Related Topics
Connecting Generations Focus of 2010 KBC Annual Meeting
11/16/2010
LEXINGTON –At the opening session of the 173rd annual meeting of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, messengers were reminded of past milestones even as they charted a new course for the commonwealth’s largest religious organization.
"Connecting Generations in Christ" was the focus of the meeting held at Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington.
Recommendations from a task force formed at last year’s annual meeting to study "how Kentucky Baptists can work more faithfully and effectively together in serving Christ through the Great Commission" were ratified by the 1,098 messengers in attendance.
Those recommendations include a 10-year plan for increased giving by Kentucky Baptists to the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists’ unified giving plan that funds missions locally, in North America and the world.
Messengers also approved changes to the KBC constitution to reduce the size of the mission board, the body that acts on behalf of the convention between annual meetings, from 170 members to approximately 120 over the next several years.
Kentucky Baptists heard the final annual meeting report from current KBC Executive Director Bill Mackey who announced last month his intention to retire next May.
Describing his 13 years as KBC executive director as an "incredible privilege," Mackey applauded Kentucky Baptists’ record year of giving to missions and ministries.
Through state, North American and international mission offerings, disaster relief funds for Haiti, and estate gifts from individual Kentucky Baptists, more than $35 million was given to support ministry in the past year, Mackey said.
"In a time of economic decline, that is phenomenal," he said.
In his final address as executive director, Mackey encouraged Kentucky Baptists to "remember who you are as a missionary people. Continue to find ways to work together."
Although he and his wife, Kay, intend to relocate to North Carolina next year, Mackey said that to demonstrate their commitment to gospel work in Kentucky they have established an endowment fund through the Kentucky Baptist Foundation to support Cooperative Program work in Kentucky. As a "last word to the convention," Mackey encouraged Kentucky Baptists: "Don’t miss an open door to share the mystery of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Share the gospel, disciple the believers, and God will be honored and heaven will be populated."
In his message, KBC President Don Mathis, the first two-term president since 1961, said "God had given an awakening" in 19th century Kentucky and that Kentucky Baptists were part of that revival.
"My prayer for 11 years now has been: ‘dear God, do it again. Why not here? Why not now? Why not among Kentucky Baptists?’"
Mathis said believers could learn much from the four, small but wise, creatures mentioned in Proverbs 30:24-28.
"If you and I would do … as these creatures do instinctively, we would quickly learn that life ain’t really that complicated," Mathis said. "Whatever we’re going to be doing for God and good, we’d better be doing it now."
Kentucky Baptists "by the power and blessings of God have not been twiddling our thumbs" over the years, Mathis noted, reminding listeners that Kentucky is the birthplace of the Cooperative Program.
"We’ve always been ahead of the curve."
The "bad news" is that Kentucky Baptists could be doing much more.
Mathis said when he was first elected KBC president in 1985 churches were giving an average of 11.69 percent of their undesignated receipts to the Cooperative Program. Today the percentage is 6.83 percent.
"What if we had maintained that same percentage? We would have given $16 million more. We could already be at that 50/50 split (of CP dollars between Kentucky and Southern Baptist causes). We could have sent 68 more missionary couples to the field."
"In your county last Sunday, 83 percent of the population were not in Sunday school or worship anywhere," Mathis said. "Shame on us if we don’t give it everything we can to tell them about Jesus, like someone told us about Jesus."
In other business, Mathis announced his appointments to the KBC Committee on Committees: Darrell Crawford, pastor of Lafayette Baptist Church; Tom Curry, pastor of Parkand Baptist Church in Louisville; and Jim McGee, pastor of East Hickman Baptist Church in Lexington.
Messengers also approved Lone Oak First Baptist Church in Paducah as the site of the 2013 KBC Annual Meeting.
The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of nearly 2.400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative offices in Louisville, including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. For more, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Release prepared by Dannah Prather, Marketing & Media Relations Associate
