The original issue can be found at: http://www.baptistpress.com/issue-11/13/2014 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ellis first black pres. of Tenn. convention by Lonnie Wilkey Date: November 13, 2014 - Thursday BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (BP) -- Tennessee Baptists have elected the first African American president in the convention's history – Memphis pastor Michael C. Ellis. Ellis, pastor of Impact Baptist Church, ran unopposed and was elected unanimously by the 958 registered messengers during the TBC annual meeting, Nov. 11-12 at Brentwood Baptist Church. Ellis served as vice president of the state convention in 2012. Messengers also adopted a report from the Vision 2021 Transition Team that moves the convention forward in its aim to reach a 50/50 percent distribution of Cooperative Program funds with the Southern Baptist Convention by 2018-19. Ellis was nominated by a former TBC president, Fred Shackelford, who said he was "incredibly excited that we have this opportunity to do this long-overdue historic thing, but can I be honest with you?" Shackelford, pastor of Ellendale Baptist Church in Bartlett, then noted, "I don't care what color Michael's skin is. He has what it takes to lead this convention well. He's faithful to the Word, he loves the Lord Jesus and he loves his church." In addition to serving as vice president, Ellis has served on the convention's Committee on Committees and "has proven himself as an excellent leader in our state," Shackelford noted. Ellis' church in inner-city Memphis gives 7.2 percent of its undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program. Ellis described his election as "another opportunity to serve" and said his status as the convention's first African American pastor is not particularly noteworthy. "I just happen to be an African American," Ellis said, but acknowledged that his election is good for the convention. "Race doesn't matter," he said. "That's what I love about our convention." Randy C. Davis, TBC executive director-treasurer, called Ellis' election "a monumental moment" in the history of the state convention. "It's not the color of his skin that matters. It's the content of his heart," Davis affirmed, paraphrasing a sentence from Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic "I Have a Dream" speech." Davis added that Ellis "has done an incredible work in the heart of Memphis." Ellis founded Impact Baptist Church with 20 members in 2006 in his home as an outreach of Impact Ministries of Bellevue Baptist Church and has served Memphis' economically depressed Frayser section. Impact Baptist Church has been a leader in baptisms among Tennessee Baptists, growing to 600 in Sunday worship within four years of its founding and becoming a leader in CP giving among majority African American congregations in the state, according to reports. Ellis earlier served 20 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring in 2001 as a Navy Chief. Among his commendations was 1996 U.S. Navy Shore Sailor of the Year. SBC LIFE, the journal of the SBC Executive Committee, published this feature on Ellis in 2010. Tennessee joins at least 22 other state conventions that have elected African American or other non-Anglos to their presidencies, including among others the Baptist General Association of Virginia, the Baptist General Convention of Texas, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and the Florida Baptist Convention. (For a 2012 overview of ethnic participation in Southern Baptist ministry, written after the election of New Orleans pastor Fred Luter as the first African American SBC president, click here.) Other newly elected Tennessee officers are vice president David Leavell, pastor of First Baptist Church in Millington, and second vice president Nathan Washburn, pastor of First Baptist Church in Greenbrier. Budget TBC messengers approved a 2014-15 budget of $34,250,000, which is $2,250,000 less than the current budget of $36,500,000. The new budget allocates to TBC causes $19,841,025, or 57.93 percent, while directing to SBC missions and ministries $14,408,975, or 42.07 percent. Last year the SBC received 41.25 percent of Tennessee's CP receipts. When the budget was presented during the opening session on Nov. 11, Ron Stewart, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Knoxville, offered an amendment requesting that the "individual budget categories, as identified in the Vision 2021 report, be frozen at the percentage levels of the 2013-14 budget; that all Cooperative Program funds received in the 2014-15 budget year that are in excess of the 2013-14 giving level be designated to the SBC causes until such time as the distribution reaches the 50-50 level"; and "that after the 50-50 level is reached, all future CP funds shall then be equally distributed between the state causes and the SBC with the new percentages determined based on the dollar values for each entity at that time." Stewart described the amendment as "a better way to reach a 50/50 division without hurting some of our key institutions." Several messengers spoke for and against the amendment. Most of those for the amendment cited the need to not reduce funding for Tennessee Baptist institutions while those against the amendment cited the need for sending more funds to the SBC in order to fund more International Mission Board missionaries. Speaking as a messenger from First Baptist Church in Sevierville, Davis said Cooperative Program giving has been in a general decline for the last 13-15 years, and encouraged messengers to adopt the budget as presented. The amendment failed on a ballot vote -- 402-173. The budget was then approved, with a ballot vote of 425-68. Transition Team report The approval of the report of the Vision 2021 Transition Team culminated a four-year process of that began in 2010 when Davis appointed the Vision 2021 Task Force. Team chairman Chuck Groover, pastor of Victory Baptist Church in Mount Juliet, told messengers the team "sought God's direction" to be faithful to the task the convention asked them to do. He stressed that the team was committed to getting to a 50/50 distribution of Cooperative Program receipts with the Southern Baptist Convention by the 2018-19 budget year. "It is our prayer that our bold actions in 2010 and 2012 will not be allowed just to become lip service," he