The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-05/22/2014 DISCLAIMER: Baptist Press should be credited for any reprinted stories that originate with BP. Suggested credit line: Reprinted from Baptist Press (www.baptistpress.com), news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. Please note that Baptist Press periodically carries stories from other sources by permission. Individuals interested in reprinting non-BP stories should contact the entity where the story originated to seek reprint permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ministry to children builds disciples at Kansas church by Tobin Perry Date: May 22, 2014 - Thursday LENEXA, Kan. (BP) -- Westside Family Church feeds 3,000 kids daily in four countries. Families from the church have adopted more than 100 children in the United States and internationally. The church helps fill backpacks with food for hungry children and teenagers, and it is a regional support and training center for foster care and adoption in the Kansas City area. Yet, the Southern Baptist church's executive pastor, Dan Chaverin, says there's a bigger picture to the congregation's ministry to children. "We're very focused on making disciples," Chaverin, says of the Lenexa, Kan., church. "Our mission is loving Jesus, becoming like Jesus and sharing Jesus. That's the best definition of a Christ-follower that we can muster. The service we're doing [for children] is very integrated into that discipleship process." Westside's involvement in this ministry has been a gradual process, initiated in large part by many in the church's leadership being personally involved in adoption. Chaverin, whose family adopted a daughter from China, says many of the church's pastors were heavily impacted by encountering orphans on mission trips to India, Thailand and South Africa. Several have adopted children of their own. One of the church's pastors was involved in the foster care system as a youth. But the most important trigger for Westside's work among children came from observing where God was moving in the church's ministry efforts -- particularly internationally. "It seems a little obvious, but for us, we started noticing that where we were seeing fruit had to do with orphan care," Chaverin said. "That really focused us on the fact we were going to help these kids -- not just short-term with relief, but long-term with their education, with their health and with their spiritual walk with Christ --and even in community development. So that theme emerged, and it was all God's working." As church leaders and church members returned from mission trips to help orphans internationally, they began to notice similar ministry opportunities not far from home. The church had already been partnering with an inner-city ministry in nearby Kansas City, Kan., and could discern a growing passion among volunteers and leaders to minister to inner-city children and youth in need of help. The church began filling up backpacks with food for kids to have during the weekends, when students are unable to rely on school-provided meals. "We began to realize that if we're going to make a difference, we're going to have to move beyond our ministry outreach," Chaverin said. "We're going to need to take some of these kids into our homes." Westside has also become a training hub for the region -- a place where its own members and other congregations can come for help with the fostering and adoption process. The church offers classes designed to help those considering adoption learn more about the process and parenting classes to help with children coming from tough backgrounds. In the past year the church has hired an adoption and foster care director, Jen Decker, to help coordinate many of these local initiatives. Chaverin said Decker has played a key role in connecting the church with a variety of national resources to help prospective foster and adoptive parents. "Orphans are so close to the Father's heart, so close to His character and love for the underdog," Chaverin said. "Anything you attempt to do here, He will be behind it. He will fill your sails. We've found that anything you do with this will be fruitful simply because it's so close to the heart of God." With so many opportunities available to those who want to help children, Chaverin suggests churches look for their unique ministry expression -- depending upon their resources, gifting and context as a church. Despite the church's all-out commitment to helping meet the physical needs of children (and adults), Chaverin says spiritual needs remain paramount. The church's ministry efforts are all part of its two-year "All In" goal to reach 1,000 families for Christ. "In this day and age you often have to show people you love them before you tell them the good news," Chaverin said. "It's very much about loving people authentically because that's who we are as Christ-followers. In that loving journey with others we're going to be a witness to the greatness of Christ." To find out more about a growing network of churches, like Westside, committed to demonstrating God's love by meeting significant human needs while sharing Christ, visit www.namb.net/loveloud. For more information about Westside Family Church and its "All In" efforts to help neglected children, visit www.westsidefamilychurch.com. --30-- Tobin Perry writes for the North American Mission Board. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp) -------------------------------------------------------------------- Flooding stirs response in Eastern Europe by Nicole Lee Date: May 22, 2014 - Thursday KRALJEVO, Serbia (BP) -- In the midst of the worst flooding Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina have faced in 120 years, International Mission Board and Baptist Global Response representatives are working to meet needs and share hope. Heavy rains hit the Eastern European countries this month, causing severe damage and forcing thousands from their homes. Josh and Kristen,* IMB workers in Kraljevo, Serbia, said the death toll is rising as the water recedes. "Please pray for this nation we love and its people," Kristen said. "In Kraljevo alone, there are over 1,000 flooded homes and 6,000 displaced people." BGR released funds May 18 to purchase food for those in need. The day before, Ondrej Franka, president of the Union of Baptist Churches in Serbia, issued an urgent appeal for food, clothing, bottled drinking water, rubber boots, blankets and other bedding and hygiene packs. Josh and his son Dayne have been gathering blankets, clothes and hygiene products for distribution to those affected by the flooding. They have also helped clear debris from homes. The Serbian people have shown tremendous resiliency since the disaster, Josh and