Today's interview is with Ronnie Floyd, the newly elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He is also the senior pastor of Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas. Today, Daniel Darling talks with Ronnie about the next Great Awakening, the SBC's decline in baptisms, and relief operations.
1) You've been a pastor for many decades and now you've been elected as President of the Southern Baptist Convention. How does it feel to hold his prominent position?
I am deeply humbled by this sacred trust that has been given to me. I am overflowing with gratitude as I think of being raised in a church with thirty to forty people each Sunday. I am committed to pray through everything that is before me, some of which I know and much I do not. I have been and will continue to be in a preparation mode in order to be able to represent our Lord, my church, and our convention of churches in an honorable manner. I am already leading per the responsibilities entrusted to me and willing to lead when called upon to do so.
2) What is your vision for the next two years of Southern Baptist life?
Now that I am elected president, I will lead from who I am and what God has done in and through my life for years. I will always remain open to what the Lord is doing among us, but here is what I do know God wants me to do. First, I will call upon us to cry out to God in extraordinary prayer for the next great spiritual awakening in America. No great movement of God ever occurs without being preceded by the extraordinary prayer of God's people. Second, I will do all I can to lead Southern Baptists to do all we can together to accelerate our pace in completing the Great Commission. It is imperative we penetrate lostness in our churches, states, nation, and across the entire world. Evangelizing, baptizing, discipling, sending, and giving must be escalated. Southern Baptists have had a great Conservative Resurgence. We are in the midst of a Great Commission Resurgence. The greatest need in this moment is to see God bring the next Great Awakening.
3) There has been much talk about the SBC's decline in baptisms. Many are saying this is the result of a lack of evangelism. Others have said that perhaps it reflects a more careful approach to baptism and a decline in easy-believism. Still there are those who point to the many big SBC churches who don't report their baptisms? What is your view?
From the pastor to the staff team to the church leadership to the lay people, each of us must own the Great Commission personally.
Without question, I do believe we have many of our churches that do not take the time to complete our Annual Church Profile (a key reporting measure). Often times, it is complex and challenging. Personally, I wish we had a one-page, uniform profile that could be easily completed by any church of any size. However, while this may impact our reporting minimally, our problem in not reaching and baptizing believers is due to a lack of a healthy disciple-making culture in our churches; one that produces a strong, long-term commitment to personal and church evangelism.
Additionally, we must not only have gospel conversations, but gospel conversations with the full intentionality to lead people to faith in Jesus Christ. From the pastor to the staff team to the church leadership to the lay people, each of us must own the Great Commission personally: To present the gospel of Jesus Christ to every person in the world and to make disciples of all the nations.
4) You pastor in a Bible-belt state, but even in historically conservative areas, we're seeing major cultural shifts on issues like marriage. How do you think your denomination is poised to minister in a "post-Christian" era?
I believe our churches are daily becoming more aware and impacted by the shifts of the culture. There is not one place in America that is exempt. While this will call upon all of our pastors and leaders to be able to articulate biblical worldviews wrapped in the compassion of Jesus Christ, I believe our convention's leadership is committed to resourcing and equipping our churches in the highest manner. I look forward to standing with our denominational leaders, like Russell Moore, as we navigate through tumultuous waters in our culture.
5) The Southern Baptist Convention has the world's third largest relief operation. Often SBC churches and relief teams are the first ones on the ground after a major natural disaster. Why isn't this story told more often in media accounts of the SBC?
This is a great question and I am committed to helping tell this story. I believe it is one of our greatest assets and would let the world know that Southern Baptists are people with great compassion. I started telling this story in pre-election interviews, in my post-election Press Conference at the Southern Baptist Convention meeting, and I have been telling it since. Southern Baptists must stand up and let people know about our disaster relief program in a clear and compelling way. Each Southern Baptist church, America, and the world needs to know that when a disaster occurs, within hours or as soon as permissible, Southern Baptists are on the ground; loving people, serving people, comforting people, and sharing God's power of love found only in his Son, Jesus Christ.
Daniel Darling is vice-president of communications for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He is the author of several books, including his latest, Activist Faith.
