I recently had the privilege of honoring my dad, a Vietnam veteran, with a brick in the courtyard of the Warren County courthouse. My dad is a real life American hero!

Heroes today are not ballplayers who can hit a baseball 500 feet or dunk a basketball to win a title. Heroes are certainly not movie stars who might “play the part” of a hero. Men and women who bravely serve their country and protect freedoms here and abroad are the real heroes. Those freedoms are especially precious to us as people of faith.

I have seen pictures of Americans celebrating the return of WWI and WWII veterans. But I also watched firsthand as Vietnam veterans returned home and often were not given the thanks they were due from what should have been a grateful nation.

I’m reminded of a story I read about Babe Ruth, who hit 714 home runs during his baseball career. Playing against the Reds in one of his last major league games before retirement, Babe, no longer as agile as he had once been, fumbled the ball hit to him and then threw wildly. In that inning alone his errors were responsible for most of the five runs scored by Cincinnati in the game.

As Babe headed toward the dugout at the end of the inning, a crescendo of booing reached his ears. Just then a boy jumped over the railing onto the field. With tears streaming down his face, he threw his arms around the legs of his hero. Without hesitating, Ruth picked up the boy, hugged him, and set him down on his feet, patting his head gently.

Suddenly there was no more booing. In fact, a hush fell over the entire park. In those brief moments, the fans saw two heroes: Babe, who in spite of his dismal day on the field still cared about a little boy; and the small lad, who cared about the feelings of another human being. Both had melted the hearts of the crowd.

Many booed the Vietnam veterans as they returned. I didn’t understand that as a little boy whose dad went not once or twice but four times, fighting for the freedom of people halfway around the world. But while these brave men and women returned to a chorus of jeers from those they served, I will always be the child who grabs hold of the leg of his father with great pride and says, “Dad, you are a hero in my book no matter what those in the crowd may say! Thank you dad…maybe not from a grateful nation, but definitely from a proud son!”

Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church Farmersville, Texas. Barber also blogs at http://praisegodbarebones.blogspot.com/

Earlier today, blogger Bart Barber posted this excellent piece on SBCVoices.  It’s a piece I think every Southern Baptist should read, and I’ve reposted it here with his permission:

At its formation in 1845, the Southern Baptist Convention was consecrated to the cause of “the propagation of the gospel.” The convention existed to enable local churches to expand their common reach in the tasks of calling sinners to repentance and organizing new congregations of disciples. “We can do more together than we can do separately” is not just a Southern Baptist slogan; it is the Southern Baptistraison d’être.

Dare I suggest that the health and value of the Southern Baptist Convention must be calculated along these same lines? Dare I opine further that the Southern Baptist Convention—with its history of scandals and schisms not hidden from view but laid bare to the world’s eyes and amply considered, with the lugubrious pre-obituaries some have published near and far for it notwithstanding, with the changing fads and fashions of ministry given their full accounting—nevertheless remains a healthy and effective part of a Great Commission strategy for local churches? Should I enumerate the specifics, not only why our convention’s strengths empower it but also why its weaknesses do not successfully overcome its strengths? I think so.

1. The Southern Baptist Convention is in the top tier of unifying forces within Christianity. I can hear the guffaws from here, but I’m entirely serious: The level of Christian unity in the Southern Baptist Convention is remarkable and encouraging. Southern Baptists exemplify Christian unity:

