Tommy Green reflects on FBSC presidency

BRANDON (FBW)—Tommy Green is most encouraged by "the tremendous spirit of cooperation" he has found in his travels in Florida during his inaugural term as president of the Florida Baptist State Convention. In an interview last month with Florida Baptist Witness editor James A. Smith Sr., Green touted Florida Baptists’ spirit of unity as the envy of other state conventions.

"People are committed to evangelism; they are committed to missions. These are the key elements in how we are going to reach our state and the world for Christ," Green said.

As he traveled to other state conventions and other states’ events, Green, pastor of First Baptist Church, Brandon, said his hosts often asked about his home state.

"We are fortunate within the state of Florida to have a strong convention - one that is not filled with division, strife and chaos," he said. "I believe, in some ways, that people are looking to Florida in many ways as a leader now among Southern Baptists. They desire to have the same type of commitment that is evident in our state work."

“ I can’t think of many blessings in ministry that could be greater that this opportunity I have had to meet so many people and be in so many churches....

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- Tommy Green FBSC president

Green attributes much of the state’s spirit of unity to executive director/treasurer John Sullivan. "He sets a clear tone for the priorities of our convention, and individuals involved in the life of the convention share a similar heart and spirit in focusing on the Gospel," Green said.

Florida pastors’ "love for Christ and people" play a large part in making a difference in Florida, according to Green.

"As I traveled around, I really had no one who grumbled or complained about how the state convention is going, or things of that nature," he said. "Instead, most people were excited to be a part of Baptist life."

Green’s own pastor’s heart has been grieved, however, by the number of pastors and churches who are in crisis.

"I can’t begin to number the times that I sat down with a pastor and his wife, and they poured out their heart... in tears," recounted Green. "Sometimes it’s because the pastor and church have reached an impasse in leadership, or they are just discouraged because they don’t feel that support is there within the local church.

"My prayer life has changed a lot over this year," said Green. "To have brothers and sisters in Christ who are wounded grabs your heart and spirit."

In addition to interceding for hurting pastors and churches, Green said he desires to encourage, uplift and edify his fellow servants.

"It is so easy to get caught up in what you are doing that we forget about the guy in the same town or association going through a season of trouble. We need to reach out to him, uplift them and under gird them the best we can in the Lord," he said.

The direction of Cooperative Program giving also is a concern for Green and others in the Southern Baptist Convention. A recent published study found that while church income has more than doubled in the past 15 years, Cooperative Program giving has grown by only half.

"It is not a matter of money, but a matter of the heart," Green said. "I feel that we ... must challenge our churches to model faithful stewardship within our church budgets. If we are not modeling a percentage of giving in our budgets, I find it difficult for you to stand and challenge your people to be faithful in their stewardship. To me, the Cooperative Program is a tremendous teaching tool of faithful stewardship and giving that we can model."

Pastor Green said First, Brandon, which gives 10% of its total income to the Cooperative Program, intends to contribute another 5% of the total to the Cooperative Program during 2004 as a love gift. According to Green, that amount will be in addition to the Lottie Moon Offering, the Annie Armstrong Offering, the Maguire State Missions Offering, the World Hunger Offering, and the local association.

If we are successful in reaching our goal, it will be great," Green said. "Even if it is a small amount more, it will be more than we budgeted to do."

Green said he hopes to see a new day, "in our generation, when we are willing to step up and sacrifice for the cause of missions.

"I think that the cost of doing local church ministry has escalated. Building buildings, ministry programs, calling ministry staff people - it is a huge enterprise financially. When a church is sitting and looking at a two million, five or six million dollar debt that has to be taken care of, sometimes the easiest place to make the cut is in something that does not impact them locally," Green said. "I hope that we realize that when we make those decisions, they are Kingdom-impacting decisions. I think that we have become so overwhelmed with the expenses and the...challenge to not be so debt-ridden, that we often times sacrifice the best to get the good."

Unlike others who have presided over the Florida Baptist State Convention, Green may have the opportunity to extend his leadership until November 2004, since a constitutional change made last year makes this provision.

"I can’t think of many blessings in ministry that could be greater that this opportunity I have had to meet so many people and be in so many churches—from Otter Creek to Lake Ockeechobee, [and from] Jacksonville to the Panhandle."

Green commended his church for allowing its pastor time away to have "a positive impact" on the work of Florida Baptists.

"I hope that if I am elected to serve another year, that when it is all said and done, if anything is said about what I have done," Green said, "is that I was there to encourage, challenge and hopefully promote what the priorities of the Kingdom are about."