Defining the Great Commission Resurgence

For some time we have been hearing about the need for a Great Commission Resurgence and yet this concept has remained significantly abstract. There is little doubt that our Convention is in need of significant repair, but the question we have been asking is in regards to what form that repair will take. Dr. Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Seminary, has shared with the student body at SEBTS that he will be preaching a message on Thursday, April 16th, in their chapel service outlining the parameters of this Great Commission Resurgence. In my opinion Southeastern is on the cutting edge of what is good in SBC life. Beyond that (in my opinion), Dr. Akin stands as a man in SBC life who is one of the true statesman and who appears to be prepared both spiritually, academically as well as methodologically to lead this Great Commission Resurgence that is so badly needed. I have been anticipating this message since first hearing about it and I would really encourage you to watch it as soon as it's made available. In fact, I will attempt to post it here on this blog, in this post, as soon as it is released to the public.

Finally, I would encourage you to pray about this message. It has the potential to be a defining moment for the future of our denomination. Below is the copy of an email that Dr. Akin sent out to the student body at SEBTS.

On April 16th during Thursday chapel, I will be bringing a message addressing “A Great Commission Resurgence” in the SBC. This is something that has been on my heart for some time, and it is an issue that I have been encouraged by a number of friends to address. I would ask for your prayers between now and then. Ask that God would give me wisdom and insight to articulate clearly and carefully what a Great Commission resurgence could and should look like in the Southern Baptist Convention. All of us are aware that we are in a time of transition and even confusion in our denomination. Our convention is a wonderful network of churches, but many of us sense there is a need for a renewal and revival that desperately needs to take place. It is my prayer that God will use this message to at least give clarity to what it is that Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary believes God has called us to be and to do as we move forward in the 21st century. So please pray for me. I know better than anyone how desperately I need them.