   1. Soteriologically: Yes, we probably argue more about soteriology than most other denominations, but have you ever considered that this might be an indication of the degree to which we bring together people of diverse soteriologies? There’s not nearly so much room in a Presbyterian denominational meeting to contend with one another about the nature of election, nor in an Assemblies of God conference to debate the extent of the atonement. How many other denominations of Christianity could count within their ranks as members in good standing both Tom Ascol and Eric Hankins? The Southern Baptist Convention is a place where both Calvinists and non-Calvinists (except for those Arminians who reject eternal security) can cooperate with one another for the propagation of the gospel.Because of the unity that many Southern Baptists feel with one another across various soteriological lines, the Southern Baptist Convention has better discussions about soteriology than nearly any other forum. By “better” I mean to appraise both the intellectual quality of our conversations and the Christian spirit in which they are conducted. Like whatever you will about T4G; it is not the place to go to hear the biblical arguments against Calvinism presented in their strongest way by their ablest proponents. Likewise if you’re hoping to hear about the weaknesses of Arminian Pragmatism at the Creative Church Conference. But within the family of the Southern Baptist Convention, each of us has an opportunity both to witness and to participate in the best and fullest discussions about soteriology ongoing anywhere in the world today.
   2. Racially: The history of the Southern Baptist Convention on the subject matter of race is an embarrassment and a sin. The progress within the Southern Baptist Convention toward racial unity is not nearly enough. Nevertheless, I am excited about the project of racial unity that lies before the Southern Baptist Convention. We are attempting to do something that is rare indeed: Southern Baptists are attempting to create a racially diverse fellowship of Christians who are unswervingly committed to biblical inerrancy and gospel fidelity. There may be denominations that are more racially diverse than the SBC, but the preponderance of them are significantly—dare I say terminally?—infected by theological liberalism. There are denominations that feature a greater percentage than the SBC does with regard to black leadership, hispanic leadership, asian leadership, or other ethnic leadership, but the preponderance of them are actually LESS, not more, racially diverse than is the SBC (i.e., they feature EXCLUSIVELY black leadership, hispanic leadership, etc.)I’m not alleging that there are no other denominations that have successfully combined racial diversity with theological integrity, nor am I denying that there may be denominations who do a better job at both of them than we do. Rather, I’m simply pointing out the fact that, considering the broad swath of Christianity, the Southern Baptist Convention is in the top tier of these efforts.What’s more, through the careful attention and deliberate efforts of our leaders, the SBC is continually improving in our racial diversity without diminishing our commitment to God’s truth revealed to us in scripture. We’ve all lived to see the first black president of the SBC. Most of us reading this will live to see the second, will live to see the first entity head who is not white, will live to see greater participation by other ethnicities as well. I’m thankful for the leadership of Terry Turner, president of the SBTC, who has called for our state convention not to live as though black and white were the only ethnicities within our fellowship, but to engage in multilateral efforts to unite the panoply of races, tribes, and tongues in the worship of the God who created us in such complementary beauty. The future of the Southern Baptist Convention is one of improving racial unity anchored in the truth. A full 20% of SBC congregations are ethnically other than white.Frankly, I don’t know where a biblical inerrantist would go to find a brighter future of racial unity.
   3. Methodologically: Occasionally someone will complain that the Southern Baptist Convention is too methodologically monolithic. And yet my personal observation is that some of the people who complain are happy to participate in organizations that are far less methodologically diverse than the SBC is. Try wearing a suit and tie to Catalyst. Try to post a how-to guide on the multi-site movement on fundamental.org. Whatever you’re wearing, whatever you’re singing, whatever you’re doing in your church (within relatively broad boundaries), you can probably go to the SBC Annual Meeting and (pretty easily) find a way to sit next to somebody who is a whole lot like you. There may be somebody there who is different enough to make you uncomfortable, but monolithic we are not.

   Now, keep this in mind, please: Unity per se is not the mission of the SBC nor is unity in the SBC the way that we ought to measure the SBC’s effectiveness. There have been, in the history of mankind, groups harmoniously united in the accomplishment of nothing—or of nothing worthwhile. The objective of the SBC is the propagation of the gospel, not fellowship. And yet, the more people we can find who affirm our core principles and will unite with us in the propagation of the gospel, the more propagation of the gospel we will accomplish. Unity, therefore, is one factor enabling our effectiveness.

