a very positive imb meeting

This morning the International Mission Board, meeting in Ontario California , finished out the last plenary session in inspiring fashion. It ended with a testimony of how God is working in the hearts of believers in countries we cannot even speak about. The session was one of the best we have had since I have been on the board.

It was in this meeting that our board issued certificates to each of the 44 missionaries being commissioned. As is the case in every meeting, the incredible testimonies of these amazing young men and women is an experience I wish everyone in our congregation could have. The stories of radical sacrifice and passion are beyond anything I can compare here in the states. As Piper says, "the missionary is the ultimate Christian hedonist."

I come away from each of these meetings with a renewed commitment to do all I can in leading our church to support the great commission cause around the world. We have set a goal of 8000 missionaries by 2010. To accomplish this, we will need to more than double our current number annually. God has blessed us with resources, it is time for us to call out those who are being moved toward missions.

Vice President Gordon Fort finished out the session by inviting one of our mission strategists to share a story of how young Cuban believers recently became so overwhelmed by the stories of how God is working in East Asia, that they spontaneously raced down the aisle during the closing prayer to give offerings of cash, jewelry and even shirts off their backs to support the work there. The board was presented bags of old shirts, many with patches on them, that these students have sacrificially given. The board was so moved that we spontaneously responded by pouring cash into the plastic sacks on top of the shirts. Over 2800 dollars was collected on the spot.

For those who feel discouraged by what has been happening on the board, I would say simply that there is a kind of outpouring of the Spirit that is taking place. I believe this will be a very positive year for us. Walls of division are beginning to come down. People who were not talking before are beginning to talk and dialogue.

The subcommittees responsible for bringing a response regarding the controversial policies on baptism and private prayer language will not be ready to present their report until March or maybe even May. Every indication is that these groups are working very diligently and are getting input from a wide variety of viewpoints across the convention. I believe there will be some positive outcomes there as well.

Do not make too much of the official response from the board regarding the Wade Burleson issue. The response was written in joint agreement between staff and board. Specifically, everyone needs to understand that Jerry Rankin was given significant input into the issues involved. As far as the board is concerned, it is about as much of a response as could be given.

More later.