The last day of the convention was pretty uneventful. Many times the Wednesday morning session proves to be one of the most contentious, but I think all the messengers were worn out from the previous day's debate surrounding the lawsuits. By the way, the budget with the alternative giving plan (for those churches who do not wish to fund the lawsuits) passed... In other matters, John Marshall of Second Baptist-Springfield was elected first vice-president, and a resolution was passed supporting the "Great Commission Resurgence" of the SBC.
Looking to the future... Now that the executive board of the MBC has been given the authority by the messengers to possibly pull out of the some of the lawsuits, it will be interesting to see if that does indeed transpire. Also, it will be interesting to see what the future holds in store for the Cooperative Program. The entire convention was like watching a ping-pong match in this regard. One speaker would stand up and make a strong case for reforming the CP, and then another speaker would stand up and make a passionate plea to leave it alone. We'll know a lot more about the future of the CP after the SBC annual meeting in Orlando in 2010.
Finally, I want to thank my church for making it possible for me to attend these conventions. Every year Selmore budgets money for my lodging/meals/transportation to attend the MBC & SBC. I wish more churches would do this for their pastor. It gives me pride in my job (the good kind), and just makes me want to work that much harder for my church. My attending conventions also gives the church a return on its investment... it gives them a voice in convention decisions, and it give them a refreshed/re-energized pastor when I return home. It makes me sad to see other pastors who must pay their own way, and probably are resented by their church people for going on a "vacation"... Thank you, Selmore. You're the best.