2. The Southern Baptist Convention is among the denominations most open to your ideas. The annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention is the largest open democratic meeting of its kind in the world. The only thing keeping you from walking up to a microphone and sharing your opinion is you. But not only can you articulate your viewpoint within the Southern Baptist Convention, you can also have influence here.Not that I’m saying it is always easy to influence the SBC or that the way to do so is always intuitive. I first got involved in the mechanisms of the SBC back in 2006. Whatever can be done wrong, I’ve done it. I’ve been voted down on the floor of the SBC. Twice. In the same year. On the same question. I’ve had the entire institutional apparatus of entire SBC entities and of state conventions along with hungry hoards of bloggers ravenously looking for me while I was vacationing in the Ozarks because of something foolish and offensive that I wrote. I’ve prognosticated and vituperated and confabulated and masticated for hours on end with fellow Southern Baptists. Just maybe, I’ve made more mistakes than you have. And along the way, I think maybe I finally made enough mistakes to have learned a thing or two—at least, there are ideas I once had about the SBC that I have no longer. And so, I give you a few of my own thoughts about how the SBC works.
   1. The SBC works chaotically. It is easy for people to think that the SBC is some sort of marionette dance, with a highly organized cabal of puppeteers pulling the strings. Friends, that’s just not the case. Since 2006 I’ve had the opportunity to meet most of the so-called “power brokers” of the SBC, and I’ve lost count of the number of them who have expressed frustration at least to some minor degree about what they are NOT able to get done in our convention. We are a convention of many different (sometimes competing) interests, all of which have some influence in the operations of the convention’s ministries. The way it all eventually works out is often a matter of surprise and happenstance. Perhaps it is nostalgia rather than good history, but I’ve got to think that there was a time when Southern Baptists were better organized, in an informal sense. My experience has been that there is a good bit of chaos.And so, if you want to influence the Southern Baptist Convention, you’ve got to be patient enough to take two steps forward and then one step back. You’ve got to be flexible enough to work through partnerships and coalitions with people who may not share every last one of your interests. You’ve got to be someone who doesn’t turn in his jersey the first time he strikes out at the plate.
   2. The SBC works person-to-person. Even in this day of blogs and email and Twitter, people get persuaded in our convention mostly face-to-face (or, at the very least, voice-to-voice). If you want to change the SBC, you have to get people to vote in support of your proposals. If you want to get people to vote in support of your proposals, there is no better way than for you to talk to people about your ideas. Make friends. Be winsome. Invest in other people. This is, by the way, the reason why denominational employees have a tremendous advantage over people working in local churches when it comes to these matters. Denominational employees are, very many of them, getting paid to do the very thing that builds influence in the SBC: spending time with the Southern Baptists who cast the votes.If you don’t like the way an entity does something, going to microphone 4 in Houston is not a good first step. It may be just the right LAST step, but the best first step probably involves sitting down calmly with an entity head, and perhaps later a trustee chairman, and winsomely articulating your point of view. After you air your grievance on the floor of the convention (or all over the Internet on a blog post), the cordial discussion with trustees suddenly becomes much more difficult to accomplish.There’s nothing sinister about speaking with people face-to-face before taking up your cause in front of 9,000 of your closest friends. I’m not talking about smoke-filled rooms or “illegal caucuses.” I’m also not saying that a private conversation will always solve everything—you might indeed have to go to the floor of the convention, and even that measure might not work in the end. Rather, I’m simply saying that even in this electronic age a winsome personality and a corporeal encounter remain the most powerful way to influence people in the Southern Baptist Convention.The great news about the Southern Baptist Convention is that these encounters are relatively easy to accomplish. I’ve never had a one-on-one conversation with Fred Luter, Frank Page, or Tom Eliff, but I bet that I could have one inside of a week, not because of who I am but because of who they are. Our leaders are, to the last one of them, humble and accessible people who will gladly speak with you. Yes, they’re busy. No, you shouldn’t waste their time. But if you have something important on your heart (and by that, I simply mean something important to you), they will hear you out.Go ask your local priest what it would take for him to get an audience with the Pope or the Archbishop of Canterbury. In smaller denominations this level of access is probably customary, but for an organization as large as it is, the level of access that we have to Southern Baptist leaders is something that ought to delight us and in which we ought to take some measure of satisfaction.

      Of course, I suspect that if you make an incorrigible pest of yourself, it is possible that your appointments may become more difficult to schedule. Don’t do that. Be respectful of our leaders and be considerate of their time. But don’t be afraid, if you have something positive to contribute to our work, to take your ideas before those who can make them happen.

