off to the imb

I am heading out Monday morning early to attend the IMB meeting in Ontario California. I have felt somewhat out of the loop lately as I was unable to attend the last meeting in November. But I am somewhat encouraged by the tone and tenor of our previous meetings. Our ad-hoc committees assigned to evaluate the IMB policies passed a year ago will bring their report. This long anticipated report I hope will reap positive results.

For those of you who don't know that background (I can't imagine who that would be!), suffice it to say that our board has had to deal with quite a bit of conflict and controversy over the past year as a result of two new policies that have drastically impacted the way prospective missionaries are chosen.

I am prayerful that whatever comes out of these committee will effectively address the issue. They had a difficult assignment, as emotions are running high on both sides.

Of course, in my opinion, the best possible outcome would be a change of language in the policies that would not exclude missionary candidates whose doctrinal beliefs and strong convictions are in line with the 2000 BFM and yet are not cessionist in their eschatology or landmarkist in their ecclesiology. I have maintained all along that cooperating Bapists must stick to these parameters and not less. The way we do cooperation in SBC life today will greatly impact future generations. We MUST get this right.

Anyway, pray for our IMB this week.

Teri and I will be celebrating our 20 year anniversary at the end of the week- it's hard to believe it has been 20 years! We are looking forward to some time off by ourselves.

I have asked Neil Franks to preach for me next Sunday out of John 21- and to share in that a testimony about what God has taught him in his 4 1/2 years at Council Road. It will be Neils last Sunday, as he has accepted the position of Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Branson Missouri. He will leave a big hole- but we know that God has great things for both churches.