said. Messengers overwhelmingly adopted the team's recommendation of "Five Great Objectives" to shape the direction of the TBC through 2024, the convention's 150th anniversary. -- Seeing at least 50,000 Tennesseans annually saved, baptized and set on the road to discipleship by 2024. -- Revitalizing at least 500 Tennessee Baptist churches by 2024. -- Planting and strategically engaging at least 1,000 new churches by 2024. -- Increasing local church giving through the Cooperative Program to 10 percent by 2024. -- Increasing the annual giving for the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions to at least $3 million by 2024. The second recommendation called for "everyone invited to serve on the boards of TBC entities, on TBC committees, and in elected leadership roles in and with the convention, as well as Executive Board ministry staff, agree to enter a covenant of service in accordance with, and not contrary to, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000." The recommendation passed with limited opposition in a show of hands vote. The third recommendation presented by the Transition Team was an incremental plan to get to a 50/50 distribution of CP funds by the 2018-19 budget year. The vote on this recommendation was postponed until after the budget was approved; it subsequently passed with limited opposition. The final recommendation from the Transition Team reduced the amount of funding from the convention for ministers' retirement accounts. Concern was expressed that the reduction would be a burden for bivocational and single staff pastors but the recommendation was approved with limited opposition. The 2015 annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention will be Nov. 10-11 at First Baptist Church in Millington. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Gay marriage, 'faith' spur judges to resign by David Roach Date: November 13, 2014 - Thursday CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP) -- When Gayle Myrick received a memo from the North Carolina state government threatening criminal prosecution unless she performed gay wedding ceremonies, she knew she had to resign her job as a magistrate -- even though resignation left her unemployed and without retirement benefits at age 64. "When you're grounded in your faith and you know -- especially at my age -- what you believe and whom you believe, decisions come rather quickly," Myrick, a former magistrate in Union County near Charlotte, told Baptist Press. Myrick is one of at least six magistrates in North Carolina who have opted to resign rather than marry homosexual couples following a federal judge's ruling that the state's gay marriage ban is unconstitutional. For at least two of the magistrates -- both of whom have ties to Southern Baptist churches -- the decision to resign has brought financial hardship. But they said obeying God required leaving their jobs. "Why can we have a law that's going to prevent any sect of people from serving in the government?" Myrick said of North Carolina's requirement that state officials perform gay weddings. Magistrates in North Carolina are judicial officers in each county employed by the state to adjudicate minor criminal and civil matters like issuing warrants, setting bail, accepting guilty pleas and performing marriage ceremonies. The state's 670 magistrates are appointed by Superior Court judges. On Oct. 14, all North Carolina magistrates received a memo from Pamela Weaver Best of the Administrative Office of the Courts stating that because a federal court legalized homosexual marriage in the state, magistrates were required to perform gay weddings. Those who refused could face criminal prosecution for committing a class 1 misdemeanor, the memo said, which is punishable by up to 120 days in jail. "If a magistrate refuses to discharge the duties of his or her office, including a refusal to perform a marriage of a same-sex couple, that refusal is grounds for suspension or removal from office, as well as, potential criminal charges," the memo said. In response to the memo Myrick, who attends First Baptist Church in Indian Trail, N.C., resigned three months before she would have become eligible to receive retirement benefits from the state. She also forfeited her $36,000 salary and is now unemployed two weeks before her 65th birthday. "I haven't had any prospects of a job," Myrick said. "I'm still hoping I'll be able to get something because I do need to work." In addition to needing the income, Myrick said she viewed her job as an opportunity to communicate love and hope to people in difficult circumstances. But had she known performing gay weddings would become one of her legal duties, she said she "would not have taken the oath" of office. In Gaston County, also in the Charlotte area, former magistrate William Stevenson shares Myrick's objection to performing gay marriage ceremonies. He shares her experience of financial hardship as well. A licensed attorney, Stevenson, 43, gave up a $47,550 salary when he resigned as a magistrate rather than perform gay weddings. To support his two children, he has accepted a temporary job doing administrative work for Operation Christmas Child while he searches for long-term employment. "I'm going on faith," Stevenson told BP. "This is all a God thing. I could not do this without the Lord. He has been faithful to bless me financially somewhat since this has happened." A member of South Point Baptist Church in Belmont, N.C., and a supply preacher in local churches, Stevenson said performing same-sex weddings would violate God's Word. Marriage "is a fundamental thing the Lord has set up" in Genesis, Stevenson said. "Marriage is to be between a man and a woman, and one man and one woman. And of course that's reiterated by the Lord Jesus." Had Stevenson remained on the job as a magistrate but refused to perform gay weddings, he could have been disbarred as an attorney and sued under federal law in addition to facing criminal charges. He compared the plight of Christian magistrates in North Carolina with that of Peter and John in Acts 4, where they had to decide between obeying the Jewish authorities and honoring Jesus. "I believe in the rule of law," Stevenson said. "I believe that the Lord has set up the government over us. But at the same time, there comes a point where one has to choose between following the