   3. The SBC works convictionally. If you’re trying to push something contrary to the core convictions of the convention’s churches, then you’ll have to work in the shadows and be resigned to the fact that eventually, someday, the churches will overturn what you’ve done. Real change in the SBC cannot consist of something you can merely move, second, or aye—if you can’t preach it, and preach it with conviction, then you probably cannot harness the convictional passion of the convention behind it.If you’re the guy who wants the SBC to approve of gay marriage, then you’re going to fail. If you want the SBC to endorse women as pastors, then unless you are a masochist you probably ought to move on. There are things that are already in our statement of faith, questions that have already been addressed within our polity, matters that arise out of the plain reading of scripture for which you will not be able to turn the tide of Southern Baptist opinion.
   4. The SBC works slowly. Not that I haven’t seen people ramrod things through in a hurry. That does happen sometimes. It’s just that, in my experience, those high-pressure initiatives, even when they pass, rarely actually achieve their objectives—rarely actually change the SBC. Instead, they become flash-in-the-pan initiatives. Everyone is talking about them this year; everyone has forgotten about them next year.Movements like the Conservative Resurgence make a lasting impact. They create and sustain enduring themes that change not just the organizational accoutrements of the convention but reach deeper and alter the culture of the convention. Lots of people could accomplish that; few will want to. It requires years of hard work. But you’re fooling yourself if you don’t believe that the same is true of any organization that you would seek to influence.

   In more hierarchical denominations (which would include both the more episcopal denominations and the more entrepreneurial ones), having real influence upon the denomination usually involves having to come into the employ of the denomination, and at a high level of administration at that. The Southern Baptist Convention, on the other hand, gives amazing opportunities to pastors and laypeople alike to make a difference in the convention’s work.

   Of course, other people are trying to influence the convention at the same time as you are. Having influence over the work of the convention is both a privilege and a responsibility. Be sure, if you try to exert influence over the convention, that you are doing so not for self-aggrandizement nor for baser motivations. Our convention operates as it does for the sake of the propagation of the gospel. Seek the aggrandizement of Christ (the real Christ, as found in the New Testament) and the magnification of our common gospel ministry and your ideas will do good service for the Master in the SBC.

At the recent KBC Mission Board Meeting, Pastor TJ Francis presented a check representing 10 percent of New City’s undesignated receipts, to CP.

With lostness growing in our state and Kentucky Baptist Convention agencies and institutions always in need of additional funds, are we investing too much in mission work overseas? Let’s consider the math.

The average KBC church gives 6.75 percent of undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program. That means the average church spends 93.25 percent of their offerings on ministry and outreach in their community, or at least most of it. Some churches do invest budget funds in overseas work in addition to CP but usually those funds are not a significant percentage of their budget.

Outside of the budget, most KBC churches receive the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering to support overseas mission work through the International Mission Board. The LMCO makes up nearly half of the IMB’s annual budget and buttresses support for nearly 5,000 missionaries in 180 countries. Even this offering, however, is a typically a very small amount compared to a church’s overall undesignated receipts.

Back to CP’s 6.75 percent of undesignated receipts: if the KBC spends half of CP funds on Kentucky mission work, and churches spend most or all of the other 93.25 percent on ministry in their community, then almost 97 percent of the offerings our churches collect are spent in Kentucky.

In terms of real dollars, consider this: our CP budget next year is $22.5 million. If we meet budget, and that $22.5 million represents 6.75 percent of undesignated receipts of our churches, then KBC churches will collect over $333 million total in undesignated receipts. Of that $333 million, just over $5 million will go to mission work overseas.

So, are we sending too much to the cause of Christ among the nations? Too much to see that the 1.7 billion people who have virtually no access to the gospel get a chance to hear about Jesus? Leading the way in the Great Commission Resurgence, Kentucky Baptists don’t think so.

Let me encourage those of us who are rightly concerned about the shrinking investment in Kentucky mission work to challenge all of our churches to strive for giving at least a tithe of their undesignated receipts through CP. If every church in the KBC gives at least 10 percent through CP, we will have a $33 million CP budget rather than $22.5 million. That extra $10 million will go a long way toward reaching Kentucky and the world for Christ.

I was pleased recently to receive the first check ever written by KBC’s newest church plant, New City Church of Louisville. Pastor TJ Francis presented the check, representing 10 percent of New City’s undesignated receipts, to CP. What a statement! If a new church plant, struggling to launch, can afford to tithe to get the gospel to the nations, can’t every church?