Kristen say. "Rather than being frozen by despair, everyone is out working, helping people and praising the Lord things were not worse," Kristen said. When the flood hit, one family had just completed renovations on their home, which was damaged four years ago by an earthquake. "They said they will just begin again," she said. While Josh and Dayne have been collecting supplies and helping repair homes, Kristen and her other four children have been praying together for the Serbian people and baking cookies to be given away. Josh hands out bags of cookies and a Bible to anyone he meets, sharing a message of hope. Franka, president of the Union of Baptist Churches, said above all, the Serbian people need prayers. "This is the most important as we minister to our beloved people in the name of the Lord," he said. "This disaster can be used in God's providence that something good may come out of it. This is great opportunity to help Serbia and show the people and especially authorities that God cares, and not only for the physical needs of Serbian people but spiritual even more." Kristen agreed: "Our prayer is that many will come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior through this awful tragedy." Pray: -- For the water to dry up quickly now that the rain is slowing. -- For those who are stranded and need assistance. -- For families who have lost loved ones. -- For God to protect against any type of outbreak or epidemic as a result of the flood. To learn more about how you can help flood victims, visit gobgr.org. --30-- *Last name omitted for security reasons. Nicole Lee is a writer for the International Mission Board based in Europe. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ronnie Floyd Q&A for SBC president by Staff Date: May 22, 2014 - Thursday BALTIMORE (BP) -- Arkansas pastor Ronnie Floyd, as one of three pastors to be nominated for SBC president in June, responded to six questions Baptist Press posed to each candidate. Floyd's nomination was announced Feb. 20 by R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. Floyd has led Cross Church in northwest Arkansas for 27 years, now with campuses in Springdale, Rogers and Fayetteville. Among Floyd's leadership roles in the Southern Baptist Convention, he chaired the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force (2009-10) that set forth wide-ranging recommendations for expanding the SBC's missions outreach. Earlier, he served as chairman of the SBC Executive Committee and was a member of the mid-1990s SBC's Program and Structure Task Force that produced The Covenant for a New Century restructuring and refocusing of the SBC's entities. Floyd has been a key organizer of two pastor/leader prayer gatherings that each drew participants from nearly 30 states in recent months -- a Jan. 13-14 meeting in Atlanta attended by 400 pastors and leaders and a Sept. 30-Oct. 1 meeting in the Dallas-Fort Worth area attended by 175-plus pastors. Floyd also has served as general editor for the updated and enhanced version of "Bible Studies for Life," LifeWay's most popular Bible study curriculum series, released last fall. He led an advisory team of pastors and ministry leaders to help design the new material from a church perspective. Floyd also serves as lead pastor and strategist with the North American Mission Board for its Send North America church planting strategy. He is the author of 10 books, including "Our Last Great Hope: Awakening the Great Commission" (2011) and "The Power of Prayer and Fasting" (2010). Floyd holds doctor of ministry and master of divinity degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Texas and an undergraduate degree from Howard Payne University, also in Texas. The new SBC president will succeed New Orleans pastor Fred Luter of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, who became the first-ever African American to lead the SBC when he was elected in 2012. A Q&A with one of the other nominees, Kentucky pastor Jared Moore, also appears in today's Baptist Press edition. A Q&A with Maryland pastor Dennis Manpoong Kim, whose nomination was announced May 20, will appear in a future BP posting. Baptist Press requested each nominee to respond within 150 words to each question. Ronnie Floyd's answers to BP questions BP: What influence on the Southern Baptist Convention do you pray to have during the two consecutive one-year terms that an SBC president typically serves? FLOYD: If called upon to serve as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, I would humbly urge Southern Baptists to join me in two vital efforts. First, I will call upon us to cry out to God in extraordinary prayer for the next great spiritual awakening in America. No great movement of God ever occurs without being preceded by the extraordinary prayer of God's people. Second, I will do all I can to lead Southern Baptists to do all we can together to accelerate our pace in completing the Great Commission. It is imperative we penetrate lostness in our churches, states, nation and across the entire world. Evangelizing, baptizing, discipling, sending and giving must be escalated. Southern Baptists have had a Conservative Resurgence. We are in the midst of a Great Commission Resurgence. The greatest need in this moment is to see God bring the next Great Awakening. BP: If elected as SBC president, in what ways do you envision calling Southern Baptists forward in seeking to fulfill the Great Commission? FLOYD: I was privileged to lead the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. Through that report, Southern Baptists have taken important steps to penetrate the lostness of our nation and world. As president, I will call upon our churches, associations, state conventions and all SBC entities to do all we can together to accelerate our pace in completing the Great Commission. The SBC's ethnic and racial diversity should be celebrated and encouraged. I will call upon us to return to the power of His Gospel, prioritizing the evangelizing of lost people, baptizing them and establishing a genuine culture for discipling all believers in the church, and return to aggressively evangelizing teenagers and young adults. Accelerating the pace of completing the Great Commission demands we address the financial future of the Southern Baptist Convention and its support of all of our Great Commission ministries, especially how we can increase penetrating global lostness. BP: Describe ways you have led your church to be involved in Great Commission outreach through Southern Baptist cooperative missions and the Cooperative Program. FLOYD: In the journey of leading the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force, God changed my life and ministry. Confronted with the reality of lostness, I was