Today we come to the last of my ten points in my Contract with Southern Baptists. Just because it is the last does not by any means mean that it is the least. It is possibly one of the most misunderstood of the points since many will see it in terms of the theological divide. This is not my intent. Here it is:

“I will seek to enlarge the tent so that all conservative Southern Baptists will find a home in the S.B.C. Southern Baptists should seek to cross geographical, cultural, racial and theological barriers so that those who desire to win the World to Christ can work together for the aim of world Evangelization.

The key word in this point is the word “Conservative.” I really do not want to renew the conservative - liberal controversy. I want to make it clear: I support the conservative resurgence. I am probably the most conservative of all those running for the office of President. My problem is that we are in danger of making the membership of the convention too narrow. We need to reach out to a number of constituents such as those Southern Baptists who are not white Anglos, do not have the same cultural background, do not live in the South, or who were not a part of the controversy that many of us went through. They want to be a part of us, but we need to do more to make them feel at home with us. The younger Southern Baptists also feel a certain alienation. Literally hundreds of my contacts with younger generation Baptists say they are not going to the Convention because they do not feel a part of us. This should not be.

I often hear the phase “I used to be a Southern Baptist but I left a while ago.” There are many who are leaving the convention just because they no longer feel at home. Their theology is still conservative but they simply do not like us. We have been told that the day of denominations is past. I do not think this is true.

Let us make a real effort to begin to relate to our own who are feeling alienated. This is not hard, but must be done with a sense of urgency or they will be leaving out the back door while we try to bring new ones in the front door. A renewed emphasis on evangelism and missions is not the only answer to help us grow again. We must close the back door.

As we all know, the Southern Baptist Convention decreased in membership this last year for the first time. One of the reasons is that we are losing good people who are going to other churches. We are also losing whole churches that are going independent. I hate to lose anyone, but especially our own. The one person who can help bring these back into the convention is the President by the use of the “Bully Pulpit”. He can also help in the creation of a new vision for Southern Baptists. We should not be blinded by past successes but should be aware that many no longer see us as being a viable way to serve the Lord. This must change. We must make it known that all Conservative Southern Baptists are truly welcomed into the convention and that our churches have a real place of service. We should invite those who have left to return and help us make disciples of all nations.