That is why Kentucky Baptists have embraced the Great Commission Resurgence. And that is why Kentucky Baptists have chosen to invest their missions dollars in ways that evidence their Great Commission commitment.

Over the next two fiscal years, the KBC mission board will vote on transitioning a higher percentage of Cooperative Program receipts to SBC causes, the majority of which will find their way to the international mission field. We are painfully aware that, due to budgeting shortfalls, the mission force serving through the International Mission Board has been reduced by more than 700 missionaries in the past few years. We want to do everything we can to reverse that trend.

Once the transition is complete, Kentucky Baptists will send 46.5% of every CP dollar outside of the state. Another 46.5% will be spent on in-state mission work.

What about the other 7%? That money will be used on behalf of the SBC and the KBC to promote CP. We refer to those funds as Cooperative Program Resourcing funds. Or, as I like to put it, “CPR: Giving Life to the Great Commission.”

Without CP, much of the Kingdom work of Southern Baptists will die.

Since these funds are being spent on behalf of the SBC and the KBC, we state that we are embracing a 50/50 split of CP funds, with 7% of those funds designated for CPR.

Historically, the role of the state convention in CP promotion has always been valued. The Great Commission Resurgence proposals, adopted by the SBC in 2010, called upon state conventions to accept a renewed responsibility for that role.

How does the 50/50 split impact our work in Kentucky? A reorganization of the KBC Mission Board resulting in a current staff headcount 37 percent smaller than just a decade ago (net loss of 41 positions) has helped position the KBC to move more funds to the foreign field. A newly proposed $700,000 reduction of the CP allocation to our in-state agencies and institutions will help further.

These sacrifices help balance our Great Commission work. We are investing half of CP funds in the mission field of Kentucky and half beyond Kentucky. And we are undergirding CP.

Thank you, Kentucky Baptists, for Great Commission faithfulness!

A news release posted on the KBC website explains more:

CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY. — Leaders from the Kentucky Baptist Convention and Campbellsville University are re-affirming their partnership following a meeting on Monday.

KBC and CU leaders crafted the following statement:

“After a candid and transparent meeting between Kentucky Baptist leaders and representatives from Campbellsville University, we have received the assurance that those who believe the literal truthfulness of every word of the Bible are welcomed as students and as faculty members of the university. While, as a liberal arts university, a diverse faculty and curriculum are typical in higher education, CU affirms its desire to prioritize the integration of faith and learning. CU also commits to remaining a Kentucky Baptist institution and operating in accordance with the Covenant Agreement. We look forward to ongoing conversations about ways to strengthen the relationship between the KBC and CU.”

The dialogue addressed concerns some Kentucky Baptists had raised about the beliefs and course content presented by faculty members in Campbellsville University’s theology and science programs.

“I’m grateful for the outcome of today’s meeting,” said KBC Executive Director-Treasurer Paul Chitwood. “As a product of Christian higher education, I know personally the value. My wife, Michelle, and I are both graduates of Campbellsville University’s sister school, the University of the Cumberlands, and 33 members of our extended family have attended there,” said Chitwood.

“I believe the cause of Christian higher education that drew the support of Kentucky Baptists in the beginning is still a worthwhile cause for Kentucky Baptists,” he continued. “I look forward to further dialogue with CU leaders that will strengthen our partnership.”

KBC President Dan Summerlin, pastor of Lone Oak First Baptist Church in Paducah, echoed Chitwood’s confidence.

“I believe the open dialog helped everyone to understand the importance of our partnership,” said Summerlin.

“As a local pastor, and since we have students attending and planning to attend Campbellsville, I see the importance of higher Christian education in our state, through not only Campbellsville University but also the University of Cumberlands.”

Chitwood suggested the meeting between representatives of the Kentucky Baptist Convention and Campbellsville University after Kentucky Baptists began expressing their concerns via email, phone calls and social media. Michael Carter, president of Campbellsville University, was receptive to the idea and worked with Chitwood to identify key leaders to participate in the discussion.