convicted to give the rest of my life to influencing and investing in others to win the world to Christ. Last year, Cross Church contributed over $700,000 through the Cooperative Program, ranking number one in Arkansas and 18 nationally in total CP giving. Projected to top $750,000 this year, our CP giving increased significantly even during our nation's Great Recession. We made sacrifices to give more, like eliminating our national television ministry. Since 2000, our church has invested in and planted 101 churches -- 56 in the last three years. In 2014, we are investing in 27 church plants, 15 of which are in 13 of the North American Mission Board's designated SEND cities. Mobilizing laypeople, including youth, is vital to our missions commitments. BP: In what ways do you see the SBC president coming alongside leaders of the International Mission Board, North American Mission Board, LifeWay Christian Resources, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, GuideStone Financial Resources and the convention's six seminaries to undergird and encourage their respective ministries? FLOYD: As president, I would be a strong advocate for our Southern Baptist Convention entities and tell the story of what we are doing together to reach the world for Jesus Christ. I have been privileged to serve in various capacities in the SBC over the years. Currently, I serve as lead pastor and strategist for Send North America, the strategic church planting initiative of the North American Mission Board. I also serve as the general editor for LifeWay's Bible Studies for Life curriculum series. I'm the most surprised that the Lord has given me such opportunities of service. Also, we must always value our partnerships with state conventions and associations, working with all of them together to reach the world for Jesus Christ. I love the Southern Baptist Convention for all we do for the Kingdom of God, and I'm grateful for all opportunities to serve all fellow Southern Baptists. BP: If elected as SBC president, how do you foresee speaking to the next generation of Southern Baptist leaders to be involved in expanding the convention's Great Commission work? FLOYD: For the past five years, I have been speaking to next generation leaders about their personal involvement in our convention's Great Commission ministries. Through the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force report, I think we have handed the next generation a vision for which they are very excited and becoming increasingly engaged. As president, I will continue to listen to young leaders, appeal to them and convey their interests and concerns to our leadership. Cross Church has modeled my concern for the next generation by investing in young leaders through our Cross School of Ministry, a one-year ministry residency. It's my desire to reinvent our annual meeting with the goal of making it a spiritual experience that is so fresh and exciting that all generations are compelled to come and be sent out with a renewed engagement with who we are and what we do as Southern Baptists. BP: What do you see as the key moral issues of our day and how the SBC president can represent Southern Baptists as America increasingly moves away from Judeo-Christian values? FLOYD: As the cultural landscape of America is changing rapidly, it is imperative that the SBC president walks closely with SBC leaders to articulate a clear message representing the Lord, His Word and our churches. We must uphold the clear biblical view of marriage, the sanctity of human life and religious freedom. We must defend the defenseless, including the poor and victims of human trafficking. We must pray for justice to be done -- that God's will is done on earth as it is in heaven. As we encounter those with whom we disagree, let us be faithful to hold up simultaneously the truth of God and the love of God, communicating with compassion God's Word. I resonate with ERLC President Dr. Russell Moore's call for "convictional kindness" in addressing our culture, and it's one that I would seek to emulate if I'm privileged to be SBC president. --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press editor Art Toalston. Ronnie Floyd is on the Web at www.ronniefloyd.com. In other interviews, click here for Floyd's interview with Jason Allen, president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and here for Floyd's interview with the Arkansas Baptist News. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Jared Moore Q&A for SBC president by Staff Date: May 22, 2014 - Thursday BALTIMORE (BP) -- Kentucky pastor Jared Moore, as one of three pastors to be nominated for SBC president in June, responded to six questions Baptist Press posed to each candidate. Moore's nomination was announced May 7. Bennie Smith, a deacon at New Salem Baptist Church in Hustonville, Ky., where Moore is pastor, will nominate him. Paul Sanchez, pastor of Willow Baptist Church in Brooksville, Ky., was originally announced as the nominator but said he will not be making the nomination. Moore has led New Salem for the past four years, serving previously as a pastor and youth pastor in Tennessee. Moore is the current second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He has served as a teaching assistant at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and an online adjunct professor at Mid-Continent University in Mayfield, Ky. Moore is a regular contributor to the SBC Voices website and is the author of "10 Sacred Cows in Christianity that Need to Be Tipped" and "The Harry Potter Bible Study: Enjoying God Through the Final Four Harry Potter Movies." Moore holds a bachelor of arts from Trinity College of the Bible, a master of arts in religion from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and a master of divinity from Southern Seminary. He is a doctor of philosophy student at Southern majoring in systematic theology. The new SBC president will succeed New Orleans pastor Fred Luter of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, who became the first-ever African American to lead the SBC when he was elected in 2012. A Q&A with one of the other nominees, Arkansas pastor Ronnie Floyd, also appears in today's Baptist Press edition. A Q&A with Maryland pastor Dennis Manpoong Kim, whose nomination was announced May 20, will appear in a future BP posting. Baptist Press requested each nominee to respond within 150 words to each question and edited extended responses. Jared Moore's answers to BP questions BP: What influence on the Southern Baptist Convention do you pray to have during the two consecutive one-year terms that an SBC president typically serves? MOORE: I hope to encourage all Southern Baptists to continue laboring for God's glory, especially those