WHEREAS, Kentucky Baptist pastors are serving faithfully, courageously, and sacrificially in approximately 2,400 churches from the Appalachians in the east to the Mississippi in the west, and
WHEREAS, Scripture teaches us, “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching,” and
WHEREAS, the Annual Church Profiles show that Kentucky Baptist pastors are ministering daily to nearly 750,000 church members in a society that seems to be shifting farther away from God, and
WHEREAS, in a culture that increasingly deems a public Christian witness offensive, Kentucky Baptists pastors urgently push to reach all of Kentucky’s 4.37 million residents before the imminent return of our Lord and Savior (Revelation 22:7, 10, 12, 20), and
WHEREAS, Kentucky Baptist pastors are leading their churches to success in doing the work of evangelists, as is evidenced by the 14,456 baptisms reported in Kentucky last year, the highest number since 2012, and as is evidenced by the 169,378 baptisms reported in Kentucky since 2005, and
WHEREAS, Kentucky Baptist pastors continue to lead their churches to work cooperatively with other congregations across the state and nation in seeking to reach the lost, as is evidenced by KBC churches growing in Cooperative Program giving in 2014-15 and 2015-16, and exceeding the Cooperative Program budget goal in 2015-16 for the first time in a decade, and that by more than one million dollars, and
WHEREAS, Kentucky Baptist pastors continue to lead their churches to fulfill the Great Commission by reaching the lost on all seven continents through cooperative missions, which resulted in nearly 200,000 baptisms last year in countries where International Mission Board personnel are serving, and
WHEREAS, Kentucky Baptist pastors continue to function as salt and light in the culture and to fulfill their responsibilities in that regard (Matthew 5:13-16, 40-42; 17:24-27; 22:21; Romans 13:1-7), and
WHEREAS, the biblical call to be spiritual leaders who engage the culture when necessary is clear, Kentucky Baptist pastors are living up to that call as did Moses, who petitioned Pharaoh for the liberty of God’s people (Exodus 5-12); Elijah, who confronted King Ahab for promoting idolatry and immorality (1 Kings 18); Isaiah, who condemned moral decay in the culture (Isaiah 1); John the Baptist, who pointed out the adultery of a political ruler (Mark 6:17-18); Peter, who faced off against the Jewish leadership restricting his freedom to preach (Acts 5:27-29); Paul, who insisted on justice from civil authorities (Acts 16:35-39), and
WHEREAS, Kentucky Baptists have been blessed with many great pastors whose pulpits flame with righteousness, who lead courageously, who bravely confront an American culture and government that is hurtling downward to new depths of moral decadence, and who stand firm amid threats to the sanctity of human life, the sacredness of marriage between one man and one woman, and the fundamental freedom to express our faith in the public arena.
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that we, the messengers to the 179th annual meeting of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, offer our sincerest gratitude to our pastors and offer our sincerest thanks to God for their willingness to preach the whole counsel of God, not only passionately inviting people to Jesus, but also declaring biblical truth concerning the burning moral issues that are being debated in the culture and government.
BE IT THEREFORE FURTHER RESOLVED that we give double honor to every Kentucky Baptist pastor who is giving his life to directing the affairs of the church well.
BE IT THEREFORE FURTHER RESOLVED that we support our pastors as they lead their congregations to engage their communities, our culture, and our nation as salt and light, showing the way to the only hope for America and for the world, who is Jesus Christ.