Campbellsville University representatives included: Joe Owens, chair of the Campbellsville University Board of Trustees and pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church in Lexington; Mike O’Neal, pastor of Hurstbourne Baptist Church in Louisville; James Jones, member of the Campbellsville University Board of Trustees and pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Campbellsville; Terry Black, attorney from Louisville; John Chowning, pastor of Saloma Baptist Church in Campbellsville and vice president for Church and External Relations for Campbellsville University; Frank Cheatham, vice president for Academic Affairs at Campbellsville University; Larry Noe, member of the Campbellsville University Board of Trustees and member of Campbellsville Baptist Church; and David Morris, member of the Campbellsville University Board of Trustees and a member of Paint Lick Baptist Church in Warsaw.

Hershael York, pastor of Buck Run Baptist Church in Frankfort and professor of preaching at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville; Dan Summerlin, KBC president and pastor of First Lone Oak Baptist Church in Paducah; Bill Henard, pastor of Porter Memorial Baptist Church in Lexington; Charles Barnes, member of Hurstbourne Baptist Church in Louisville; and Paul Badgett, pastor of First Baptist Church of Pikeville; Adam Greenway, chairman of the KBC Administrative Committee; Daryl Cornett, chair of the KBC Mission Board Agencies and Institutions Committee; and Curtis Woods, KBC associate executive director for convention relations and communications, represented the Kentucky Baptist Convention.

Campbellsville University is one of 10 agencies and institutions that receive funding from Kentucky Baptists through the Cooperative Program, and will receive $1,268,760 in 2012-2013. Since 1984, Kentucky Baptists have given more than $31 million to Campbellsville University through the Cooperative Program.

One study estimates that the number of ministers who resign their ministry position each month hovers around 1,500. Another survey reveals more than half of seminary graduates have left the ministry within five years of graduation and less than 20% of those who begin serving as pastors will continue in that role until retirement. The reasons for such high attrition rates in vocational ministry are many but, regardless of those reasons, the numbers are startling.

A New York Times article summarized the plight of many in pastoral ministry: “Members of the clergy now suffer from obesity, hypertension and depression at rates higher than most Americans. In the last decade, their use of antidepressants has risen, while their life expectancy has fallen.”

Every Sunday I have the privilege of preaching in a different church in Kentucky. The pastor is usually present. While a few minutes of interaction before worship and casual discussion over lunch afterward does not provide the opportunity to see deeply into any man’s heart, what I have seen gives me a growing love and appreciation for those who serve as undershepherds of the Good Shepherd.

I see men who love people and have a God-given desire to serve others. I see men who love the Lord and want desperately to please Him with their lives. I see men of conviction, who would be willing to lose all of their worldly possessions before they would stop “speaking about what they have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). I see men who eagerly proclaim the gospel with the confidence that God will use even their stutterings to bring the lost to Himself.

I also see men who carry heavy burdens. They carry the grief of those who grieve. They carry the pain of those who hurt.

They carry the brokenness of children whose parents are divorcing, the confusion and sorrow of parents who must bury a child, the emotional devastation of a man whose wife has been unfaithful, the fear of a young mother diagnosed with cancer, the regret of a man who looks back on the wasted years of his youth, and the concern of a grandmother for her lost granddaughter.

Yes, they cast their cares upon the Lord (1 Peter 5:7), but they do not have the privilege of turning off their love and concern for His sheep when they say “Amen” and close their eyes hoping for sleep.

God, thank you for our pastors. Bless them. Use them. Protect them. Reward them.

I asked Campbellsville University President Michael Carter to decide who, in addition to the two of us, should attend the meeting. He has chosen Joe Owens, Mike O’Neal, James Jones, Terry Black, John Chowning, Frank Cheatham, Larry Noe, and David Morris to represent CU. He asked that Hershael York, Dan Summerlin, Bill Henard, Charles Barnes, and Paul Badgett represent the churches of the KBC. With Dr. Carter’s permission, the chairman of the KBC Administrative Committee, Adam Greenway, the chairman of the KBC Mission Board Agencies and Institutions Committee, Daryl Cornett, and KBC Associate Executive Director Curtis Woods will also attend.

As for how this meeting came about, a little more information may prove helpful. Dr. Carter requested the meeting after I suggested it and told him to take some time to think about it.