who serve in difficult areas for ministry. I hope to encourage young leaders and leaders of small churches to be more involved in the ministries of the Cooperative Program and in the annual convention. If I am elected, I plan to invite many small church leaders to serve on the committees I appoint. Large church leaders will be invited as well, but there will be many new faces. Not only must the SBC president encourage all Southern Baptists, he must seek to involve all Southern Baptists in the decision-making process. There is much untapped potential in Southern Baptist churches and I hope to invite faithful Southern Baptists to serve who have not served before. The appointments will represent the diversity of the SBC by being multi-generational and multi-ethnic, while also pulling from small and large churches in rural and urban areas. BP: If elected as SBC president, in what ways do you envision calling Southern Baptists forward in seeking to fulfill the Great Commission? MOORE: My goal is to call all Southern Baptists to faithfulness to God as revealed in His Word. We must be satisfied in God while having a healthy dissatisfaction with our tangible results. To the preacher, to the Sunday School teacher, to the missionary, if you preach or teach and no one repents, don't you give up. You remain faithful, you continue preaching and teaching and you pray until God raises the dead. Of course, we must examine our ministry, look for other avenues to share the Gospel and seek to be more effective in our Gospel presentation but always remember that we cannot raise the dead. Another voice must be heard along with our voices. Pray, preach and teach until our hearers hear His voice. BP: Describe ways you have led your church to be involved in Great Commission outreach through Southern Baptist cooperative missions and the Cooperative Program. MOORE: New Salem Baptist Church (NSBC) participated in Find It Here two years in a row through the Lincoln County Baptist Association (LCBA) and the Kentucky Baptist Convention (KBC). We went door to door in our community handing out copies of the Gospel of John, sharing the Gospel and inviting people to Easter Sunday worship. In 2011, NSBC hosted a disaster relief training day for those interested in serving on the chainsaw teams. When the tornado hit in West Liberty, Ky., in 2013, the KBC connected us to a Southern Baptist church there. We took a group up for a weekend mission trip to help with homes for families who had lost their homes. We worked with one of the family members on his house and were able to share Christ with him. For the second year in a row, NSBC is heading to Pawnee, Okla., in July to serve with other Southern Baptist churches at a day camp for local children at Camp Crossway. The children who repent and believe will be left in the care of local Southern Baptist churches for discipleship. A few months ago, NSBC hosted the LCBA's semi-annual meeting. Southern Baptist churches of Lincoln County came together to eat, fellowship and encourage one another in our efforts to continue making disciples. Also, a few weeks ago, NSBC participated in the LCBA's "Great Awakening Revival" joint effort of Southern Baptist churches in the County. We long for revival! BP: In what ways do you see the SBC president coming alongside leaders of the International Mission Board, North American Mission Board, LifeWay Christian Resources, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, GuideStone Financial Resources and the convention's six seminaries to undergird and encourage their respective ministries? MOORE: The leaders of our entities have an enormous responsibility. My hope is to encourage their endeavors to be good stewards of Southern Baptist resources for fulfilling the Great Commission. The reality, however, is that most of these entities cannot fulfill their responsibilities to Southern Baptists if Southern Baptists do not give through the Cooperative Program. New Salem Baptist Church believes in the Cooperative Program. We give 16 percent of our undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program. I hope to encourage Southern Baptist churches to continue giving and to increase their giving. Giving through the Cooperative Program is still the best way to fulfill the Great Commission. Southern Baptists should come alongside our entities and their leaders for the sake of making disciples worldwide. Let's unite to make our entities all that they can be! BP: If elected as SBC president, how do you foresee speaking to the next generation of Southern Baptist leaders to be involved in expanding the convention's Great Commission work? MOORE: We can do far more together than we can if we are divided. All generations of Southern Baptists should support the Cooperative Program for at least four reasons: 1) The "all nations" Great Commission (IMB). 2) The church planting disciple-making biblical model (NAMB). 3) confessionally biblical training (BF&M) by top Christian scholars and seasoned pastors (SBTS, NOBTS, SWBTS, SEBTS, MBTS and GGBTS). 4) The confessionally Southern Baptist representation in the marketplace of ideas (ERLC). The ministries funded through the Cooperative Program are not perfect but they are still the best way to support worldwide disciple-making. If you see issues with the Cooperative Program or her ministries, get involved in the local, state and national associations and convention(s) to help make our ministries and entities all they can be. Help us constantly ask and answer the question, "Are we using God's resources in the best possible way to fulfill His Great Commission for His glory?" Let us sweat and bleed together until all nations praise His name! BP: What do you see as the key moral issues of our day and how can the SBC president represent Southern Baptists as America increasingly moves away from Judeo-Christian values? MOORE: Abortion is the greatest moral issue facing not only our country but all of humanity and arguably the greatest evil our country has ever participated in. Over 50,000,000 innocent human beings have been murdered since 1973. As Christians, Southern Baptists must love our unborn neighbors. We must also help parents see that they have other options besides taking innocent life. Currently, biblical marriage is being attacked on all sides. Christians should continue to unashamedly say what the Bible says and vote in accord with their consciences as informed by God through Scripture. The only definition of marriage recognized by Jesus Christ -- one man and one woman in a loving relationship covenanted together for life (Mark 10:6-9) -- should be the only definition recognized by Southern Baptists. I believe the SBC president should represent Southern Baptists by saying what the BF&M and Scripture clearly say. Some moral issues are clearer than others. The Scriptures, however, are our ultimate authority -- timeless truths that are inerrant and always relevant and sufficient for human flourishing regardless of how much times passes or how far a culture gets away from the Word of God. Southern Baptists, however, must realize that our neighbors will not be transformed by government or civil laws. Our neighbors need the Gospel! The moral issues in this country are a direct result of a denial of the supremacy of Christ. Only through calling sinners to repent and believe will hearts be changed, and only then will America change." --30-- Compiled by Baptist Press chief national correspondent David Roach. Jared Moore is on the Web at jaredmoore.exaltchrist.com. