Something is leaking. According to an article in the USA Today dated August 6 (taken from The Tennessean), someone’s computer sprung a leak. That is, an email was leaked which altered the course of the upcoming NAMB Board of Trustees meeting. Someone left the gate valve open and water sprung from a circuit board inviting unintended readers a look-see into upcoming discussions by the “executive committee” of the NAMB BoT. In an environment of trust in people and process “leaking” would not be necessary.

If we were the GCR Task Force we would avoid “watergate.” You see, we are familiar with “leaking computers.” Well, maybe not leaking computers, but leaking sources. During our time with the now defunct SBCOutpost, read SBC Drudge Report, there were many willing to “blow the whistle” on questionable tactics yet they feared reprisal. Over and again we bantered back and forth about “anonymous sources.” Some pontificated with erudition. In the end the atmosphere was the problem. In an organization, institution, intending to bear the Gospel of Jesus to the world one would assume ethical decisions would run through the ethic of Jesus. In order to move us from the pragmatic and narrow agendas of a few, we would declare an end to secret meetings from the outset.

Rather than offer an expose’ on the countless secret meetings held over the past 30 years, we would schedule all meetings inside a local church building. From the now famous or infamous meeting at the Cafe du Monde to the present hour our history is full of examples of these private meetings. The stakes are too high to undermine the process behind the cloak of secrecy. Sometimes symbolism is as important as substance. We hear much about the Great Commission being given to the local church, then we would plan to meet there. Our history is full of meetings held at airports. Sometimes the outcome of those meetings has been less than profitable.

Not only would we declare an end to secret meetings, we would open ours. We would lead by example. Marty noted in our opening post how we would offer Town Hall styled listening sessions. One is already planned in Arkansas. We would report after each meeting the pertinent details of the discussions. Our goal would be to engender trust where it has obviously been called into question.

Since the horse is out of the barn, we would have selected all members of the Task Force without respect to our friends, we would work tirelessly as co-chairs to listen to input from every member regardless were they among the first group (18) selected or the last (4), whether they served one of our entities and exhibited brilliance or served as pastor of one of our smaller churches and demonstrated common sense, whether we had known them a lifetime or just met. We would hold the floor for those who we selected not showing deference to another who made the GCR motion or was the representative figure head of the “movement.” We would risk underplaying the role of those more prominent members of the Task Force. Too many have made meetings only to discover the decisions were in the bag before the car ride or the plane trip to the appointed destination. Everyone must be valued in the process.

The USA Today article carried a reference to “cronyism.” That should not have been a word Ronnie Floyd or Johnny Hunt need look up in the dictionary. In fact, it is quite humorous we are calling attention to cronyism in the USA Today article but have seen few references to such in our state newsletters newspapers. If there is one thing we know something about in the SBC is cronyism. I was once told to “get a group of my friends together” and “do what we did” when I suggested things seemed our of whack. We cannot do without friends. But, in the task at hand, we need more than friends. We need someone who would draw attention to our shortsightedness, our narrow perspectives, and call us on the carpet when we use our power or position to exert undue influence into a process on which many have staked their future SBC hopes. And, do not begin to think that an overstatement.

We would avoid manipulating the moment. Politicos understand the necessity of trial balloons. Already some form of consolidation between NAMB and the IMB has been broached as a topic du jour. We confess it seems all to coincidental this news comes out now when as noted it is nearly a year in the making. Surely you would understand the NAMB BoT wanting to go above and beyond so as not to be seen as “the problem” with two successive firings. This is not the time to capitulate to the pragmatic, which is our general penchant. We have had far too many instances of entities dabbling in other entities affairs. We need not continue the practice with the GCR Task Force. After all, the Task Force may only make recommendations. NAMB will need leadership, and solid leadership, long before recommendations may be parsed and evaluated by the Convention. We would need to maintain focus on the larger picture of empowering our churches to more effectively, and with resourcefulness, carry out the Great Commission.

We would seek to live out the Great Commandment as we consider carrying out the Great Commission. The Nixon administration went off course. Cover ups became necessary. We must admit running off course began before statistics demonstrated a decline. Our issues run deeper than bus tours and development of more creative witnessing tools. We would certainly want to pray for the process and encourage others. Even more, we would call on each Task Force member and the sum of the SBC to practice Jesus’ call to love one another. Recently SBC provocateur Wade Burleson remarked that he must learn to love the liberal, moderate Baptist among us before he could possibly be considered to know how to love our Muslim friends. And, if that is not enough for some of you, Jimmy Allen has long contended that our love for each other must reach beyond our theology. We have pushed out, preached out those who did not draw our narrow lines. We remain in danger of continuing this practice. Only by committing to the Great Commandment do we have any hope of fulfilling the Great Commission.