After a sometimes painfully slow drive here (Springfield rush hour was slow, also got behind a slow vehicle between Lebanon and Camdenton), I arrived to discover my reserved "room" was actually an old cabin three and a half miles from the convention hall, complete with 48 steps to the front door!
Determined to make the best of it, I called the front desk to get the password to access the wireless internet. When I did, the receptionist asked if I would like a closer room... Can you believe they got me in the hotel adjacent to the convention hall?... What a blessing!
Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC, along with his fellow elders, led today's pastor's conference. I am reading a book right now, written by Dever, entitled Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. Dever's teaching often centers around reclaiming the meaning of church membership. This includes discussions on restoring church discipline and Biblical leadership.One could feel tension in the room (and sometimes see it on faces) as Dever really challenged common perceptions of many Baptists regarding these topics. Among the positions Dever expressed today: the local church should have a plurality of elders/pastors, the practice of ordaining deacons is without Biblical basis, and the delay of baptism for child converts may be wise. Do you grimmace as you read those things? I do, and may not wholly agree, but no one in the room could deny that Dever laid out a strong Biblical and historical defense for his beliefs... It is healthy for us to be stretched sometimes!
Tonight, the interim executive director of the MBC (David Tolliver), and the MBC president (Mike Green) gave their addresses. There was a lot of anticipation leading up to tonight, simply because of the well-publicized tension between many of our state's leaders. Would Tolliver and Green address this tension? Would they come out on one side or the other in their remarks?
I was very proud of both men, as they took the high road. David Tolliver addressed the tension, but did so in a loving and Christlike spirit, preaching from my favorite Bible verse, Micah 6:8. He encouraged us to treat each other justly, show each other mercy, and display godly humility. In my view, David has shown exceptional leadership serving as our interim executive director, and tonight was just another example of that.
David Tolliver has a special place in my heart... As providence would have it, David was scheduled to preach at Selmore last fall, the Sunday after Rachel and I lost our baby. I didn't even have to worry about finding a replacement that day, as God took care of it for me. David was genuinely sympathetic and compassionate toward us that day. It's just one of those things a person doesn't forget.
Anyway... Back to the convention... Mike Green preached a solid message on evangelism, encouraging us to have a "kingdom mindset." Seeing as how he is running for re-election as president, he could have easily used his time to promote himself and/or his soapbox issues (and I have seen this done before) but instead, he lifted up Jesus. I gained a lot of respect for Mike Green tonight. (Not that I disrespected him before!)
Time to hit the sack... Tomorrow there is potential for several controversial issues to arise... Pray that today's good spirit will carry into tomorrow when we get down to business. I will try to blog again tomorrow night!