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Desire God first, Platt says at NOBTS by Frank Michael McCormack Date: May 22, 2014 - Thursday NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Personal holiness is among a minister's greatest needs, David Platt said during a seminar on the "spiritual life of the minister" at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. "I know myself really well, and I know I'm not certainly always a model of strength in this issue we're about to talk about," Platt said. "So I'm just sharing this as one fellow struggler in the battle alongside you." Platt, pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Ala., and a graduate of New Orleans Seminary, presented six characteristics of spiritually healthy ministry leaders, gleaned from the story of Elijah in 1 and 2 Kings. The seminar, which followed a chapel sermon by Platt, was held in the seminary's Martin Chapel with a capacity crowd in attendance. First, ministry leaders must find strength "in the solitude of God's presence," Platt said. In 1 Kings 17, with turmoil in Israel demanding Elijah's attention, God tells him to "depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan." "I think this is cluing us in to a reality that we need not forget: The most important part of our lives and our ministries is the part no one else sees," Platt said. He shared an acrostic to guide daily praying -- P.R.A.Y. "P" stands for praising God. Platt said he keeps a computer nearby during his quiet time. As he prays, he types out his thoughts and prayers. He often listens to music, which he said helps guide his thoughts and shapes his praise. He also prays through Scripture. "R" is for repentance. Being specific is important in confession and repentance, Platt said, recommending that believers write their prayers of repentance. "Repentance leads to rest in Christ," he said. "A" stands for asking. "Ask for God's glory. Ask for God's gifts. Ask God for His grace, forgiveness of sins. Ask God for His guidance," Platt said. Balancing planned and spontaneous petitions is important in prayer, Platt said. He schedules prayer for his family, his church and himself because there are specific issues he wants to make subjects of regular intercession. He also visits OperationWorld.org, which provides a prayer guide for a different country each day and helps Christians pray for the entire world over a year. "I think it's wise to be intentional about intercession," Platt said. "Y" stands for yielding to God's plan and purpose. Platt noted that believers should pair praying with fasting. "More than I want food, I want God. More than I need lunch, I need His Word, I need His power. More than I want my hunger to cease, I want His Kingdom to come," Platt said. Second, the will of ministry leaders must be "completely abandoned to the Word of God," Platt said. He read through portions of 1 Kings 17-18, emphasizing every occurrence of "Word" in reference to the Word of God. "It's the Word of God that's guiding, directing, leading everything that Elijah is doing," Platt said during the May 1 seminar. "So just a simple reminder: This Word is all we've got when it comes to leading the church." Platt urged ministry students to have a daily pattern of reading the Bible. Once again, he offered an acrostic -- R.E.A.P. -- to guide Scripture reading. It stands for Read, Examine, Apply, Pray. Scripture memorization should be an element of personal Bible study, Platt said. He dismissed the common excuse that memorizing Bible verses is too difficult. "I think about that 'Frozen' soundtrack," Platt said, evoking laughter. "People can memorize in our culture just fine." Third, leaders must "take risks for God's great glory." Platt pointed to Elijah's opposition of the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18 and the battle of Jericho in Joshua 6. Both events unfolded in such a way that only God could receive glory. "When the people of Israel take the city of Jericho in Joshua 6, what you don't see is all the Israelites going up to the trumpet players and telling them what an incredible job they did. 'Ralph, I never heard you play that well. Harry, you hit the high C and it was awesome,'" Platt said. "No, you see people on their faces saying, 'Only God could've done this.'" Fourth, leaders always receive grace sufficient for their spiritual battles. In 1 Kings 19, following the defeat of the prophets of Baal, Jezebel vows to have Elijah killed. In fear and discouragement, Elijah runs for his life. How, after such a great victory, could Elijah so quickly be so discouraged? Again, Platt offered a personal testimony. "Some of the greatest victories I've experienced in ministry have often been followed right on their heels with some of my greatest struggles in ministry. There's something about ministry in the Kingdom that you can go from high to low just like that," he said, snapping his fingers. When Elijah fled to the wilderness and experienced God's provision, he learned "to treasure God over and above his plans to glorify God," Platt said. "... Will you and I be satisfied in simply knowing God and doing what He has told us to do?" Fifth, ministry leaders must leave a legacy for God's glory among people they will never meet in this life. As Elijah's earthly departure approached, he spent time visiting other spiritual leaders who would remain after he was gone. "This is the essence of what disciple making is all about, right? The fruit of your life of ministry doesn't stop with those who are right around you," Platt said. Sixth, ministry leaders must know that this world is not their home. Platt saw a challenge for living in how Elijah approached his departure to heaven. "Knowing this world is not our home, let's live so we will be found faithful on that day," Platt said. --30-- Frank Michael McCormack writes for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- 2nd VIEW: Adrian Rogers, 'rising star of Memphis,' elected 35 years ago by David