Why did I suggest it? Seeing the growing concerns appearing on social media and receiving emails and phone calls also expressing concern, I felt that a meeting could potentially serve two purposes. First, it would permit the type of open, honest dialogue that I believe Kentucky Baptists expect from their leaders and ministry partners. Second, it could potentially allow me and other respected leaders from our churches to help CU deal with the challenges presently coming their way and ensure that CU’s relationships with the churches who have long sacrificed to support her remain strong.

Why would I want to help CU? Because I know the impact a Baptist university can have on people’s lives. Together, Michelle and I have 33 members of our family who have attended CU’s sister school, the University of the Cumberlands. Another family member, my sister, is currently applying. No way can I measure the impact that the educational opportunity afforded to our family has had upon our family.

Moreover, if CU is a school where the gospel is proclaimed, faith in the risen Lord is undergirded, and a biblical worldview is welcomed, then that is a cause I want to champion.

Furthermore, since 1984, Kentucky Baptists have invested over $31,000,000 in the university through the Cooperative Program. Cooperative Program giving to CU goes back several more decades but totals from the pre-computer days are difficult to secure. Nevertheless, I’m fairly certain that the Cooperative Program is the largest donor in the history of the university. Of course, Kentucky Baptists have additionally invested untold millions of dollars in the university through personal gifts, estates, scholarships, etc.

Some have suggested the relationship between the KBC and the university should simply be dissolved. That would be the poorest form of stewardship! To the contrary, I hope Kentucky Baptists would exhaust every avenue to address and alleviate their concerns before they would even consider such a move.

Recent news that the university will not tenure a popular professor in their school of theology has solicited both an outpouring of support for the professor and swirling accusations about the university. For most Kentucky Baptists, a personnel matter at one of our nine agencies or institutions is a matter that should be handled privately by the administration without interference by the public.

Claims, however, that CU retains other professors in the school of theology who reject biblical authority and professors in other disciplines who affirm evolution, are difficult for many Kentucky Baptists to swallow. This is especially true when well over $1 million of their missions offerings are helping pay the salaries of those professors every year.

As I peruse emails I have received calling for the defunding of CU and threatening to defund the Cooperative Program if the KBC does not take action, I understand the concerns but am equally concerned that we do not rush to judgment. I earnestly pray that accusations regarding one institution will not be used to undermine all that Kentucky Baptists support, including the education 16,000 Southern Baptist Convention seminary students and more than 10,000 missionaries and church planters taking the gospel to Kentucky, North America, and the ends of the earth.

I am, however, genuinely troubled by the testimonies of some current and former CU students.

Tenuous and fragile are words that describe the relationships between most state conventions and their liberal arts universities. Higher education, by its very nature, requires the kind of academic freedom and exploration that is sometimes difficult to envision being funded by missions offerings. But if academic freedom is no longer afforded to those who hold to “the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3) and teach a high view of Scripture (2Tim 3:16), the time for church support has clearly passed.

Is this the case for Kentucky Baptists and another of their historic educational institutions? I certainly hope not and appreciate the wisdom of God’s word where it says, “The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him” (Prov 18:17). Given the claims being made by CU’s detractors, open and honest dialogue is necessary to reveal the answer to this question.

Again, the purpose of this undertaking is not to enter into the inherently private personnel issues of the university but to determine the compatibility of CU’s mission with the mission of the churches of the KBC.

Kentucky Baptists have been on a journey together for more than 175 years. That journey has found us investing in the work of CU for nearly a century. Let us not rush to judgment on this matter for “one who is wise is cautious” (Prov 14:16). Instead, let us walk with prudence, seeking knowledge that will lead to understanding (Ps 119:66).

Please join me in praying that God will grant us the understanding we need so that the mission He has given Kentucky Baptists can be accomplished.

Michelle and Anna

The Chitwoods, minus our six year old daughter, Cai, had the privilege of spending spring break on a mission trip in Haiti earlier this month. With the approval of Michelle’s doctors (she is doing great!), we signed up for the Crossings International Mission Camp.