commands of the Lord and following the commands of the government." Stevenson worries about America's eroding moral standards and urges his fellow citizens to repent of their sins before the nation incurs God's judgment. He also worries about magistrates who object to gay marriage but feel financially unable to leave their jobs. "I know there are a lot of magistrates who are struggling deeply about this, who don't agree with it but are still on the job," Stevenson said. "I don't condemn them at all. I pray for them." The other four magistrates to resign are John Kallam Jr. in Rockingham County, Gilbert Breedlove in Swain County, Tommy Holland in Graham County and Jeff Powell in Jackson County. State Senator Phil Berger and other state Senate Republicans have asked the Administrative Office of the Courts to honor the religious freedom of officials who refuse to participate in gay marriage ceremonies because of their belief systems, the Charlotte News and Observer reported. Berger said he will file a bill to protect state officials who refuse to issue marriage licenses to or marry gay couples based on religious objections. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Fla. & Cuban Baptists thank John Sullivan by Barbara Denman/Florida Baptist Convention Date: November 13, 2014 - Thursday LAKELAND, Fla. (BP) -- Florida Baptists said farewell to John Sullivan, the ninth executive director–treasurer of the state convention for the past 26 years, during the 153rd annual meeting of the Florida Baptist State Convention, Nov. 10-11 at First Baptist Church at the Mall in Lakeland. Sullivan, in his final sermon to the convention as the state exec, preached on "'An Attitude of Gratitude"' from Colossians 1:9-15. "'Never has there been an executive director who has received more cooperation and love from their constituents and for that I am grateful,"' said Sullivan, who will retire in February. "'We have accomplished much together in these 25-plus years."' As he looked on his own life, growing up in the coal fields of West Virginia and led to the Lord in his early 20s by his newlywed wife Nancy, Sullivan said he had "'an attitude of gratitude that God knows my name."' He has sought to be faithful the finish, he said. "'I have been praying all my life, 'God don't let me live my life in the deep water and die in the shallow.'"' Sullivan received several recognitions for his service to Florida Baptists, including a plaque from the SBC Executive Committee presented by William Townes, vice president for convention finance. A resolution of appreciation from the State Board of Missions noted that in his tenure Sullivan had led Florida Baptists to plant more than 2,500 new churches, baptize 779,390 people to faith in Jesus Christ and contributed over $670 million through the Cooperative Program and an additional $21 million to the State Mission Offering. A delegation of Cuban Baptists, including Juan Carlos Rojas, president of the Western Cuba Baptist Convention, and Joel Dupont, president of the Eastern Cuba Baptist Convention, presented plaques and gifts. Under Sullivan's leadership, Florida Baptists have been in partnership with the WCBC for nearly two decades, at times providing more than 50 percent of convention's budget. Sullivan has spoken in Rojas' church, Calvary Baptist Church in Old Havana, on numerous occasions. The ECBC partnership was established two years ago. More than 1,200 people -- including 1,078 messengers -- attended the two-day meeting. Its theme, "'Shine,"' based on Acts 13:47-49 (ESV), was symbolized by a 10-foot-tall candle towering on the stage. In an unscripted moment to close the meeting, Sullivan brought the crowd to their feet when he joined musicians Daniel Crews and the Jason Lovins Band on stage for a downhome rendition of "'I Saw the Light"' accompanied on drums by the FBSC's outgoing president, Tim Maynard, pastor of Fruit Cove Baptist Church in Jacksonville. James Peoples, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Keystone Heights, was elected as the convention's president for 2014-15 over Jack Roland, a layperson from First Baptist Church of Ocala. Peoples received 399 votes, or 65.6 percent of the 606 ballots cast, to Roland's 33.4 percent with 203 actual votes. Four ballots were disqualified. In nominating Peoples, Tommy Green, pastor of First Baptist Church in Brandon, noted the 48-year-old pastor had served only one church in his ministry -- Trinity, where he has been pastor for 20 years. "'The church, which gives 10.4 percent through the Cooperative Program, has grown physically, numerically and spiritually through Kingdom leadership,"' Green said. "'James is a humble, passionate servant leader who had given Trinity a vision of local and global ministry,"' including partnering with North American Mission Board "'Send City"' church plants in New Orleans, Denver and San Francisco. Roland, a funeral director who served as FBSC first and second vice president the past three years, was nominated by Phillip Hanes, associate pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz. Elected without opposition were Calvin Carr, pastor of North Central Baptist Church in Gainesville, as first vice president; Ivan Figueroa, a layperson from Riverside Baptist Church in Miami, second vice president; and Randy Huckabee, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dade City, recording secretary. As Florida Baptists advance toward the goal of sending 50 percent of the state's Cooperative Program receipts to the Southern Baptist Convention, messengers approved a $28.8 million budget for 2015 that increases the SBC percentage to 45 percent and decreases the Florida Baptist Convention's percentage to 55 percent. With the planned increased percentage to SBC causes, the Florida Convention expects to reach the 50-50 percentage division of CP funds by 2017, a year earlier than originally planned. The proposed budget will provide $12,960,000 to the SBC and $15,840,000 to Florida mission causes. Since 2008, the Florida Baptist operating budget has dropped from more than $23.6 million to the proposed $15.8 million, due in part to the percentage reallocation and declining gifts from churches. All Florida Baptist entities -- including the convention -- will experience between an 8.8 percent and 9.6 percent decrease in funding in 2015. Florida's CP budget will be supplemented by