Roach Date: May 22, 2014 - Thursday EDITOR'S NOTE: 2nd VIEW is a key Baptist Press story that has been posted within the past several days. For a listing of additional key stories in Baptist Press in recent days, always take a look at the daily RECENT NEWS listing. Originally posted May 22, 2014 NASHVILLE (BP) -- Thousands of messengers had arrived in Houston to vote for Adrian Rogers in the presidential election at the 1979 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. Some with limited resources had traveled hundreds of miles and were sleeping in tents in hopes of restoring their denomination to theological orthodoxy. There was just one problem: It was the night before the election and Rogers wasn't sure that God wanted him to be nominated. When he encountered fellow conservative leaders Paige Patterson and Jerry Vines in a hotel lobby, the three of them, along with Rogers' wife Joyce, went to pray about the matter in Rogers' room. After hours of seeking God's will, Joyce Rogers, feeling God's leading, signaled to her husband, and he said, "I will do it." The following afternoon, Rogers, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., was elected over five other candidates on the first ballot with 51 percent of the vote. The Conservative Resurgence had begun. Thirty-five years later, observers say Rogers, who died in 2005, was the pivotal leader in the SBC's struggle to make belief in the Bible's inerrancy a bedrock commitment of all convention entities -- a commitment that undergirds Southern Baptists' evangelistic outreach at home and abroad. Inerrancy is the doctrine that the Bible is completely free from error regarding theology, history, science and every other matter to which it speaks. The group who advocated inerrancy and elected Rogers labeled themselves "conservatives," a reference to theology more than political ideology. Opponents of the conservatives -- many of whom held orthodox beliefs but thought theological diversity should be tolerated in the SBC -- were called "moderates." Frank S. Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee, said he is excited to see a young generation of pastors who believe the Word of God and hold to a high degree of understanding of its authenticity. "I believe that this new reality is directly attributable to great men who stood strong for the Gospel and especially Dr. Adrian Rogers," he said. "His election 35 years ago signaled a grassroots movement that has changed our entire denominational mindset. Thank God for Dr. Adrian Rogers." 'Manning the pumps' Despite the last-minute decision to run, Rogers was motivated to serve the convention by events stretching back to his days as a student at Stetson University in Florida when he learned that some professors funded by the Cooperative Program questioned doctrines that most Southern Baptists regarded as foundational to the Christian faith. In one class taught by an ordained Baptist minister, Rogers "heard the great historic truths of the faith demeaned over and over," Joyce Rogers wrote in "Love Worth Finding," a biography of her husband. After class one day, Rogers gathered the courage to confront his professor and asked, "Sir, are you really saved?" In response the professor defined salvation as "that experience when a man escapes the consequences of a maladjustment to his fellow man" and said, "I don't know if there is a heaven or hell." Soon Rogers learned that the problem in Baptist life was not isolated to his university. By the mid-20th century, "the view that the Bible was not the Word of God had become common among professors at Southern Baptist seminaries," Baptist historian Gregory Wills wrote in "Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1859-2009." Wills explained that for much of the 20th century, seminary administrators tried to persuade the denomination that their professors were orthodox while at the same time trying to persuade professors to conceal their more objectionable views, revealing them only at strategic moments to sympathetic audiences. Southern Seminary professor Bill Hull, for example, was known to hide progressive views in book reviews on modern French or Belgian New Testament scholarship. "I often like to 'bury' such comments in material that will be read only by those who need to see it," Hull wrote in a 1966 letter to Southern Seminary President Duke McCall. Occasionally, however, Southern Baptists caught a glimpse of what seminaries were teaching. In 1961, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary professor Ralph Elliott's "The Message of Genesis," published by the Baptist Sunday School Board, argued that some of the stories in Genesis were historically inaccurate, including the flood and the sacrifice of Isaac. Sixteen of the SBC's 28 state paper editors criticized the book, and the 1962 annual meeting in San Francisco adopted a motion expressing "abiding and unchanging objection to the dissemination of theological views in any of our seminaries which would undermine ... faith in the historical accuracy and doctrinal integrity of the Bible." Eventually Elliott was fired. But C.R. Daley, editor of Kentucky Baptists' Western Recorder journal, said there were many other seminary professors like him. If Elliot is "a heretic, then he is one of many," Daley said according to a 1983 Christianity Today article. "... Professors in all our seminaries know that Elliott is in the stream of thinking with most of them, and is more in the center than some." Rogers believed that some seminary administrators were being dishonest about what faculty members believed and that some faculty held views that were unacceptable to the Southern Baptists who funded them. The problem wasn't isolated to the seminaries. In 1969, the Sunday School Board published a commentary on Genesis by British scholar G. Henton Davies that claimed Genesis 1-11 was not historical and that Abraham was mistaken in his belief that God commanded him to sacrifice Isaac. The 1970 SBC passed a motion calling for the book to be withdrawn and rewritten. Rogers believed that he faced a choice: leave the convention or lead a change. "Adrian considered leaving the denomination," Joyce Rogers wrote. "This would be a major step should he do so. It would require his leading his church to come out of the denomination or else resigning. But in his heart he believed something could and should be done. He used this analogy. The Southern Baptist Convention is a good old ship that has taken on much water and is slowly sinking. The choices seemed to be to abandon the ship or to man the pumps. He chose the latter and was ultimately blessed in 'manning the pumps' along with others." 