wouldn’t it be great if in our time of sharing about Christ’s Commission to our church, His Spirit just fell upon us and we were all enveloped in His presence? From that point and place, we will experience a Great Commission Resurgence.

As we enter these final hours would you remember to pray for our seven points of prayer?  Please use this guide in these final hours:

SEVEN POINTS OF PRAYER for the GREAT COMMISSION RESURGENCE Task Force and the 2010 Southern Baptist Convention

On Tuesday, June 15, from 2:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (EST), the Southern Baptist Convention will make its decision on the report and recommendations of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force.

In order to prepare for this spiritually, we are inviting you to agree with us in prayer over the following “Seven Points of Prayer.”  Please begin praying with us daily all the way through June 16.  Thanks for your faithfulness.

Prayer Point #1:  Pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon us during our time of hearing, discussing, and determining our actions towards this report and recommendations.

Prayer Point #2:  Pray that the messengers of the convention will lay aside all personal and preferential agendas and embrace the will and purpose of God as they hear the formal report and recommendations of the GCR Task Force.

Prayer Point #3:  Pray for the GCR Task Force to make their presentation in the power of the Holy Spirit and to be able to answer any questions and concerns of the messengers, resulting in honor being brought to Jesus Christ.

Prayer Point #4:  Pray for Dr. Johnny Hunt and his presidential message to the Southern Baptist Convention on June 15^th at 11:10 a.m. (EST) and for God to use him among us powerfully.

Prayer Point #5:  Pray for Dr. Ronnie Floyd and his presentation to the Southern Baptist Convention at 2:45 p.m. (EST) as the Chairman of the GCR Task Force and for God to use him among us powerfully.

Prayer Point #6:  Pray for a genuine spiritual revival and awakening to be experienced by the people of God, resulting in a mighty move of God and the resurgence of the Great Commission through each of our lives and churches.

Prayer Point #7:  Pray for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Glory of God to extend to all the nations and people groups of the world.

Pray daily:  “May they all be one as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You.  May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me.” (John 17:21)
Please pray through these personally and gather in groups to pray.  May we come together in love for the sake of the Gospel.  May the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Glory of God be extended to the nations.

1000 Thank Yous for Praying.

One week from today we will know how Southern Baptists have voted on the GCR recommendations. Countless tweets, articles, and blogs have been written regarding how the proposed recommendations will affect our convention of churches. Some believe adopting these recommendations will be a major step forward while others see it as the beginning of the unraveling of our convention. Some who oppose the GCR have forecast the worst possible scenarios. Some have expressed genuine concerns. Instead of imagining the worst, I want us to think about what could happen. The “What If.”

Let’s imagine “What If” the GCR recommendations are overwhelmingly adopted by the messengers of our convention next week.

(1) What If…the GCR brought together our convention of churches who rallied around our missional vision and we saw more people saved, baptized, and discipled than we’ve seen in decades?

(2) What If…instead of the demise of the Cooperative Program, we saw a dramatic increase in Cooperative Program giving?

(3) What If…we planted countless churches in our unreached and underserved regions of our own country?

(4) What If…we reached more unreached people groups around the world as a result of more funding and focus going to the nations?

(5) What If…our national entities, state conventions, and local associations partnered with and assisted our churches to greater Great Commission fulfillment than ever before?

(6) What If…we captured the heart of generation who is ready to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth?

(7) What If…we united like never before, creating a new and healthy culture that is God-glorifying in our convention?

“What If”…we had a Great Commission Resurgence?

This is not about the SBC. It’s not about a Task Force. It’s simply about the Gospel. As a convention of churches, what gives us the greatest opportunity to get the Gospel to every person in the world and make disciples of all the nations? I believe the GCR is a step towards that goal. I’ll be voting yes…and I’ll be hoping, praying, and working towards the “What If.”

Soon my own blogging will return to normal. One week from today, we will be in Orlando nearing the opening of the 2010 Southern Baptist Convention. It has been a long and arduous assignment granted to our GCR Task Force. While God has moved in our own lives doing a new thing in all of us, we are ready to make our presentation and have the messengers to the 2010 Southern Baptist Convention act upon them once and for all.