another $3.5 million from the North American Mission Board; GuideStone Financial Resources; LifeWay Christian Resources; interest, rental and a CP Endowment income. Included in the state's CP budget is a 4 percent designation as "'shared ministries"' with the SBC Executive Committee and several SBC entities for ministries performed on behalf of Southern Baptist entities. Several messengers raised questions over the shared ministries -- previously identified as "'negotiated funding"' in prior budgets -- and its effect on the 50-50 allocation of CP funds. William Rice, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, asked if including these "'shared receipts"' is the State Board of Missions "'changing our mind"' or "'changing the target"' of the 50-50 allocation of CP funds. "'We are committed to 50-50,"' said State Board of Missions' Budget-Allocations' Committee chairman Darin Kress, pastor of Scott Lake Baptist Church in Lakeland. He noted that, "'with declining receipts from churches,"' the budget needs to retain funds for work done by the state convention on behalf of the SBC. David Uth, pastor of First Baptist Church of Orlando, said he recalled negotiated funding was authorized "'one time to soften the impact"' of sending 50 percent to the SBC. Sullivan responded, "'As soon as we can, that 4 percent will go away, the sooner, the better."' After further discussion, messengers by voice vote overwhelmingly approved the budget as presented. During the annual convention sermon, Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida Baptists' highest Cooperative Program giving congregation, preached on 2 Corinthians 8, saying the Cooperative Program "'is too vital to lose."' As Baptists there are "'four signposts that hold us together,"' Traylor said -- spiritual affinity, doctrinal affinity, ceremonial affinity and missional affinity. A new generation is looking at the Cooperative Program wondering what it is, Traylor said. While some want to send all offerings to other nations, "'if we don't guard the local church,"' the stream of giving will discontinue, he warned. "'It's who we are."' South Florida, Traylor said, is a mission field. In 20 years, he predicted, Miami will dwarf New York City as the world's economic center. "'We have got to load South Florida with a mission force if we are not going to lose South Florida."' Messengers received 109 new church plants into the Convention representing cultural, ethnic and language groups: Anglo, 15; African American, 9; multi-ethnic, 26; Hispanic, 32; Haitian, 19; Arabic, 1; Ethiopian, 1; Filipino, 1;, Korean, 1; Hungarian, 1; Bhutan, 1; and Burma, 2. Forty percent -- or 46 -- of all the new churches were planted in three South Florida counties, Miami, Broward and Palm Beach. The Florida Baptist State Convention will next meet Nov. 9-10, 2015, in Panama City. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Ky. Baptists urged to 'Tell Your Story' by Todd Deaton/Western Recorder Date: November 13, 2014 - Thursday BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (BP) -- Sharing inspiring stories of their salvation in convention addresses and ministry reports, keynote speakers and ministry leaders encouraged their fellow Kentucky Baptists to "Tell Your Story." The 748 registered messengers had a busy agenda for their Nov. 11 annual meeting at Bowling Green's Living Hope Baptist Church, which included parting company with one of its universities and severing ties with a Louisville congregation over its stance on homosexuality. They also approved a Cooperative Program budget goal of $21.25 million; recognized Don Mathis, an evangelist from Bowling Green, with the Distinguished Cooperative Program Leadership Award for his lifelong devotion to Southern Baptists' missions and ministry offering; and elected a Bowling Green pastor as president. The KBC's 2015-16 operational budget represents a reduction of $750,000 from last year's goal for KBC and SBC causes. After setting aside 7 percent for shared expenses, $9,881,250, or 46.5 percent, is projected to be forwarded to Southern Baptist Convention missions and ministries. More than a meeting theme, Tell Your Story is an initiative that the Kentucky Baptist Convention has embarked on to encourage every Kentucky Baptist to tell others how they met Jesus and how He has changed their lives. "Our prayer," KBC Executive Director Paul Chitwood said, "is that hearing these stories will motivate each of us to more readily share the glorious story of what God has done in our lives to bring us to Himself and, as we share that story with those who aren't yet saved, God will use our story as one of His methods to convict them of their sin and convince them of their need for a Savior." The Tell Your Story initiative also is on the Internet to allow Kentucky Baptists to share their salvation experiences with a broader audience through social media at www.tellyourstory.today. Kentucky Baptists also will take to the airwaves with a series of TV and radio commercials promoting church attendance. Chitwood unveiled the new ads as part of his report to the convention. The KBC will make these spots available free to Southern Baptist churches and organizations that want to buy air time on TV and radio markets. Campbellsville departs In approving a recommendation brought by KBC President Chip Hutcheson from the KBC Mission Board, messengers elected to "take no action" regarding Campbellsville University, except to remain "prayerful and hopeful." Stating that Campbellsville had "clearly chosen to remove itself from our convention" through its recent election of 11 trustees without KBC approval, Hutcheson announced that the university is no longer affiliated with the convention. Campbellsville's trustees voted earlier this year to unilaterally terminate its covenant agreement with the KBC and surrender its Cooperative Program allocations of nearly $1 million. Hutcheson assured messengers that the KBC has made every effort to salvage the relationship but was unable to persuade CU President Michael Carter and trustees to re-establish a connection with Kentucky Baptist churches. Church 'disfellowshipped' Messengers also voted overwhelmingly to sever ties with Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Louisville, which announced recently on its website that it would be open to granting ordination, hiring or performing