LOUISVILLE—The church’s task is to reach a culture that’s confused about Jesus, Bill Langley, Kentucky Baptist Convention president and pastor of Severns Valley Baptist Church in Elizabethtown, told messengers during his presidential address at the KBC Annual Meeting in Louisville.

Langley cited the statistic that 78 percent of churches in America have plateaued or are waning. Many mainline church leaders refuse to recognize Jesus as anything more than an historical figure, Langley said, observing that even among the churches that are growing, many are growing by “swapping sheep,” Langley said.

He shared, “Only 3 percent of evangelical churches in America are reaching identifiably lost people.”

“I think that the reason the majority of churches in America are losing ground rather than gaining it is because they’ve muddled the message. And sometimes they’ve confused it altogether. And our message is Jesus Christ,” Langley explained.

However, “the darkness never will be able to snuff out the light that is Jesus Christ,” Langley said. “Embedded in every culture (though), there is a hunger, there is a thirst to know God,” he said.

Langley encouraged messengers to follow the example of John by contextualizing. “In order to reach the culture in which John lived, he contextualized his message,” he said, citing the first few verses of John 1.

He also emphasized the importance and beauty of the message of the gospel. “The very God who created the universe has taken on flesh and blood. He’s become a man. The God who created you stepped into time and space so He could forgive your sin. He came to redeem you…,” he continued.

People are longing for more, he said. “Our job as Christians is to tell them that the only one who can give them what they desperately need is Jesus Christ Himself. When they come to Christ they are not going to be disappointed or unfulfilled.”

“Kentucky Baptists, this is our message. It’s about making Christ known. And it is a magnificent message indeed,” he concluded.

 

Convention sermon

Tommy Reed, pastor of Fitzpatrick First Baptist Church of Prestonburg, delivered the convention sermon.

Churches must be on fire, and be more like Jesus in order to reach people, Reed challenged messengers. Churches must care, and they must tell people about Jesus.

“We build our churches and say, ‘Y’all come,’ when the whole principle of the gospel was, ‘Y’all go,’” he said.

“The undercurrent of the world is swift, powerful, and deceptive in many places, and the devil is using it,” Reed continued. “We’ve got to get off our keisters and start caring and start telling others about Jesus.”

Reed challenged church leaders that to get back to their roots.

• The church can no longer be silent.
• The church needs to be more concerned about spiritual health than wealth.
• The church needs to be kingdom-focused.
• The church must never stray from the scriptures.
• The church must get ready to see Jesus.
• The church must not forget where we came from.

“You want to know the temperature of your church? Stick the thermometer in your mouth, Hoss,” he proclaimed. “The Master needs enduring people.”

He concluded, “If God is going to do the impossible in the world, in which we live … something has to change.”

Next year’s presidential address will be delivered by recently elected Charles Frazier, and the convention sermon will be given by Adam Greenway. (WR)