Editorial

Florida Baptists have the unique opportunity to host and participate in two missionary appointment services of the International Mission Board in the span of six months. Having had the privilege of attending the Sept. 13 appointment service at Hillcrest Baptist Church in Pensacola, I can state quite enthusiastically that those who fail to take advantage of the opportunity of attending the appointment service next March in Tampa will miss a huge blessing.

Southern Baptists maintain a far-flung, diverse, deep and impressive array of ministries in our nation and around the world. But when you attend a missionary appointment service of our International Mission Board you are seeing one of the core values of Southern Baptists – a Great Commission people sending Gospel-tellers to the ends of the earth.

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What’s incredibly inspiring about the missionaries who are serving God with the assistance of Southern Baptists today is that they do so in a post-9/11 world that is marked by the very real threat of terrorism and the troubling possibility that some of them could be victims of that threat because of their stand for the Gospel.

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Florida Baptists who attend the March appointment service will experience the same blessings as those of us who were at the service in Pensacola earlier this month. That service was wonderfully hosted by Hillcrest Baptist Church and its new pastor, Jim Locke, and was sponsored for the first time by the Pensacola Bay Baptist Association.

For PBBA’s director of missions, Bob Greene, it was also the first appointment service he ever attended. “It was a magnificent experience – just unforgettable,” he told me following the event which was marked by strong emotions of seeing 86 new missionaries commissioned for service literally around the world.

The impact on the Pensacola association hosting the event, Greene said, will be vital to the people’s understanding of missions.

“Most people don’t know a missionary personally. Now they’ve been able to see and feel and cry and worship with these people and have a face with a name. It will personalize missions for many people here tonight,” he said.

What’s incredibly inspiring about the missionaries who are serving God with the assistance of Southern Baptists today is that they do so in a post-9/11 world that is marked by the very real threat of terrorism and the troubling possibility that some of them could be victims of that threat because of their stand for the Gospel.

IMB President Jerry Rankin did not gloss over this reality in Pensacola in his charge to the new missionaries. With eight IMB missionaries being killed on the field in recent years, this is no theoretical issue for Rankin and the IMB.

Recalling the Apostle Paul’s suffering, Rankin told the missionaries, “Paul had no death wish or martyr complex, but he was willing to suffer for the sake of the Gospel. It goes with the territory. We’re not sending you out with any guarantee of safety or success.”

One of the missionary couples for whom these words would have been especially meaningful are Florida Baptists. If I included their names, some readers would no doubt know them personally. However, because they are going to a region of the world which is dangerous and because of their connection with Florida Baptist life, I’m not using their first names or initials. Instead, I’ll call them, Mr. & Mrs. Florida Baptist.

Nevertheless, these servants of Christ are not intimidated in the task of fulfilling the Great Commission – even in a place where doing so is risky.

“We’re excited about that, and obviously a little nervous, but we believe so strongly that Christ is the only way, that it’s the only way that the people we’re going to minister to can find out about Jesus is for us to go and tell them. There isn’t any other way for that to get done,” Mr. Florida Baptist told me after the service.

“We feel very strongly it’s something we need to do even if it is a risk for us that we might be imprisoned or we might be sent home and it will be less comfortable than living in America, but we know it’s an important task that we’re going to do to reach an unreached people with the Gospel.”

Mr. Florida Baptist told me that being raised in a “mission-minded” atmosphere in home and church is a part of their willingness to follow Christ to the mission field.

“We appreciate our heritage as Florida Baptists, knowing the importance of missions and growing up to understand why we’re doing what we’re doing,” he said.

These are the kind of people that all of us need to be exposed to. So, those of you in the Tampa area – and others who should be willing to drive a couple hours to participate in this opportunity – go ahead and mark your calendars today:

March 22, 2006
Idlewild Baptist Church, Tampa
International Mission Board
Missionary Appointment Service

The good folks at Idlewild will be hosting the service in their impressive new facility by then and will be able to accommodate a very large audience for this special occasion. Pastor Ken Whitten will have the privilege of hosting the event as a member of the International Mission Board, where he serves currently as chairman of the Finance Committee. Other Florida Baptists are also giving leadership on the IMB, including Gary Crawford of Westside Baptist Church in Gainesville, who leads a prayer emphasis for the IMB.

Indeed, it is a blessing to participate in a missionary appointment service. I hope that many Florida Baptists will join me next March in Tampa to be exposed to those whom God is sending across the globe and to see how God is using Southern Baptists to help to fulfill the Great Commission.