wedding ceremonies for gay, lesbian and transgendered individuals. The KBC credentials committee voted in October to recommend the action against Crescent Hill, determining the congregation was no longer "in friendly cooperation" with Kentucky Baptists. Greg Faulls, vice chairman of the committee, made the motion to "disfellowship" the church during the convention, saying he did so "with great sadness and brokenness of heart." "Our churches are clear on this: We call sin 'sin' rather than choosing to affirm it," said Faulls, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Owensboro. Prior to the vote, Crescent Hill's pastor, Jason Crosby, appealed to messengers not to sever ties with his congregation. Transgender resolution In other action, messengers approved a resolution that takes a stand on transgender identity. The resolution seeks to extend convictional kindness to an estimated 700,000 Americans who perceive their gender identity opposite their biological sex at birth. The resolution affirms that Kentucky Baptists "love our transgender neighbors, seek their good always, welcome them to our churches and, as they repent and believe in Christ, receive them into church membership." While condemning acts of violence or bullying committed against transgender persons, the resolution opposes all efforts to validate transgender identity or present it as "morally praiseworthy." New KBC officers Bowling Green pastor Tom James was elected as KBC president by acclamation. James, pastor of Eastwood Baptist Church, was first vice president in 2012 and president of the state Pastors' Conference in 2009. On the national level, he was a member of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee from 1999-2004. Serving with James as vice presidents are Jerry Tooley, director of missions for Daviess-McLean Baptist Association, and Mark Payton, pastor of Dry Ridge (Ky.) Baptist Church. Payton previously served as pastor of Shively Heights Baptist Church in Louisville, which drew national media attention when it merged in 2009 with a predominantly black congregation to become St. Paul Baptist Church at Shively Heights, where he and Lincoln Bingham served as co-pastors. Princeton editor Chip Hutcheson, a member of Southside Church, challenged messengers to be "all in" for the cause of Christ in his address as KBC president. "We, as Kentucky Baptists, must remind ourselves daily to be 'all in' when it comes to modeling our faith and obedience to the Lord in the midst of a world that is traveling at warp speed away from God," urged Hutcheson, a trustee of the Western Recorder newsjournal of the Kentucky convention. "We see the statistics; we read the stories about many churches declining in membership," Hutcheson said. "We are troubled over the fact that many churches go lengthy periods of time without any baptisms. We are perplexed that Cooperative Program giving struggles to keep pace with what was given the previous year. We grieve about disagreements within churches and among churches. All of these factors help us realize that being 'all in' is sorely needed in 2014." In the convention sermon, KBC Associate Executive Director Curtis Woods weaved his salvation story into a message on Jonah's mistake in being unwilling to speak up for God. Woods told Kentucky Baptists that God wants to use their salvation stories to reach unbelievers, and that they must be willing to speak up for God. Sharing salvation stories, he said, is an act of Christian love. Chitwood, executive director of the KBC since 2011, was selected to preach the annual sermon at next year's convention in Elizabethtown. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Arkansas Baptists: 'Every One Matters' by Staff/Arkansas Baptist News Date: November 13, 2014 - Thursday TEXARKANA, Ark. (BP) -- An estimated 1,000-plus Arkansas Baptist messengers and guests converged on Trinity Baptist Church in Texarkana Oct. 27-29 to conduct business, worship and hear inspiring sermons and entity reports during the 161st annual meeting of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, Pastors' Conference and related meetings. Messengers approved five resolutions, including resolutions addressing religious liberty, statewide alcohol sales, transgender identity and Christian citizenship and civic participation. The 515 church messengers registered by the ABSC at the meeting represented every geographical region of the state. In 2013, the annual meeting held at Cross Church in Rogers attracted 591 messengers. This year's annual meeting theme was Every One Matters. Archie Mason, pastor of Central Baptist Church, Jonesboro, was re-elected to a second term as ABSC president; Doug Falknor, pastor of First Baptist Church, Fayetteville, was re-elected first vice president, and Gary Thomas, pastor of First Baptist Church, Lowell, was re-elected second vice president. All three men ran unopposed. Throughout the meeting, messengers took part in several prayer sessions focused on revival and spiritual awakening. In addition, they heard from a number of church planters about the work God is doing in their churches. There were also several Celebrate Arkansas sessions highlighting mission work in the state. 2015 budget A Cooperative Program budget of $22 million for 2015 was approved by messengers, which is the same amount as 2014. The budget includes $9,443,786 (42.93 percent) for Southern Baptist Convention causes and $12,336,214 (56.07 percent) for missions and ministries in Arkansas. Another $220,000 (1 percent) is designated as the "shared ministries" budget split between the ABSC and the SBC. SBC causes include the International Mission Board, $4,721,893 (21.46 percent); the North American Mission Board, $2,152,239 (9.78 percent); theological education, $2,092,743 (9.51 percent); Christian ethics and religious liberty ministries, $155,821 (.71 percent), and other facilitating ministries $301,201 (1.37 percent). Arkansas missions and ministries include Executive Board programs, $6,390,700 (29.05 percent); pastoral scholarship fund, $170,572 (.78 percent); convention, $172,109 (.78 percent); church protection plan-GuideStone, $147,938 (.67 percent); Camp Siloam, $252,634 (1.15 percent); Arkansas Baptist Children's Homes and Family Ministries, $581,659 (2.64 percent); Arkansas Baptist Foundation, $340,510 (1.55 percent); Arkansas Baptist News, $290,736 (1.32 percent); Ouachita Baptist University, $3,159,994 (14.36 percent), and Williams Baptist College $951,748 (4.33 percent). The 2015 budget reflects the third year of the ABSC's 2013-17 budget formula approved by messengers at the 2011 annual meeting. The formula increases the percentage of funds (total receipts) forwarded to the SBC, with budget surpluses being divided with the SBC (CP funds received above $22 million). The percentage increase for SBC causes is two-tenths of 1 percent each year during the five-year budget formula period. Additionally, the formula directs the convention to conduct a statewide emphasis every five years, encouraging churches to increase their Cooperative Program percentage. Five resolutions Arkansas Baptists approved resolutions regarding religious liberty, statewide alcohol sales, transgender identity and Christian citizenship and civic participation. Larry Page, chairman of the ABSC Resolutions Committee, and executive director of the Arkansas Faith and Ethics Council, brought the report of the committee to the convention during the Wednesday morning session, Oct. 29. All resolutions were approved without opposition. Messengers affirmed the biblical definition of sexuality, referencing Genesis 1:27 and Isaiah 43:7, among other verses, and opposed cultural trends to allow the redefinition of gender identity. The resolutions made clear it should be the desire of Christians to "extend love and compassion to those whose sexual self-understanding is shaped by a distressing conflict between their biological sex and their gender identity; and, ... invite all transgender persons to trust in Christ and to experience renewal in the Gospel (1 Timothy 1:15–16)." They affirmed a resolution voicing opposition to the proposed Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Amendment. Messengers were encouraged to "reject soundly" statewide sale of alcohol as proposed in the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Amendment (AABA) Nov. 4. The measure was rejected by Arkansas voters. The resolution read in part: "Whereas, if the state's voters approve the AABA, it will convert Arkansas's [sic] 37 dry counties to wet ones and preclude absolutely the ability of voters in individual counties from voting all or any part of their respective counties dry; and ... it is imperative that Arkansans understand how the AABA, if approved by voters, will fundamentally transform their state in undesirable ways and effectively disenfranchise voters in relation to local option elections." Messengers expressed appreciation for "God-given religious freedom" and called for "every branch of government to investigate all claims of First Amendment violations and to educate, discipline, or prosecute any who are involved in these violations;" and it urged "those who engage in defending the legal rights of people of faith to come to the aid of those who are facing discrimination for their faith by federal, state, and local governments, institutions, or individuals." Messengers affirmed the charge of all Christians to be "salt and light" in the world (Matt. 5:13-16), encouraging them to "engage the culture by being informed and proactive citizens, by voting in all elections, and by participating appropriately in civic matters." "Cooperative Program levels the playing field" "We need to win more people and teach them to give unto the Lord," Frank S. Page, president and chief executive officer of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, told those gathered for the Cooperative Program Breakfast Oct. 29. Southern Baptists need to focus on two things in the 21st century: evangelism and stewardship, Page said. Overall receipts given through the Cooperative Program have declined 5.9 percent in the past five years, he noted. "But guess what. Overall giving to churches has declined 5.9 percent in the last five years," he said. "The overall decline in giving mirrors the overall decline in that which people are giving to churches. So the bottom line is that we have less people giving less money. "Southern Baptists have less people than we have had in the past. We need to win more people to Jesus Christ and teach them to 'give unto the Lord,'" said Page, explaining that people are giving, just not to churches. Page said there is another key statistic that is seeing a turnaround. "We are seeing something turn that hasn't turned in 30 years," he said. "Last year (CP) ticked up to 5.5 percent.... The average percentage (from each church) is now going up. And we praise the Lord for that." He said he understands that many younger pastors don't embrace CP or its name that emphasizes the term "program." "I say, 'Check it out; study it! If you don't like it, fix it! But fix it as an insider and not as an outsider," Page said. "If you study it, I think you are going to see there is a lot more going on than you ever, ever, ever realized." The Cooperative Program serves a vital function of distributing funds for maximum kingdom impact, he said, adding, if Southern Baptists were to return to a societal method of missions funding they may not realize what they had until it is lost. "Direct funding, long-term, does not work," Page said. "Southern Baptists must understand who we are," he noted, pointing to only 169 of the SBC's 46,000-plus churches averaging 2,000 or more in attendance. "Forty-five thousand of our 46,000 churches are small," said Page, adding that when a direct funding model is used, "small churches will suffer ... and the result is inward focus." He said we must not forget "we are a convention of small churches." Page added that almost one of four SBC churches are ethnic, and 3,000 are African American. "The Cooperative Program levels the playing field for what we do," he said, adding the only way to effectively reach the world for Jesus Christ is by "cooperating together." Recommendations, elections, other action Messengers approved a recommendation from the ABSC Executive Board to amend the articles of incorporation of the Arkansas Baptist Assembly (Camp Siloam). Article IV, Section 1, previously called for the executive director-treasurer to also serve as the recording secretary. The recording secretary is now a separate officer on the board of directors. The convention's Nominating Committee report was approved with no challenges and no discussion. The committee nominates people to serve on boards of ABSC entities and institutions. Greg Sykes, pastor of First Baptist Church, Russellville, was elected president of the ABSC Executive Board. Tom McCone, minister of music at First Baptist Church, Greenwood, was elected first vice president. The 2015 annual meeting will be held at Hot Springs Baptist Church in Hot Springs. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WORLDVIEW: The rise & fall of walls by Erich Bridges Date: November 13, 2014 - Thursday RICHMOND, Va. (BP) -- Walls of the mind and heart are harder to tear down than walls of brick and stone. The fall of the Berlin Wall 25 years ago brought great hopes of a new birth of spiritual and political freedom, not only in the communist orbit but around the world. In many ways, those hopes were realized. Old tyrannies began to crumble. The Cold War ended after more than a generation of East-West conflict. Churches and believers long imprisoned by persecution and fear were released into the sunlight of liberty. The collapse of the Soviet Union followed the glorious opening in Berlin. Waves of Christian workers from the West flooded into Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics to assist their brothers and sisters in the faith. An exciting era of evangelism and church planting began. That era continues, despite the turmoil that has followed Soviet communism's demise. "The wall was an outward symbol of an inward reality," Mark Edworthy, IMB strategy leader for Europe, told IMB writer Nicole Lee. "Communism had erected a spiritual barrier with its incessant denial of God's existence and its cycle of cruelty. Spiritually, we eagerly took up a hammer and chisel to work against that greater barrier." A quarter-century later, "we can see greater trophies than stone and mortar as the Lord has continued to build His church throughout the former Soviet sphere." But believers are working with urgency in Eastern Europe, Lee reported, "because no one knows how long the door to some of these countries will remain open. The ongoing war in Ukraine highlights the fact that, although the Cold War is over, communism and other secular philosophies are still at work." The social and economic chaos of the immediate post-Soviet years led to yearning -- in Russia, at least -- for a "strong hand" at the helm, which has resulted in new tensions with the West in recent years. Those tensions are pushing the world to the "brink of a new Cold War," former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev warned at a Nov. 8 event in Berlin marking the wall's fall. Gorbachev, whose reforms helped hasten the end of the Soviet empire, criticized global powers for failing to work together to end conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, the Middle East and Ukraine. For now, open ministry continues. As a Christian worker based in Russia put it, "We really don't see any comprehensive political pressure that hinders the advance of the Gospel. Materialism and consumerism have replaced communism." Still, he added, "Our time might be short. Have we planted an apostolic burden among Russian church leaders? There are some who [are passionate about reaching the lost] but we need many more." The message is one that has been repeated again and again throughout history: There are no guarantees -- except for the presence and sovereignty of the Lord. Walls may fall, while others rise. In the political realm, the Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing occurred in 1989, the same year the Berlin Wall came down. Yet the Chinese church, which suffered one of its darkest hours during the savage persecution of 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, continues to grow in size, vitality and passion for global mission. "God may seem silent on occasion. At other times, people simply don't trouble to hear his voice," Philip Jenkins, distinguished professor of history at Baylor University, noted in Christianity Today. "As an example, we might look at the experience of China, which over the past two millennia has remained the world's most populous nation. The story of Chinese Christianity is a recurrent cycle of mighty boom years followed by what seemed like total annihilation at the time, an obliteration so absolute that on each occasion, it was quite clear that the church could never rise again. "That cycle has occurred five times to date since the ninth century," Jenkins wrote. "On each occasion, the Chinese church has reemerged far more powerful than at its previous peak. Each successive 'nevermore' proved to be strictly temporary." Today, the very existence of the church in the Middle East, the cradle of the Christian faith, seems threatened by the advance of Islamic extremists. But God will not leave Himself without a witness. "Even when institutional churches vanish, believers persist in many different forms," Jenkins writes. "As Anatoly Lunacharsky, the frustrated Soviet minister of education, complained in 1928, 'Religion is like a nail: The harder you hit it, the deeper it goes into the wood.' Sometimes it goes in so deep, you can't even see it." One day that nail reappears, stronger than ever. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Bible Study: November 16, 2014 by Staff/LifeWay Christian Resources Date: November 13, 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 Passage: Hebrews 12:1-13 Discussion Questions: What from your past do you continue to hold on to, even though you know it hinders your spiritual growth? What keeps you from letting go of the things you trusted in the past for your security? Food for Thought: Ancient athletes knew of the importance of momentum. One of the things they used to help generate momentum was hand weights. These hand weights were shaped stones and each had a hole that created a handle so they could be easily carried. Each shaped stone weighed around four to five pounds. Carrying the weights helped the athlete gain forward momentum more easily. He would run toward the jumping mark carrying the weights, and would release them as he jumped. If he timed the release just right, he could take advantage of the momentum gained by dropping the weight and achieve the perfect jump. The writer of Hebrews called for all believers including himself to lay aside the weights and the sin that got in their way. With the image of the hand weights in mind, one can see how easily a person could do this; he or she was simply letting go. The hearers had trusted in the Law and were well aware of their inability to keep it. The Law had propelled them to consider Christ, but they needed to let go of the Law if they were to depend upon Him. After we become believers, we may continue to carry things from our past. Friends, rituals and other items may have given us a sense of security, but can now remind us of our need for something permanent. For us to live the life Christ intends, we must trust Him for everything and lay aside the things we once trusted. Christianity is about letting go so Christ can work in and through us for His honor. To continue to hold on to these weights makes no sense in light of the freedom Christ offers. 