'Rising star' of Memphis As Rogers was realizing the extent of the problem, other conservatives were realizing what to do about it. Paul Pressler, a judge in Houston, and William Powell, editor of the Southern Baptist Journal, deduced that the key to changing the convention was winning the presidency. The president appointed the Committee on Committees, which in turn nominated the Committee on Boards (now the Committee on Nominations). The Committee on Boards then nominated trustees of the SBC entities. Conservative trustees could change the entities. A president who appointed conservatives to the Committee on Committees would lead to conservative trustees in two years. A 10-year string of conservative presidents would lead to all the convention's trustee boards being controlled by proponents of inerrancy -- since only a percentage of trustee seats became vacant each year. Pressler banded with Patterson and others to translate the plan into action. Traveling the nation, they organized conservatives to elect a conservative president in 1979. Rogers, who had been nominated in 1976 against his will, was an obvious candidate for the job. But part of Pressler and Patterson's strategy was to keep Rogers away from their informal organization so he wouldn't be labelled a denominational troublemaker, hurting his chances at election. Potential presidential candidates like Rogers, Vines and Charles Stanley "were deliberately kept out of what was happening during the first five years of the controversy," Patterson said in a 1994 interview. "They were aware of it and knew of it but had nothing to do with it whatsoever. That was done on purpose because anybody who was a conceivable candidate for president we deliberately kept at arm's length." With the 1979 convention approaching, conservatives focused on Rogers. Opponents focused on him too, knowing the coming battle in the SBC would be contentious. Daley, a moderate, said in a lecture at Southern Seminary five years later, "Some of us saw the rising star out of Memphis named Adrian Rogers -- in my mind the most brilliant of his group, the one who poses the gravest threat to the Southern Baptist Convention. It was obvious that he was to be the king. It was obvious to some of us that he wasn't the kind of king we wanted." The man to lead Rogers arrived in Houston believing he shouldn't run. Before a Pastors' Conference session in which Rogers and W.A. Criswell, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, were to preach, Criswell told him, "Lad, you need to let us nominate you." Rogers replied, "Dr. Criswell, I don't believe that's what God wants me to do." Nonetheless, Criswell announced in his sermon, "We will have a great time here if for no other reason than to elect Adrian Rogers as our president" -- a remark that drew loud cheers. Despite Rogers' reluctance, messengers were already en route to Houston, planning to vote for him, some at great personal sacrifice. Among them was Sheldon Hale, then the 32-year-old pastor of Andrew Baptist Church in Bowling Green, Ky. With a small convention budget from his church, Hale along with his wife and three young children drove cross country to Houston and slept in a tent outside the city. Hale told Baptist Press that he knew other Southern Baptists who, like him, were concerned about the direction of the convention but didn't have money to stay in expensive hotels near the convention center. They either camped or stayed in cheap hotels far from the annual meeting so that they could cast a vote for Rogers. "I would do it again," Hale, now pastor of First Baptist Church in Silver Grove, Ky., near Cincinnati, said in an interview. "It was hard to travel with three little ones and be camped out. But not only did we enjoy the time with them and they got to experience the time at the convention, we felt like we were part of history." With history in the making, God began to change Rogers' mind. First, Bertha Smith, a longtime Southern Baptist missionary to China called him to say, "Brother Adrian, God wants you to do this." Then another missionary to China, Charles Culpepper, sent a message: "Tell Adrian that I have been with God, and he should allow his nomination." Adrian and Joyce Rogers had devised a system where she would say a number between one and 10 to indicate how confident she was that Adrian's nomination was God's will. The number never rose above five. Yet as Rogers, Vines and Patterson prayed on the eve of the election, Joyce Rogers held up 10 fingers -- and Adrian agreed. When Rogers was elected the next day, surprise was audible in the hall. Some messengers gasped. Others whooped and embraced. But Rogers, himself a bit surprised, had a sense of God's guidance and purpose. Following Rogers, an unbroken line of conservative presidencies -- including two more terms for Rogers between 1986 and 1988 -- helped the convention return to biblical orthodoxy in its entities. All agree that the turnaround was not the work of any one man. Still, even his opponents say there was something special about Rogers' election 35 years ago. Moderate church historian Walter Shurden, who was dean of Southern Seminary's school of theology in the early 1980s, viewed Rogers as the crucial figure in the SBC's conservative movement, which he called "fundamentalism." "I sincerely doubt ... that fundamentalism could have known its measure of success apart from Adrian Rogers," Shurden wrote. "... No other fundamentalist could rival him as preacher, debater, or intransigent believer. When the leadership of the fundamentalists met for their strategy sessions, the press releases often read, 'Adrian Rogers presided.' He was by far fundamentalists' most capable leader and moderates' most formidable opponent." SBC President Fred Luter called Rogers a "giant of the faith" and said he helped save the convention. "Thirty five years ago I was a brand-new Christian sharing the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ on the street corners of New Orleans, trying to transform the neighborhood I grew up in," Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, said. "At the same time Dr. Adrian Rogers was being elected as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, trying to transform an entire convention back to believing in the Bible as the true Word of God. "I shudder to think what our beloved convention would be if not for the courageous stand of Dr. Rogers, Dr. Patterson, Judge Pressler and so many others who stood up for God's Word at a very critical time. May we never forget what this giant of the faith did for the future of the Southern Baptist Convention. Dr. Rogers was truly not only a gift to the SBC but also to the body of Christ." --30-- David Roach is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press, the Southern Baptist Convention's news service. BP reports on missions, ministry and witness advanced through the Cooperative Program and on news related to Southern Baptists' concerns nationally and globally. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email (baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp). -------------------------------------------------------------------- Bible Study: May 25, 2014 by Staff/LifeWay Christian Resources Date: May 22, 2014 - Thursday NASHVILLE (BP) -- This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups. This week's Bible study is adapted from the Explore the Bible curriculum. Bible Passages: Song of Songs 5:6-8; 6:1-3; 8:4-7 Discussion Questions: How might a husband or wife fail at being physically or emotionally present with their spouse? Is it realistic for a person to expect the undivided attention of their spouse? Food for Thought: "He hasn't been here in a while anyway!" Those were the first words that came out of her mouth when talking about her husband. The physical evidence would say otherwise. There were tools and fresh sawdust in the garage. A set of men's golf clubs sat nearby with shoes that were obviously recently worn. On top of that, you had just talked to the husband the evening before as he got the mail. The wife repeats the sentence, only this time she emphasizes the word "here" and motions toward herself. The same kind of sentiment was expressed by the Shullamite in Song of Solomon 5:6-8. She obviously expected her husband to be present. The passage is not clear as to whether Solomon was out of town or distant and preoccupied. Regardless, the result was the same -- she did not have his undivided attention. If he continued to remain away or ignore her, their marriage would be in trouble. Even though her husband was a busy king, she still expected him to be present for her. The same warnings are true for us today. When a husband and wife occupy the same address but fail to invest their attention in each other, their marriage will be in trouble. All kinds of things can get in the way, but ultimately being present comes down to honoring the commitment made when the wedding vows were exchanged. One way of investing in the marriage could be through prayer. What would happen to a marriage if a husband and wife started or ended their week or day by praying together? What if that prayer included asking God to help them give some undivided attention to their spouse? Praying as a couple could be the first step toward being present. Explore the Bible Explore the Bible is an ongoing Bible study curriculum that helps groups dig into the key truths of each Bible book, while keeping the group on pace to study through the Bible books in a systematic way. More information can be found on the Internet at LifeWay.com/ExploreTheBible. Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool. --30-- -------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST-PERSON: Interruptions that God uses by Sharon Yeats Date: May 22, 2014 - Thursday EDITOR'S NOTE: This column by Sharon Yeats emerged from a Missouri Baptist mission trip to the Philippines in late April prior to surgery for stage 3 melanoma she was facing in early May. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (BP) -- The Lord is beginning a new work in my heart about how I view interruptions in my life. Little did I know when I bought a Bible study book by Priscilla Shirer -- "Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted" -- that I would be in the middle of a health interruption several months later, but God's timing is always perfect. The book of Jonah, as Shirer recounts, is about a man whose life was interrupted by God. Jonah was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel. God would give him a word and then he would share it with the people. 2 Kings 14:25 tells us that King Jeroboam set the border of Israel according to the Word of the Lord that Jonah received. Jonah lived in a prosperous Israel. Because he foretold good things to the people, he was probably popular, highly respected and appreciated. Jonah's interruption began in Jonah 1:1 when "the Word of the Lord" came to him: God was changing Jonah's priorities and instructing him to go in an entirely different direction. He would be giving up his plans and the comfort of the familiar to go to Nineveh. We have the privilege of reading the entire book of Jonah at one time, so we see all the events laid out at once. But Jonah didn't have that opportunity. If he could have read all four chapters, he would have seen that what he saw as a huge interruption in his life was really an invitation from God to make a huge difference in the lives of people in Nineveh. The Filipino people we have been ministering to had a huge interruption in their lives by Typhoon Yolanda. But as a result, they have experienced God's love through the helping hands of Missouri Baptists. As we have shared with them, many of them have received Christ. The storm and the response of Southern Baptists from Missouri and other states have been God's transformational instruments. When the strategy for the Missouri disaster relief project was initiated, we were planning to assemble and distribute water filtration systems to the people, but the freighter carrying the filtration parts went down in rough seas. Obviously, when we heard the news of no water filtration, that was an interruption. However, we shifted to construction. After all, the first word on mission trips is "flexibility." So, we began restoring their homes and painting the school. The result was, we had more direct contact with people and many have received Christ. I was excited about the plan to give the people clean water and disappointed when that plan was changed. However, God was more interested in them receiving Living Water. I don't know where this medical interruption in my life will take me, but I want to view it not as an "interruption" but as "God's intervention" in my life for His purposes. As Priscilla Shirer states in her study of Jonah, "When we sign up to follow Christ, we automatically signed up to be open to Divine Interventions -- God interruptions. While His call might not always be convenient or easy, responding to it should not just be a duty but our joy." Living a life devoted to Christ doesn't mean we don't have aspirations or that we shouldn't make plans, but it does mean that we should be open for God to intervene. We should hold our dreams and plans in our hands and not in our hearts. We should be open to the Divine Interventions that come our way to mold us in His image. We can trust Him to have the best plan for us." --30-- Sharon Yeats is the wife of John Yeats, executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention and recording secretary of the Southern Baptist Convention.