SBC | Jerry Rankin Blog

Archive for SBC

Tribute to Avery Willis

Posted by: admin | Comments (2)

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

(Aug. 4, 2010) - It would be impossible to grasp on this side of eternity the kingdom impact of Avery Willis and the people who have been influenced by his life and ministry. His funeral on Tuesday was truly a God-glorifying tribute to his walk with the Lord; it barely scratched the surface in celebrating the scope of what God chose to do through his 76 years upon this earth.

Many have been his personal friends and colleagues over the years, but I am one of those who had the rare privilege of knowing and working with Avery in the four stages of his ministry. God was able to entrust a unique vision and passion to Avery because Jesus was truly Lord of his life. He was in love with Jesus and absolutely serious about following Him as an obedient disciple. Many who worked with him would have issues of disagreement when it came to programs and planning, but no one would question his spiritual depth, devotion to prayer and genuine commitment to a Spirit-filled life.

His calling to reach a lost world led him to Indonesia as a church planter in 1964, at a time God was moving in a phenomenal ways following a time of social upheaval after an aborted communist coup. His family spent their first term in Bogor, south of Jakarta, then moved to East Java to open work in Jember. They were there for only 10 months when health issues of their growing family made it advisable for him to move to Semarang to teach at the Indonesian Baptist Seminary.

Categories : IMB, Leadership, SBC, missions

Comments (2)

Trends, Trials and Triumphs

Posted by: admin | Comments (12)

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

(July 27, 2010)-The following is a transcript of my final address to the IMB Board of Trustees last week in Richmond, Virginia.

A time of transition is a time to look back and reflect on the rich legacy of our past, to celebrate the present and to renew our vision for the future. Enough has been said about the past in IMB reports and commendations on the occasion of my retirement. I give God the glory for the growth and global impact we have seen; it far exceeds what any of us would have imagined just a few years ago. However, being in a position to have a global overview has given me some insight regarding possible trends, trials and the triumph of the future.

I am not a prophet and do not have the ability to discern the future, but being in a position to have a global overview of what God is doing around the world, I have been able to recognize the trends of a dynamic world of accelerating change that will radically impact how missions is done in the future. In the 1980s we had a Global Strategy Group that was responsible long-range planning. These were the visionaries and strategists who attempted to anticipate the future. Yet as they outlined goals for the end of the century, no one envisioned the possibility of missionaries in what was then the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. No one even dreamed that one day we might have personnel back in China. Our tendency is to become entrenched in current realities; the result is to become marginalized as global paradigms change.

As we forecast and develop scenarios based on what the world could look like in the coming years, consider these possible future realities:

Categories : GCR, IMB, Leadership, SBC, missions

Comments (12)

Reflections on the Journey

Posted by: admin | Comments (6)

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

(July 23, 2010)–This past week has been a whirlwind of activity and emotion, the culmination of a couple of months of events that have served to accent the finality of my role as IMB president. There was the final appointment of new missionaries (after 101 such services), final orientation of new personnel, final stateside conference, final staff chapel, and now the final board meeting.

People had a lot of nice things to say about my tenure as we reflected on what God has done and from where we have come. I am the first to admit that I was ill-equipped to step into a global leadership role and a position of denominational leadership after 23 years overseas. In fact, I had not even attended a Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting until the year prior to my election. My calling was overseas, and I never desired to return to the States or to a leadership role that would pull me off the field.

I was resistant at that time to allowing the search committee to even consider me, but recognized it would not have happened had God not been in the decision. It was and continued to be a steep learning curve, but the most notable impression as I look back on these 17 years is an awesome sense of God’s providence. He was at work throughout the world to fulfill His mission; He is sovereign over the nations and didn’t need Jerry Rankin. He didn’t need the IMB or Southern Baptists. We were just given the privilege of joining Him in the task of reaching the nations.

Categories : IMB, Leadership, SBC, missions

Comments (6)

The Challenge of Missionary Support

Posted by: admin | Comments (8)

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Why are more Southern Baptist missionaries going to the field independently and through other agencies than through the IMB? I don’t have the statistics, but that is my distinct impression. There are a variety of reasons.

In our accountability to the convention, our board of trustees is conscientious about sending those who are doctrinally sound, spiritually mature, physically healthy and fulfill established criteria of education and experience. Because our medical coverage is self-funded (there is no way we could pay exorbitant premiums that underwriters would demand for where our people go), we do not send those who represent high health risks and a potential liability. Many candidates do not have a college degree or seminary hours that are considered basic qualifications.

