Rick Warren, in his Third Video in the Series "SBC at the Crossroads," Examines the Weaknesses of the Denomination

Rick Warren, founder of Saddleback Church, announces the release of the third video in his series, "SBC at the Crossroads," in which he addresses the unprecedented decline of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Available now on SBCStand.com, Warren challenges that when you observe and listen to Baptists today, it's apparent that many are unfamiliar with the roots of the denomination to which they belong.

"Many people assume that I'm making these videos simply about the question of women in ministry, but that's not the case," said Warren. "That issue was simply the precipitating event that uncovered a number of weaknesses that must be addressed. There are far, far bigger issues at stake here."

Deeply concerned about the SBC's 17-year denominational decline resulting in a loss of a half-million members last year, Warren asserts the SBC must recover the 7 unique distinctives upon which the Convention was founded 178 years ago that helped grow the denomination:

B - Bible as our Sole Authority

A - Autonomy of Every Local Church

P - Priesthood of Every Believer

T - Take the Gospel to the Whole World

I -  Immersion Baptism for Believers Only

S - Separation of Church and State (to Guarantee Religious Liberty)

T - Training in Righteousness

"Let me be very clear; I'm not worried about the SBC's survival," Warren explained. "There are plenty of examples of other denominations that have continued to survive 50, 60 - even 70 years of decline - and are still limping along as a weak representation of what they used to be.

"I don't doubt our survival, but I do doubt our effectiveness," he continued. "I don't want to see a formerly great denomination have no impact anymore, or at least reduced impact. For our denominational family to be renewed, revitalized, refreshed and revived, clearly there are some things that must change."

Warren believes that if something is worth saving, you fight for it. To that end, he is scheduled to give a 3-minute appeal to SBC messengers from the Convention floor at the Annual Meeting in New Orleans on the afternoon of June 13, 2023.

To generate constructive dialogue and deliberation ahead of the Annual Meeting, Warren's video series is one of many resources he has supplied on SBCStand.com.

 

 

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