Strategic Insights About the Great Commission Resurgence Report

Part One
A Travel Free Learning Article
May 11, 2010 Edition

By
George Bullard
Ministry Partner with The Columbia Partnership
Voice: 803.622.0923, E-mail: GBullard@TheColumbiaPartnership.org
Web Site: www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org

As I have written in recent months, national denominational organizations are in trouble. Many are
floundering; some are dying. The movement of traditionally organized national denominations is waning.
That is not the same as saying the movement of denominations in general is waning. It is not. It is being
transformed. Signs of vitality and vibrancy are found in different places than before.

One of the responses of national denominations to the early stages of death, which I call the Empty Nest
stage in the denominational life cycle, is to try harder. When things are not working as well as they once
did denominations redouble their efforts under the assumption that if we work harder on the things that
have worked well for us in the past that we will experience success.

What is Empty Nest and How Do Denominations Respond to It?

Empty Nest is when several conditions exist. First, vision is no longer deeply empowering within the
denomination. It has some highly successful programs, but the joyous movement of God’s vision is no
longer pulling the denomination forward with ease and excitement. The management of the denomination
is overshadowing the leadership of the denomination, and moves the denomination from being a
movement to being an institution to be sustained.

Second, the statistical signs of the denomination that plateaued during the previous stage, known as
Maturity, are now experiencing decline. This impacts not only the numerical success of the denomination,
but its sense of vitality, vibrancy, and self-worth based upon is self-expectations.

Third, the denomination diminishes in its ability to attract the next generation of leaders into the work and
ministry of the denomination. In the current denominational transformation era this also leads to a loss of
younger generations connecting in sufficiently large numbers with congregations of the denomination to
empower vitality and vibrancy for the next 30 to 50 years of the denomination.

The response of denominations to Empty Nest is several. Some people feel nostalgic about the past and
hope tomorrow will bring a return of yesterday. Their response is generally an inactive one waiting and
hoping for a new day. They have no timeline. They are waiting for someone to restore them to past glory.
They may change their allegiance regularly from leader to leader, or short-term fix to short-term fix. These
denominations continue their decline. The effort is too little for the challenge being faced.

Another response is one of disappointment. Things are not what they once were and something needs to
be done about it. A disappointment response is often one of people pushing the commitment button and
saying others are not as committed as they are to the denomination. These people redouble efforts, try
harder to do the things that once worked, and often burn out in the process. Every year or so they are
trying something new; but none are gaining traction. Their calls for faithfulness and loyalty are heard
primarily by those congregations who are blindly dependent on the denomination.

A third response is one of anger. Things are not right in our denomination, and we need to do something
about it. Now! They look for things or people to blame, and seek to replace the things about which they
are angry and the people who lead them. Their focus is often one of fixing the past under the assumption
that it will empower the future. This response often includes bargaining with various constituents. How
can we get our most powerful stakeholders to more deeply commit to the denomination? What changes

May 11, 2010 Edition 1 Copyright 2010, Rev. George Bullard, D.Min.
can we make that will cause the emerging generations to buy into the missional values of the
stakeholders? All others are marginalized unless they unite around the leadership of the stakeholders.
The call for unity is a call to solidify the leadership of the stakeholders.

A fourth response to Empty Nest is revitalization. This involves retooling the programs, ministries, and
missional activities of the denomination for a new generation in a new century. It is a ready, shoot, aim
approach as the national denomination focuses on new or renewed actions that renew the core and
extend the ministry, experiments with new approaches for emerging generations as well as legacy
generations, and then aims its efforts in the areas of new discernment about the future of the national
denomination. Out of these efforts new vision begins to emerge that can be cast and embraced by the
national denomination. This is a both/and response that seeks to build on the strengths of the past and
present to project a great future that focuses on a new discernment of God’s leadership.

This fourth response requires two to three years to reach its full impact, and for a new, clear vision to
begin to emerge. It is a delayed gratification approach that frustrates adherents to the other responses,
but is the one that may lead to deep transition and change that will be lasting. It comes to us like the New
Testament came to us; it is experienced, then spoken, and then written. It is the true grassroots
movement and not a legislated transformation. The sizzle must be sold before the substance.

The Great Commission Resurgence Report

How does all of this relate to the report of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force to be presented
to the Southern Baptist Convention at its annual meeting in Orlando, Florida during June 2010? First, by
implication I am suggesting that the Southern Baptist Convention as a national denomination is in the
Empty Nest stage of its life and needs a revitalization strategy. Second, I am suggesting that the report
may not represent revitalization as much as it may represent one or more of the other responses. Third,
the report to be presented has seven recommendations. While it has a dozen or so pages of report and a
few less pages of challenges, it is only the two pages of recommendations that really matter and should
be the focus of analysis. In subsequent writing I will analyze the strategic implications of the
recommendations.

You may say about yourself, “I am not Southern Baptist? Why should this report matter to me?” The
players are different, and the specific issues have variations, but the truth is that all national
st
denominations are struggling with what vital and vibrant life will be like in the 21 century. Observing the
redevelopment journey of others can act as a learning laboratory for your denomination, even if you are
not at the same stage in your life as Southern Baptists. My hunch is that if you are on the aging side of
the denominational life cycle that you are trying to change through restructuring rather than a new
discernment and strategy that sees congregations as the basic building block of your denomination. If so,
you need to hear these words very carefully.

Important Things to Know

George Bullard is a Ministry Partner and the Strategic Coordinator with The Columbia Partnership. He is also General
Secretary [executive director] of the North American Baptist Fellowship of the Baptist World Alliance. The Columbia
Partnership is a non-profit Christian ministry organization focused on transforming the capacity of the North American
Church to pursue and sustain Christ-centered ministry. Travel Free Learning is a leadership development emphasis.
For more information about products and services check out the web site at www.TheColumbiaPartnership.org, send
an e-mail to Client.Care@TheColumbiaPartnership.org, or call 803.622.0923.

May 11, 2010 Edition 2 Copyright 2010, Rev. George Bullard, D.Min.