There are also those who cannot affirm personal doctrinal positions compatible with what Southern Baptists who support them believe. Then there are additional criteria, as mentioned in the last post, of a private prayer language, divorce or judgment regarding who administered baptism. However, for many it is a matter of wanting the IMB to support them to go where they feel led to go to do what they want to do.

The IMB has always had a global vision and strategy for reaching the whole world. Every missionary is expected to be involved in evangelism, discipleship and planting churches. Yet this is done through very diverse and comprehensive roles. In fact, doors that are closed to traditional missionaries make roles in media, medicine, agriculture, social work and other platforms more prominent than ever. Priority is given to getting the gospel to those who have never heard, although many personnel are still being assigned where churches have been established.

Categories : IMB, SBC, missions

Comments (8)

Dilemma of the Missionary Call

Posted by: admin | Comments (7)

Monday, June 28th, 2010

It is obvious that God is calling more and more Southern Baptists to give their lives in missionary service. I have been a firm believer that the call to missions is for every believer and every church; it is a call to the people of God, and no one is exempt. We all have a place in fulfilling God’s mission.

Everyone should be willing to go rather than dismissing the responsibility of reaching the nations on the basis of not being called. In an era of post-WWII growth when the number of foreign missionaries tripled in 15 years, FMB President Dr. Baker James Cauthen used to challenge people to assume God was calling them to go until He closed the door, rather than assuming they were to stay until they received a mystical call. As I meet former college and seminary classmates, they remind me of how obnoxious I was in discussing this issue. I felt the call to a lost world so strongly I would question their call to the ministry—and perhaps their salvation—if they had not considered a call as a possibility for going overseas.

It is evident God is stirring a younger generation with a passion to make a difference in the world. We have consistently seen 5,000 to 8,000 high school and college students engaged in mission projects around the world each year. Journeyman applications have continued to grow, and the Hands-On project was started to give students an opportunity to spend a semester or year on the mission field before they graduated. As they encounter a lost world, see God at work and recognize the potential in their own lives, these students are responding to offer their lives for missionary service. I believe God is raising up this younger generation to finish the task of evangelizing the world.

However, students graduating from college and seminary, as well as others who are willing to leave a stateside ministry or put their professional career on the shelf to share Christ with those who have never heard are facing a serious dilemma. How are they to go? In the past the IMB has consistently had up to 2,500 candidates in the missionary appointment process. Because of the increased interest, we could easily have processed and sent a thousand short-term missionaries through the Journeymen, ISC and Masters programs each year if the financial support were available.

Categories : IMB, SBC, missions

Comments (7)

How Many is Enough?

Posted by: admin | Comments (13)

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

How many missionaries are enough? How many would God have Southern Baptists to send and support in order to fulfill the Great Commission to disciple the nations? Of course, that is not our task alone. God has called many “Great Commission Christians” in addition to Southern Baptists to reach a lost world. We are only a part of God’s greater kingdom plan for those from every tribe, language and people to be represented among the redeemed around the throne of God.

But I believe we do have a significant niche in God’s divine mission. As I have often said, He has blessed Southern Baptists and raised us up in numbers and resources, not to take pride in being a great denomination, but to be His instrument to make Him known and glorify Him among the nations. In fact, I think it is evident God is not going to let us take pride in our own greatness and numbers. Fragmentation, controversy and conflict rob us of what unity and faith could accomplish. Pride in our plethora of programs seems to conflict with our commitment to a God who alone is worthy of all honor and praise and will not share His glory.

We proclaim missions as our priority but are still busy about reaching our Jerusalem, more concerned about channeling resources to minister to the redeemed in our churches and sustaining our denominational programs than sending missionaries to the nations. Do we not remember God’s rebuke of Israel—“It is too small a thing for you to be My servant to raise up the tribes of Israel and the preserved ones of Jacob; I have given you as a light to the nations that you should be My salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6). It belittles God’s global greatness for us to just be focused on our own people and community.

Categories : IMB, SBC, missions

Comments (13)

Did Anything Really Happen?

Posted by: admin | Comments (14)

Monday, June 21st, 2010

What’s wrong with this picture?

All afternoon messengers to the SBC attentively followed the debate, passionately concerned about the outcome of recommendations by the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. It was the highest attendance in eight years and a clear majority endorsed changes that should enable us to impact lostness across America and around the world.