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 offered by LifeWay for all ages can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool.--30— Dwayne McCrary is the adult Project Team Leader for adult and young adult Explore the Bible. You can follow the Explore the Bible twitter @ExploreTheBible. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Housing allowance survives at appeals court by Tom Strode Date: November 13, 2014 - Thursday CHICAGO (BP) -- A federal appeals court has overturned a decision striking down the 60-year-old ministerial housing allowance in an action cheered by Southern Baptist leaders. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled today (Nov. 13) that an atheist organization lacked the legal right -- known as "standing" -- to challenge the portion of a 1954 law that permits clergy to exclude for federal income tax purposes a portion or all of their gross income as a housing allowance. A three-judge panel did not rule on the allowance's constitutionality but unanimously rejected a Wisconsin federal judge's invalidation of the provision last November. The appeals court vacated the opinion by Barbara Crabb and instructed her to dismiss the lawsuit for lack of jurisdiction. Crabb had ruled the allowance violates the First Amendment's prohibition on government establishment of religion. The Obama administration appealed her decision to the Seventh Circuit Court. Russell D. Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, affirmed the appeals court decision, telling Baptist Press that the "ministerial housing allowance is just and fair, and an equitable recognition of the unique employment situation of clergy." O.S. Hawkins, president of GuideStone Financial Resources, said of the decision, "This is indeed good news for ministers. "Throughout the decades, there has been a recognition that the minister's housing allowance is a vital benefit that is consistent with our Constitution," Hawkins said in a written release from GuideStone, the SBC's financial and health benefits entity. "We are thankful for the government's defense of the housing allowance ... and thankful to the appeals court for its decision in this matter." Hawkins added, "We are mindful that this might not be the last case of its type. Along with our ministry partners at the [ERLC] and our partners in the denominational benefits community, we will continue to remain vigilant to advocate on behalf of pastors." The Seventh Circuit panel, in its ruling, said it did not address the question of the housing allowance's constitutionality because the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) and its co-plaintiffs did not qualify to bring the suit. The plaintiffs say "they have standing because they were denied a benefit (a tax exemption for their employer-provided housing allowance) that is conditioned on religious affiliation," Judge Joel Flaum wrote for the panel. "This argument fails, however, for a simple reason: the plaintiffs were never denied the parsonage exemption because they never asked for it. Without a request, there can be no denial. And absent any personal denial of a benefit, the plaintiffs' claim amounts to nothing more than a generalized grievance about [the allowance's] unconstitutionality, which does not support standing." The decision "is a great victory for separation of church and state," said Luke Goodrich, deputy general counsel of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. "For 60 years, the parsonage allowance has kept the Taxman from mucking around in complex religious questions," Goodrich said in a written release. "Nobody wants the IRS taxing churches at the whim of atheists with no skin in the game." Southern Baptists were among numerous religious adherents especially interested in the case. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and International Mission Board signed on to a friend-of-the-court brief filed by the Becket Fund with a diverse array of religious organizations in support of the housing allowance. GuideStone joined in a brief with other denominational benefit boards as part of the Church Alliance. At its website, GuideStone describes the housing allowance as "the most important tax benefit available to ministers." The allowance has been especially helpful to smaller congregations because their pastors or ministers -- who typically receive lower salaries -- benefit from part of their income being non-taxable. Under the federal income tax system, some housing costs are primarily for "the convenience of the employer," not the employee. As a result, such costs are not considered income. In addition to ministers, those who receive such benefits include members of the U.S. military, workers living overseas and employees of educational institutions. A 2002 estimate offered by then-Rep. Jim Ramstad of Minnesota said the housing allowance would save ministers $2.3 billion in taxes during the following five years. In issuing her decision last year, Crabb blocked enforcement of the ruling until the appeals process was complete. Crabb's decision came as no surprise. In 2010, she ruled that the National Day of Prayer violates the establishment clause. A three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit unanimously struck down Crabb's ruling the following year. The appeals court ruled in that case also that Freedom From Religion Foundation did not have standing to bring the lawsuit. The case decided Nov. 13 is FFRF v. Lew. The FFRF, which is based in Madison, Wis., sued the IRS regarding the housing allowance. Jacob Lew is secretary of the Department of the Treasury.