Home Christian News Southern Baptist Influencers Forecast SBCs Future on Cooperative Program Stage Panel

Southern Baptist Influencers Forecast SBCs Future on Cooperative Program Stage Panel

.D. Greear (left) and Robby Gallaty were part of a panel discussion on the future of the SBC in the exhibit hall of the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim. Photo by Charissa Graves

ANAHEIM, Calif. (BP) – Several Southern Baptist pastors and leaders highlighted the need for repentance and unity during a CP Stage panel forecasting the future of the SBC during last week’s SBC annual meeting.

The panel took place on Monday morning, June 13, and featured pastors J.D. Greear of The Summit Church in Durham, N.C., and Robby Gallaty of Long Hollow Church in Hendersonville, Tenn., as well as Shane Pruitt, national Next Gen director for the North American Mission Board.

The panel was moderated by Jordan Easley, pastor of First Baptist Church, Cleveland, Tenn., who opened up by reiterating the common mission of Southern Baptists.

“What we all have in common in this room and really beyond this room, is that we all want to be part of a convention that honors the Lord, makes disciples, sees peoples saved, plants churches and sends missionaries,” Easley said.

“I think that ought to be the focus of our convention today. I don’t believe God is finished with the SBC.”

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Easley then asked the panelists of what the convention needs to do to be something they want to be a part of in the future.

The themes of repentance and unity were consistent among the answers.

Greear began by saying that in order to move forward, the convention must acknowledge the problems it currently faces, particularly in the area of sexual abuse. Properly handling challenging issues like sexual abuse is a part of the cooperative mission of Southern Baptists, he said.

“I’m committed to this convention because of our focus on missions and evangelism, but I do not believe that it honors God to use that as a way to cover up for dealing with these things that are in front of us,” Greear said. “This is an application of the Great Commission. The Spirit of God is always leading us into paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. That’s my hope right now.”

Gallaty, who helped host a time of prayer before the SBC Pastors’ Conference, echoed Greear’s sentiment about the need for a united spirit of repentance in the convention.

“The Lord put two words on my heart leading up to the prayer time, repentance and unity,” Gallaty said.