Yet, that night as the time for the IMB report approached it seemed that half the convention center exited. Did they really not care to hear what was being done to reach unengaged people groups and celebrate the impressive response to the gospel being seen overseas? Are they unconcerned about what their missionaries are doing as they go out on their behalf to labor in threatening and hostile areas to fulfill the Great Commission? The next night’s attendance of those hearing the North American Mission Board report was the sparsest crowd of any session.

Categories : Executive Committee, GCR, IMB, NAMB, SBC, missions

Comments (14)

The Morning After—Reflections on the SBC

Posted by: admin | Comments (9)

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

The last three days have been a blur as a whirlwind of events were interspersed around marathon preaching and SBC business. Late night fellowship and breakfast appointments made for short nights. But who came to Orlando to rest? Being a part of historic convention developments were secondary to the joy of once-a-year uniting with friends, greeting former classmates and meeting multitudes of new acquaintances.

The rumors and intrigue sweeping the corridors stimulated more interest than reports and actions voted by the convention. What was going on for so long behind the closed doors of the Executive Committee in consideration of electing Frank Page as EC president? Would the GCR Task Force recommendations be derailed and divide the convention? Who would prevail among a diverse group of candidates to become the new SBC president? Would adoption of the GCR report really destroy the Cooperative Program?

Being my last convention as IMB president was a humbling experience as the accolades and commendation flowed profusely. While some are probably glad to see my tenure come to an end, most seemed genuinely appreciative of the leadership we have provided for 17 years. It is hard for me to put my finger on anything I have done. God has allowed me to serve at a time when He chose to move in providence and power to advance His mission around the world. I am grateful He has a niche for Southern Baptists, and that I could have the privilege of challenging and serving Southern Baptists during these years.

Categories : Executive Committee, GCR, IMB, NAMB, SBC, missions

Comments (9)

Are We There Yet?

Posted by: admin | Comments (4)

Monday, June 14th, 2010

It is the incessant question my kids would ask on a road trip—one that I am sure I asked my dad when I was a child. We would have barely started and perhaps stopped for gas. Someone would say, “Are we there yet?” not comprehending what the full journey entailed in reaching our destination.

There is a clear destination in regard to our mission task. It is for the gospel of the kingdom to be proclaimed in the whole world as a witness to every nation. Jesus launched us on that journey more than 2000 years ago; He described what the destination would look like when we arrived—disciples made from every tribe, people, tongue and nation. Whatever your concept of how that journey is linked to eschatology, it is one we should be pressing forward to complete.

A lot of progress has been made toward that destination in recent years. Historians and researchers agree there was more advance in global evangelization in the last decade of the 20th century than the previous 200 years of modern missions since William Carey went to India. Yet we have seen global events provide unprecedented opportunities to fulfill the Great Commission since we entered the 21st century.

The IMB has been able to report impressive statistics of double-digit church growth rates and escalation in the number of baptisms on mission fields around the world. We have seen more than a thousand unreached people groups engaged with a Christian witness in the last 10 years. But the only real measure of our missions task is in terms of the remaining lostness yet to be penetrated with the gospel.

Categories : GCR, IMB, SBC, missions, spiritual warfare

Comments (4)

Anticipating the SBC

Posted by: admin | Comments (1)

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

During our years on the mission field we usually served in assignments isolated from other missionaries. It wasn’t because we couldn’t get along, but it was a part of a strategy to disperse the limited personnel as widespread as possible to share the gospel. Our family lived five hours from our nearest colleagues, so face-to-face communication was infrequent.

This was before the days of email and working telephones in our Third World country, so occasional newsletters and mail from others were relished as we absorbed information about what was going on throughout our mission organization. We often disagreed with decisions reported by our executive committee and readily dashed off angry, reactionary letters. It wasn’t unusual to get into a prolonged argument through mail with fellow missionaries over strategy or use of subsidy. There was competition and often a feeling of being short-changed in the disbursement of limited budget resources.

The feelings and strained relationship would build through the year until we all gathered for our annual mission meeting. Arriving at our meeting location, we would pile out of the car hugging and greeting those we had not seen for 12 months. Our children would run and play with MK friends, delighted to be with American playmates who spoke English. Singing praises together in our times of worship seemed to bring the Lord into our midst. We prayed and interceded for one another in intimate prayer groups as people unburdened themselves with transparent vulnerability; it was a fellowship that bonded us together in a common task and restored our spirits.

Conflicts? Disagreements? Feelings of being neglected, uncared for? They all dissipated once we were together. Issues that had generated angry letters became trivial in the context of our fellowship and communication. The shared passion of a common call superseded anything that threatened to divide us.

Categories : GCR, IMB, SBC

Comments (1)