Be a Rebel. Get Involved.

There is a big discussion taking place in the tribe that I hang with called the Southern Baptist Convention. Honestly, I am not too sure about everything that has taken place. I do have certain convictions about the many things that have been brought up by the Great Commission Resurgence.

Here are my two cents, thanks for reading this mom:

For whatever reason, every generation has an inward desire and passion to rebel against the previous generation. As a third generation preacher in my family, I have loved hearing the stories of men from the past who have stood against the crowd to attempt something great for God. The Southern Baptist Convention has been filled with these stories.

When Christ called me into full-time ministry, I had no idea that church planting was even an option, because I had always viewed it as “church splitting”. As I continued to learn about church planting, I found and continue to find many guys who have turned to church planting because of a drive to rebel against “the man.” On top of this, many church planters have chosen to rebel against their denominational heritage.

Planting a church in Uptown New Orleans was never an act of rebellion for me. Post-Katrina New Orleans is in desperate need of a thousand new churches. I was however influenced by this rebellion to consider the option of abandoning the Southern Baptist Convention. One of my close friends recommended for me to look into the Acts 29 Network. As I pursued them, I had the privilege of talking with Darrin Patrick (Lead Pastor of Journey Church in St. Louis) who is the Vice-President of Acts 29 and a Southern Baptist. God used Darrin in a powerful way to show me the importance of honoring my heritage, moving against the crowd that was jumping ship, and getting involved.

The Southern Baptist Convention has been an amazing blessing in my life. My South African parents sold everything, moved to New Orleans, and began studying at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. They were immediately adopted and equipped to proclaim the Gospel. Today I join my dad, my brother, my uncles, and both grandpas in proclaiming the Gospel through the umbrella of the SBC.

Sure, the SBC has many issues…but so does every church…and so does every church leader. Southern Baptists have been used by God in a mighty way to proclaim the Gospel all over the world. I am proud to continue this cooperative journey into the future.

With so many in my generation turning away from the SBC, I feel like the new rebellion is to get involved. I have really appreciated the work that has gone into the Great Commission Resurgence. There has never been a greater time for us to unite around the Gospel for God’s glory. BE A REBEL. GET INVOLVED.