Messengers in Fairfield Adopt Resolutions Regarding Mission Support, Appropriate Behavior, and Church Planting

Four resolutions were presented and adopted by messengers at the 66th Annual Celebration of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio.  Resolutions included a traditional expression of appreciation for those involved in planning and hosting the Annual Celebration.  A resolution "On Awareness and Education for Appropriate Behavior" encourages churches to maintain best practices and safegaurds for healthy relationships and communications.  In keeping with awareness that the State Convention of Ohio gives fifty percent of its Cooperative Program gifts to worldwide missions beyond the local state, a resolution "On Support of the Cooperative Program" expressed appreciation to churches giving ten percent and more to the Cooperative Program and encouraged churches giving minimally to increase their mission support.  A resolution "On a Call to Prayer and Action for Evangelism and Church Planting in Ohio" provides awareness of the need for church planting and invites individuals and churches to adopt an underchurched area for prayer and evangelism engagement.

The resolutions committee consisted of Chairman Anthony (Tony) Harris, pastor of Highland Avenue Baptist Church in Cincinnati; Matt Pardi, pastor and planter for H2O City Church in Bowling Green; Emily Perkins, staff member at Violet Baptist Church and wife to church planter David Perkins of Bridge Church in Baltimore; and Jason Walters, Discipleship Pastor at Living Hope Church in Marysville.  The full content of the four resolutions is as follows:

1. On Expressing Our Gratitude

WHEREAS, God has instructed His people to express gratitude for those who serve faithfully (1 Thessalonians 1:2); and

WHEREAS, Our convention president, Ryan Strother, has faithfully served for the past year and has assisted with preparations for this meeting; and

WHEREAS, Our vice president, Reginald Hayes; second vice president, Jeff Woolum; recording secretary, Faye Rodgers; assistant recording secretary, Annette Dessecker; and historian Jack Kwok have ably served and assisted with preparations for this meeting, and

WHEREAS, Pastor Danny Rollins and the staff and members of the Rolling Hills Baptist Church, in Fairfield, Ohio, which is part of the Southwestern Baptist Association, have been so gracious as to host this meeting; and

WHEREAS, The devoted staff of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio have played an extended role in planning and organizing this year’s Annual Meeting; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That we, the messengers of the 66th Annual Meeting of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio, express our gratitude and appreciation for their faithfulness and steadfast commitment to the sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for their leadership to bring about this annual meeting characterized by prayer, encouragement, worship and purpose.

2.  On Awareness and Education for Appropriate Behavior

WHEREAS, God has created every human being in His image, with equal value and dignity (Genesis 1:26–27); and
WHEREAS, Any wrongful action perpetrated against one of God’s image bearers falls short of the standard God has set for us, bringing harm to others and displeasing God; and

WHEREAS, All our pastors, deacons, and leaders are called to a standard reflected in 1 Timothy 3:1-13; and

WHEREAS, We as Baptist, value being above reproach in all areas, seeking to reflect the character of God and glorify God in this world as salt and light, (Matthew 5:13-16); and

WHEREAS, We commend those churches in their due diligence in, communicating, educating and sharing information as to promote Christ honoring behaviors as examples to the congregation with those who are of the opposite sex; now therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the 66th Annual Celebration of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio express gratitude to our churches doing due diligence in holding appropriate behaviors as an example to the congregation and reflecting Christ well. We commend the churches who are pursuing education, awareness, resources, and safe avenues for communication about appropriate behaviors in the church.  Be it further

RESOLVED, That we express gratitude to those leaders and churches who are creating and using safeguards for the church leadership and the congregation; and be it

RESOLVED, That we encourage that all pastors, deacons and church leaders to live above reproach before the church and the world as reflected in 1 Timothy 3; and be it

RESOLVED, That we encourage our church leaders to find resources, current education, and definitions regarding appropriate actions, practices, terms, and verbal titles in the areas of abuse, harassment, and comments with the opposite sex, and we encourage our church leaders to plan training with the resources in regard to appropriate actions, practices, and terms; and be it

RESOLVED, That we encourage churches to establish healthy communication lines and best practices for people to report or bring concerns if inappropriate actions or communications are found in the church; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage churches to hold in high regard best practices and safeguards for leaders and congregants to report concerns and violations, in accordance with best practices and local laws and ordinances, to include preventive education and the sharing of available resources. 

3.  On Support of the Cooperative Program

WHEREAS, The Cooperative Program serves Southern Baptist churches as a tool to reach the lost around the world through the cooperative efforts of churches, state conventions, The North American Mission Board, and the International Mission Board; and

WHEREAS, Fifty percent of Cooperative Program gifts of Ohio churches are distributed beyond Ohio to support cooperative ministry beyond Ohio; and

WHEREAS, Multiple ministries and leadership development opportunities for Ohio churches are supported through the Cooperative Program; and

WHEREAS, The partnership of the Cooperative Program offers opportunities for advancing the gospel in cities, suburbs, and rural communities across Ohio, across North America, and around the world; and

WHEREAS, We believe we can accomplish more in world-wide evangelism and church planting through cooperative efforts; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the 66th Annual Celebration of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio encourage member churches of the State Convention of Baptist in Ohio who are not giving or giving minimally to the Cooperative Program to develop a strategy to increase their percentage of mission support through the Cooperative Program; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we also express our gratitude to those churches giving ten percent and more to the Cooperative Program in addition to engaging in their own mission activities.

4.  On a Call to Prayer and Action for Evangelism and Church Planting in Ohio

WHEREAS, Millions of individuals across Ohio do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and an estimated 64% of the 11,772,000 Ohioans are not active in any church*; and

WHEREAS, There are more than 15,600 people per Southern Baptist church in Ohio; and

WHEREAS, Ohio has 42 zip code areas with a population of more than 20,000 with no Southern Baptist church and an additional 63 zip codes with a population between 15,000 and 20,000 with no Southern Baptist church; and

WHEREAS, Another 62 zip code areasß with between 10,000 and 15,000 people have no Southern Baptist church and another 43 zips have 7,000 to 10,000 people and no Southern Baptist church; and

WHEREAS, An additional 74 zip codes which have one or more Southern Baptist churches have a population of more than 20,000 people per church; and

WHEREAS, Leadership development tools such as the Multiplication Pipeline of the North American Mission Board and multiple evangelism tools are available for every Southern Baptist Church; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That we the messengers of the 66th Annual Celebration of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio express gratitude for new churches, their pastors, and the churches who have sent them out; and be it

RESOLVED, That we will pray for leaders to be raised up in our churches to strengthen our existing churches and for leaders to send out of our existing churches to start new churches and will seek to utilize appropriate means to develop those new leaders; and be it

RESOLVED, That we will pray for the under-churched areas of Ohio and look for means to actively engage those areas with the gospel of Jesus Christ; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we the messengers of this 66th Annual Celebration voice our commitment to reach Ohio through a continued commitment to leadership development, evangelism, and church planting in Ohio.

*Statistics from Opportunity Scan, MissionInsite.com