Over the years, I have humorously described the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention as what happens when a southern tent revival, Baptist business meeting, flea market, and dinner-on-the-grounds collide. At the SBC meeting, you can hear a good sermon, vote your convictions, buy anything from a book to a church bus, and share a meal with other Baptists. There’s no other meeting in the world quite like it.

Secular and social media coverage of the meeting both amuses and angers me. They always publicize a controversial aspect of the meeting—usually something that occupies about ten minutes of the total program—and ignore the bulk of what we celebrate and accomplish. A few years ago, a reporter called me early one morning about an issue supposedly coming before the convention later that day. He asked for my opinion and I replied, “I haven’t given the issue any thought.” He then said something like, “You don’t sound like you think this is very important. What do you think is important at the SBC?”

My response was simple, “Celebrating the largest missionary force in the world, sacrificial missions giving, huge seminary enrollments, and inspiring stories of church planting and church growth across the United States.” He replied, “Oh” and hung up on me!

If you really want to know what happens at the SBC, make your way to Nashville. Unlike other religious bodies, Southern Baptists invite the rank-and-file to show up and make the most important decisions. If you can’t do that, log on and watch it yourself. Since we didn’t meet last year, there is some pent-up energy about several issues that will create some tense moments. Remember, dissent is in our Baptist bloodline. We expect it and are usually made stronger by it. But those inter-family skirmishes aren’t the reason we gather and aren’t what we will spend most of the time discussing or celebrating.

The SBC consists of God-fearing, Jesus-loving, Bible-believing, gospel-sharing, people who agree on most things. Collectively, we are a missionary-sending, church-building, education-supporting network with a global commitment to gospel expansion. Being with fellow Christians who share our core beliefs and mission makes it worth being part of such a family. Our unifying vision is usually overlooked by outsiders who think our squabbles are the story. We know better. God’s mission, when all the dust settles, is still our unifying passion.


Read More

Declining Religious Affiliation

Dr. Iorg evaluates why churches in the US may be declining and emphasizes that the gospel must take center-stage in the church’s mission.

Jeff Iorg
President
Dr. Jeff Iorg is the president of Gateway Seminary. Prior to his service at the Seminary, Dr. Iorg was the Executive Director of the Northwest Baptist Convention for almost ten years. He was also the founding pastor of Greater Gresham Baptist Church in Gresham, Oregon, and has served as a pastor in Missouri and a staff pastor in Texas.

Reclaiming Manhood

Dr. Iorg discusses what it means to raise men in today’s society.

Jeff Iorg
President
Dr. Jeff Iorg is the president of Gateway Seminary. Prior to his service at the Seminary, Dr. Iorg was the Executive Director of the Northwest Baptist Convention for almost ten years. He was also the founding pastor of Greater Gresham Baptist Church in Gresham, Oregon, and has served as a pastor in Missouri and a staff pastor in Texas.

Listen

Lead On Podcast
May 21, 2023

Preventing “Let Down” Sundays

Easter and Christmas are just a few of the major Sundays that demand a lot from leaders and volunteers. How do you prevent burnout or “lagging” Sundays for the week after? 

Lead On Podcast
May 14, 2023

Leading Worship in Corporate Services

There is no area where people have such great differences of opinion than on worship in church. Dr. Iorg challenges worship leaders to serve the worship experience and not to focus on their own experience.


Watch

Spirituality of Jonathan Edwards | JEC at Gateway Seminary

Dr. Chris Chun hosted a digital symposium with Dr. Michael Haykin and Dr. Robert Caldwell to discuss Edwards’ spirituality, devotional life and theological impact in American Christianity.

Chris Chun
Professor of Church History | Director, Jonathan Edwards Center
Dr. Chris Chun is the professor of Church History and the director of Jonathan Edwards Center at Gateway Seminary. Chris’ doctoral research at St. Andrews University was focused on the eighteenth-century Edwardsean Baptists in Britain. He also has served as president of The Evangelical Theological Society (Far West Region).

Faculty Dialogues: Dispensationalism or Not

In this episode of Faculty Dialogues, Dr. David Rathel and Dr. Paul Wegner held a live discussion on their views on dispensationalism.

David Rathel
Associate Professor of Christian Theology
Dr. Rathel is the associate professor of Chrisitian Theology at Gateway Seminary. Prior to Gateway, Dr. Rathel supplied pastoral care to churches in the United States and Scotland, served as an Adjunct Professor of Theology and Philosophy for the Baptist College of Florida, and provided teaching assistance for the University of St Andrews.

Get updates on new content!