NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Nominations for several key committees of the Southern Baptist Convention are being received through Nov. 1 by SBC President James Merritt.
The committees are the Committee on Committees, which selects members of the Committee on Nominations who, in turn, recommend trustees for SBC entities to the SBC annual meeting, along with the Resolutions Committee, Credentials Committee and the Tellers Committee.
Nomination forms are available from the Atlanta-area church where Merritt is pastor, First Baptist Church Snellville, P.O. Box 647, Snellville, GA 30078; phone, (770) 978-5736; e-mail, [email protected]; and fax, (770) 982-0906. Completed forms will be received by his office through Nov. 1.
“I made it a very high priority last year to include as many new people as possible who have not served before in any way,” Merritt said. “I also would like to involve as many churches from each state convention as we can, so that we can help to train the next generation of leadership for our convention.”
Nominees should have “a very high level of spiritual commitment first of all to our wonderful Lord and secondly to our convention,” Merritt said. Additionally, he said nominees should:
— have “a burning passion for reaching people for Christ by carrying out the mandate of the Great Commission”;
— be “fully supportive of our 2000 edition of The Baptist Faith and Message”; and
— be “a faithful contributor to our Cooperative Program,” the channel by which Southern Baptist churches support the convention’s international and national missions and ministries.
Nominees also should be able to attend this year’s SBC annual meeting, June 11-12 in St. Louis, and cover their own expenses, Merritt said.
Should a nominee only want to be considered for a specific committee, that preference should be noted on the nomination form, Merritt said. “They should also be aware that their names are being presented only as a recommendation at this point,” he said. “Every name will receive serious consideration, but some may be asked to serve at another point in time.”
The nominations should primarily be from a nominator’s state convention, although Merritt noted that names may be submitted of “people in other parts of the country who are qualified to serve.”
Merritt voiced appreciation for Baptists’ prayers during his first year as SBC president, asking for help now in carrying out his responsibility for making the best nominations possible for each SBC committee.
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