It would bring our GCR Task Force great joy for people to have feelings about our report and act upon them based on the report and recommendations themselves, versus what others say you should believe about it. The other day, one of our Task Force members shared with me a conversation he had with a person about GCR. He asked him to pull the report up online while they were on the phone together. They looked at it together and this individual was totally shocked that the report said what it said. Why? Everything he had been told and had read about the report and recommendations was 180 degrees from the truth. What a tragedy.

I appeal to you – read the report and recommendations on www.pray4gcr.com. Do not let others interpret it for you, just read it. Take it for what it says. All you are voting on are the seven recommendations. You are intelligent and can read for yourself. It is clear, concise, and compelling.

Therefore, be challenged yourself and challenge others – read the GCR Report and Recommendations. Pray about them. We must move forward to advance the Gospel into the utter darkness of this world’s lostness.

The GCR Task Force believes the North American Mission Board exists to assist churches in penetrating the lostness of North America. The 258 million lost people that live on this continent need to have the opportunity to hear the Gospel and become a part of a spiritual family. This is why the recommendations of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force suggest increasing resources to areas where two-thirds of the population of North America resides.

Praise

We need to praise the Lord for the number of people who have met Christ and the number of churches that exist in the southern part of the United States. It is incredible that we have millions of Christ-followers engaged in our churches. We do not need to bemoan this, but praise the Lord for it.

It does not matter if they have small attendances or large attendances, whether they sing hymns or choruses, or dress casually or formally. Any emphasis on those things takes away from the God-sized work God has done in the southern part of the United States. It is humbling to know that many of us have been a part of this movement.

Above all, this work is a glory to our Savior. It is also a commendation to the thousands of our churches in the south. As well, it is a tribute to our state conventions that assist churches located in the southern part of the United States.

Reality

We are faced with a grim reality that not only is there lostness in the southern part of North America, but there is a high proportion of lostness outside the southern states. Unreached and underserved regions abound in North America.

Terry Robertson, Executive Director of the Baptist Convention of New York, informed me that in his assigned territory alone where 28 million people dwell, 27 million of them are in need of experiencing new life in Christ. This staggering number is more than the total population in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Missouri. In 2008, this convention had only 343 churches with a resident membership of 11,931 people.

This story could be repeated over and over again by each leader of our state conventions outside the south. We could talk about San Francisco, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Chicago, Montreal, Ontario, Boston, and the list could continue. We could talk about underserved regions like Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, and that list could go on and on.

However, the story is the same. North America is lost spiritually and something must be done about it.

Access

Due to the great work of our Lord and His people, much of the south has access to the Gospel. Obviously, there are many places in the south that are filled with vast lostness like Miami, New Orleans, Austin, and yes, that list could continue. Lostness does exist in the south; however, access to the Gospel is more probable due to the number of churches present already.

Does this mean that people in the south are less lost than people outside the south? Does this mean we do not need to plant more churches in the south? Absolutely not! Lostness is lostness regardless of where it is, and church planting movements need to occur regardless of geographical location.

The GCR Task Force believes we must create greater access to the Gospel where two-thirds of the population exists in North America. The churches and conventions in the south can work to reach the south with great intensity and intentionality. While they are doing that, we pray they will mobilize and help finance a missional movement to the two-thirds of the North American population. We believe the churches in the south will desire greatly to not only reach their region or state, but the regions of North America where lostness abounds.

Strategic Partnerships

In our final report, we call upon the North American Mission Board to penetrate lostness in partnership with state conventions located in the most unreached and underserved populations of North America. The North American Mission Board can do little to nothing on its own. It needs partners in the Gospel with churches and state conventions. We must work together.

We see these strategic partnerships being integrated. This means that the strategy would be determined through collaboration of all the partners whether they be local churches, local associations, or state conventions. Surely the people who are “the boots on the ground” will have a much better understanding of contextualization than even a missiologist who works in Alpharetta, Georgia. Together they can strategize to penetrate lostness through all kinds of evangelistic strategies and church planting.

We see these strategic partnerships committed to pushing back on lostness. We believe Southern Baptists finance the work of our mission boards because they want to see our churches present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and make disciples of all the nations.

We see these strategic partnerships mobilizing and funding both jointly funded and directly funded missionaries. How they are financed is the role of the North American Mission Board, but the GCR Task Force wants our missionaries assigned and committed to one goal – penetrating the lostness of North America.

Who Wins?

When the Gospel goes where the Gospel has never been before, it is a win. Anyone connected to that kind of movement wins.

