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August 2010 Issue

A Letter from the President of the Southern Baptist Convention

Dear Friends:

It is only by the Sovereignty of God that Southern Baptists have chosen me to serve Him as President of the Southern Baptist Convention. I'm very thankful for the opportunity to serve. There are great transitions ahead for the Executive Committee and our Mission Boards; changes in leadership and strategy will affect the mission of Southern Baptists as a whole.

I ask you to pray fervently for our Convention in these critical days of decision making so we align ourselves fully with the heart and mission of Jesus. I also ask that you pray for me and Anne, that we most of all stay close to the Lord and one another during these days. In that light, through prayer and reflection, God has put on my heart three fundamental issues at the core of my service:

1. A return to Christ as our first love. When we return to Jesus as our first love in our pulpits and pews, we will begin to see a rekindled love for the gospel reaching all people.

2. A radical change in priorities in order to fulfill the Great Commission. This begins with each individual believer seeking to fulfill our role through the local church and continues with pastors and churches recognizing the immense need of getting more and more Cooperative Program dollars to the unreached people groups of the world and into the under-reached areas of North America. The Convention overwhelmingly approved the recommendations of the GCR Task Force and now much work is before the SBC entities in carrying this out.

3. Churches must begin to look at global ministry differently. It is my hope that every church participates in sending its pastor and members on at least one mission trip annually. I also am praying that this fall every church will step out on faith and set its largest goal ever for the Lottie Moon offering. If your church has one annual world missions offering this would also include the Annie Armstrong offering.

To do this, I truly seek to be a pastor to pastors, missionaries and ministers who lead the way in carrying out the Great Commission. I will attempt to talk directly to these leaders and have established a website — pray4sbc.com — where you can receive monthly video updates, access daily devotionals to use as resources with the unchurched and enlist as part of our prayer team for the SBC.

There's much to do and much at stake. So join me in examining how all of us can be more fruitful and faithful Kingdom witnesses in order to fulfill the greatest mission on earth.

In Christ,

Bryant Wright
President, SBC

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