Joining J.D. Greear in Praying for the SBC Today

I don’t claim to be a significant Southern Baptist leader, so I realize I may be overstepping my position to write this post. At the same time, though, I am a committed Southern Baptist who has served at the local church and denominational level. I’m proud to be one of us, even if we’re hardly a perfect people.

We are in a time of transition, most evident in the number of open leadership roles in our entities. For various reasons, we find ourselves with openings in seemingly unprecedented numbers. Within the next year, much will change in SBC life. For that reason, I’m supporting J.D. Greear’s call to pray today for the committees searching for new leaders. I encourage you to do the same and invite others to join us.

In that light, here is my prayer encouragement:

1. Lead your family, small group, and church to pray for the various search committees now seeking next leaders. Those committees are working at the Executive Committee, the International Mission Board, Lifeway, Southwestern Seminary, and New Orleans Seminary. Ask God to direct them to the right person to lead.
2. Pray for the current leaders of our agencies and entities. All have heavy responsibilities, and the enemy would delight in somehow taking them out of the battle. Pray for their leadership, their marriages, their families, and their work.
3. Pray for those who have stepped out of leadership roles now vacant. Every one of us needs prayer as we strive to follow God faithfully.
4. Pray for any Southern Baptists who may be discouraged by all these events and transitions. We have been here before as a denomination, and God has always provided for us. He knows who the next leaders will be. Our job now is to seek Him, His wisdom, and His grace as we look toward the future.
5. Pray for the pastors at your church. All of us are in this game together. We need each other, from the local church to the association to the state convention to the national convention. Pastors are on the front lines of our work, and they need and deserve our daily prayer support.
6. Pray for yourself. Southern Baptists are simply people who have made a commitment to follow the Lord and do missions together. People like you. And me. And the folks who participate in your small group. And those who sit in the pews or chairs next to you. We’re a people desperately in need of God’s grace and direction if we want to make a difference in a lost world. Pray for both today for yourself.

I love you, Southern Baptists. Thank you for allowing me to join you on this journey.