The churches in the south win because they join on mission to not only reach their own region, but North America and the world. The conventions in the south win because they have the privilege to ask the churches to step up like never before to penetrate not only the lostness of their state, but lostness across North America and the world. Will there be sacrifice? Yes, but that sacrifice is minimized when you are able to be a part of something that is much bigger than you. The reward will be huge here and in eternity.

The churches and state conventions outside of the south win. If the GCR recommendations are adopted, more resources are on the way to help reach those regions and states for Christ. If your church or association or state convention is about reaching lost people and planting Gospel churches, help is on the way!

The biggest winners will be the people who are transformed by the power of Jesus Christ. The biggest winners will be the regions in North America where Gospel churches are planted and then those new Gospel churches plant even more Gospel churches…

Help is on the way!

Dr. Ronnie W. Floyd
Chairman, Great Commission Resurgence Task Force of the Southern Baptist Convention

Orlando is coming into view. With just days until Southern Baptists gather in Orlando, the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force is eager to present our report to the Southern Baptist Convention.

We have been encouraged along the way by the prayers, interest, and support invested by thousands of faithful and visionary Southern Baptists. We were given an incredible charge by the Convention as it met last year in Louisville. The overwhelming vote to establish the Task Force sent a clear signal that Southern Baptists desire greater faithfulness to the Great Commission.

Every word of our report is written with that singular goal in mind. The Task Force was not assigned the task of reviewing the entire work of the Convention and all of its entities. Instead, we concentrated on the areas of work where we felt the most significant and direct Great Commission gains could be found.

Along the way, we were greatly assisted by countless Southern Baptist leaders, pastors, and laypersons. We have been enriched by the opportunity to meet with Southern Baptists on the front lines of ministry and missions, especially those involved in church planting and international missions.

We are thankful for the thousands of Southern Baptists who have been involved in discussing our work and our report. We have learned from all.

Now, as we head toward Orlando, we ask Southern Baptists to enter into a serious time of prayer. Let us pray that messengers to our Convention will be guided by the Holy Spirit, united with a common commitment to Christ, and energized by excitement for the Great Commission. May the nations of the world be on our hearts, and may the commitment of future generations be on our minds as we meet in Orlando.

The Great Commission Resurgence Task Force believes that our seven recommendations form a unified vision that will chart our future together. Therefore, it is our desire to see the recommendations discussed and acted upon together, not separately. However, this will ultimately be determined by the messengers of the convention. We will wholeheartedly support their decision.

We expect an energetic discussion of our report on the floor of the Southern Baptist Convention, but we also hope for a bold embrace of our report. Our greatest hope is to see Southern Baptists leave Orlando with a bolder commitment, a greater excitement, and a clearer vision for Great Commission faithfulness. May God guide us all as we head for Orlando and the important work of the 2010 Southern Baptist Convention.

On Tuesday, June 15, from 2:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (EST), the Southern Baptist Convention will make its decision on the report and recommendations of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force.  In order to prepare for this spiritually, we are inviting you to agree with us in prayer over the following “Seven Points of Prayer.”  Please begin praying with us daily all the way through June 16.  Thanks for your faithfulness.

Prayer Point #1: Pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon us during our time of hearing, discussing, and determining our actions towards this report and recommendations.

Prayer Point #2: Pray that the messengers of the convention will lay aside all personal and preferential agendas and embrace the will and purpose of God as they hear the formal report and recommendations of the GCR Task Force.

Prayer Point #3: Pray for the GCR Task Force to make their presentation in the power of the Holy Spirit and to be able to answer any questions and concerns of the messengers, resulting in honor being brought to Jesus Christ.

Prayer Point #4: Pray for Dr. Johnny Hunt and his presidential message to the Southern Baptist Convention on June 15 at 11:10 a.m. (EST) and for God to use him among us powerfully.

Prayer Point #5: Pray for Dr. Ronnie Floyd and his presentation to the Southern Baptist Convention at 2:45 p.m. (EST) as the Chairman of the GCR Task Force and for God to use him among us powerfully.

Prayer Point #6: Pray for a genuine spiritual revival and awakening to be experienced by the people of God, resulting in a mighty move of God and the resurgence of the Great Commission through each of our lives and churches.

Prayer Point #7: Pray for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Glory of God to extend to all the nations and people groups of the world.

Pray daily:  “May they all be one as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You.  May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me.” (John 17:21)