Not only did the trip allow us to serve the Haitian people and work with Crossings, of one of our strategic ministry partners, we also had the privilege of spending the week with dozens of teens and adult leaders from several of our Kentucky Baptist Convention churches. Team members came from Central Baptist Church in Corbin, FBC La Center, FBC Lawrenceburg, FBC Brandenburg, FBC Sturgis, and Raymond Baptist Church in Meade County.

The Crossings International Mission Camp gives teenagers a fabulous opportunity to get overseas missions experience in a country with tremendous spiritual and physical needs. Haiti is an impoverished, third world country that was struggling long before the devastating 2010 earthquake took the lives of 250,000 people and damaged and destroyed tens of thousands of buildings and homes. That earthquake and repeated hurricanes have elevated the suffering of a people who have known little else since being abducted from their African homeland by slave traders and shipped to the Caribbean island to work on France’s coffee and sugar plantations.

The pastor show here standing next to me has been laboring at his church since 1974. He’s now battling cancer.

Yet, even as a people whose history is marked by enslavement, poverty, and natural disasters of biblical proportions, the Haitian people are not without hope. The faithful witness of Southern Baptists and other Great Commission Christians has found soft hearts and listening ears among many of the 9 million people who inhabit the island.

Our team of Kentucky Baptist teens and adults worked alongside our brothers and sisters from Baptist churches in Haiti, conducting Vacation Bible Schools and upgrading a youth camp owned by Baptist Haiti Mission, where thousands of Haitian children and teenagers hear the gospel each year.  I was very impressed by the maturity of our team members. Choosing to spend their spring break sweating, swatting mosquitoes, and serving, these young people were a powerful testimony to the faithfulness of the churches who have discipled them and challenged them to take the gospel to the nations.

Michelle and I were also gratified to watch our son and oldest daughter be used by the Holy Spirit to lead lost Haitians to Christ. While I’ve never hesitated to show pictures of my son posing with his latest bow kill or yell from the stands at my daughter’s track meet or soccer game, the feelings of joy I experience when I see them living out and sharing their faith are incomparable.

Michelle and I were also gratified to watch our son and oldest daughter be used by the Holy Spirit to lead lost Haitians to Christ. While I’ve never hesitated to show pictures of my son posing with his latest bow kill or yell from the stands at my daughter’s track meet or soccer game, the feelings of joy I experience when I see them living out and sharing their faith are incomparable. We are so grateful for the grace God showed us in Haiti.

There is a major difference between the words “and” and “or.” For example, if you see an advertisement for eggs and ham, you know you will receive both; however, if the advertisement said eggs or ham, then you realize you need to make a choice. The simple change of the conjunction makes a huge difference in how we respond to the statement. Rarely do we find people making a mistake between the meanings of these two conjunctions.

Yet, surprisingly many Christians seem confused by the conjunction in the Great Commission. Jesus said “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 ESV) Notice He used the conjunction “and” not “or.” Notice the difference? If He had used the word “or” then we would have choice of where to take the Gospel but using the word “and” we know we must take it to the entire world.

But how can the local church undertake this daunting task? The great news for Southern Baptists is we have the mechanism to achieve this command through cooperating with one another. Obviously I am speaking of the Cooperative Program. Since 1925 Southern Baptist churches of all sizes have cooperated with one another by pooling their money to send out missionaries throughout the world. This simple plan enables all churches to have a major part in the Great Commission.

I have been blessed to travel to Central America, South America, Africa, and Asia for mission projects and, each time I go, I talk with our SBC missionaries. Speaking with them is a constant reminder to me of the importance of giving through the CP and the need to send even more missionaries. Seeing their obstacles and opportunities I am also compelled to pray for more churches to take seriously the Great Commission and their particular role in fulfilling it.

Currently Southern Baptists have many missionaries ready to go to the fields, but the funds are not available. That is an indictment to all of us. How can we say we believe in the Great Commission and not give more in sending missionaries?  How can we say we believe in the Great Commission and not pray for God to call our own children and grandchildren to the mission field?

As I travel the state as I am excited to witness the passion Kentucky Baptists have to fulfill the Great Commission. We get it. This command is not to choose between local, state, national or international missions but to partner together to present the Gospel to all. Thank you, Kentucky Baptists, for your commitment and dedication to our Lord’s command.