Will NAMB really do some things differently?

The headline of the Baptist Press story on the recent North American Mission Board's annual Summer Senior Leadership Meeting was, 'Do things differently,' NAMB's Harris urges.

Harris, of course, is the interim NAMB head, Richard Harris. BP:

Based on current budget commitments to state conventions, current Cooperative Program giving trends will leave NAMB with nothing for other ministry initiatives by 2020, Harris explained to his audience. "We've clearly got to do some things differently," he said.

Will NAMB really do some things differently? Who knows?

One cannot overlook the connection here between CP giving trends (uh, downward, downward, downward) and the incentive to do things differently. NAMB bears watching on this because of past meltdowns, staggering waste of our mission dollars, and endless foundering. I don't question the sincerity of NAMB leaders and trustees to change, and, sure, the adopted Great Commission Resurgence report had NAMB in its bullseye, but I cannot help thinking that Harris fingered the most pressing incentive for NAMB changing: declining funds.

Nothing shouts quite as loudly in SBC life as a declining bank account.

I admit to being the perpetual critic of mid-20th century, expensive institutional denominationalism but this meeting itself, billed as a gathering of “500 state leaders,” bears scrutiny. I suppose NAMB funds this along with the state conventions, at what cost in mission dollars? The problem with NAMBs "metrics" a term Harris used, is not the "500 state leaders." Whatever the cost of this confab, it is chump change in their overall budget; however, such things may represent old line thinking.

Good for whoever asked about NAMB selling their HQ building…

In response to a question whether the entity's building would be sold and staff re-deployed out in the field, Harris and NAMB's trustee chairman, Tim Dowdy, agreed "all options are on the table."

…but it will be a cold day in Gehenna when any SBC entity sells their pride and joy real estate. The Atlanta area office market isn’t so hot now anyhow but, decentralization or not, I don’t see NAMB taking this action. After all, important SBC leaders need impressive, important edifices. I’ll have to be made a believer on this one.

NAMB staffer Jerry Pipes…

...asked the state leaders to agree that in 2012, "we will reach 80 percent or 40,000 of our SBC churches. And we want to see 1 million people accept Christ and be baptized in 2012. Can we all agree on that?"

Well, Baptists like big, round numbers. Ask Bobby Welch who did the million baptism thing four years ago. NAMB staff and state leaders can certainly pick goals and agree on them, after which…what? But, I like the way Frank Page talks:

"Votes can be taken, councils and task forces can come forth with their recommendations," Page said. "What will we listen to? Task forces from Nashville? Convention directives? I challenge you to be men and women responding only to God's call. Your state, your association or your church will not see a revival of God's Holy Spirit because of some denominational directive. Hear the call, heed the command."

Decentralization and the Cooperative State Agreements?

Nothing concrete. I’d just like to lay eyes on one of these Cooperative Agreements. So far, I know they exist but nobody is willing to allow an ordinary SBCer to see it.

New NAMB leader?

Nope. Nothing yet. Richard Harris would be a safe choice, a known quantity. He has done a creditable job as interim...but what do I know?

NAMB interim CEO to trustees: "Go home!"

...well, in a manner of speaking, that is.

The SBC’s number two outfit, North American Mission Board, is still looking for a CEO. Such is the importance of the task that the search committee chairman is not even a trustee (Ted Traylor’s term expired last month but they kept him on the search committee where he has a vote on the new CEO but not a final vote as a trustee…an odd situation.).

In the meantime, interim CEO Richard Harris told NAMB trustees, his bosses, to “go home.” Well, I’m all for a little rhetorical jacking up of the trustees and I understand challenging them.

What Harris told the assembled brethren/sistren, the group responsible for NAMB’s spectacular failures over the past few years was this:

“NAMB’s future has been described by some — not me — as broken and which can’t be fixed,” Harris said. “I’ve heard others say NAMB is ineffective and insignificant — that NAMB has no future and has squandered its opportunities.

“The day I think those things, I’ll walk out the door. If you believe NAMB is ineffective, insignificant or has squandered opportunities — whether you’re on the staff or a trustee — you ought to resign and go home. I think NAMB has a greater future that most of us can imagine,” Harris said.

I understand the rhetoric but were I a trustee, I would have replied thusly: “Richard, I’m not going home. You didn’t put me on this trustee board and you’re not going to tell me what thoughts are acceptable as a trustee. I don’t believe NAMB is broken and can’t be fixed, nor do I believe it is insignificant or has no future, but I do think that any reasonable observer would say that it absolutely has squandered opportunities and some degree of credibility with churches and SBCers and we ought not to forget that.”

I think trustees ought to face the future with fear, fear that their standing with Southern Baptists will be further eroded if they don’t get it right this time, especially with the GCRTF having made NAMB the centerpiece of their modest recommendations for the SBC's future.

My prayer for Harris, who has been around a long time and is a good man, for the search committee and for the future CEO is that they will be able to rebuild what has been lost and move ahead with effective work in North America.

NAMB has a history of following up a catastrophe by saying, "Oh, let's just forget about that and move on. By the way, be sure and keep sending us your money."

I think the Executive Committee did well in getting Frank Page. I hope NAMB will make a similar choice. I doubt anyone will have a tougher job than the new NAMB head.