Ohio Baptists Concur on Four Resolutions at the Annual Meeting

Messengers to the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio meeting in Sandusky on November 7, 2018.  Resolutions included an expression of appreciation for convention leadership, a reaffirmation of the dignity of every human being, and a resolution on the importance of moral leadership which was a revision of a 2017 Southern Baptist Convention resolution.  Messengers also adopted a resolution in support of the Cooperative Program which encourages churches to give through the mission means which supports every level of Southern Baptist cooperative missions.  It affirms those churches that give sacrificially to the Cooperative Program for missions and acknowledges the action of the 2016 messengers which moved Ohio Baptists to send 50% of all Cooperative Program gifts to ministry beyond Ohio.

Resolutions were presented by the committee composed of Andrew Hancock, pastor of Allison Avenue Baptist Church in Hamilton; Tony Harris, pastor of Highland Avenue Baptist Church in Cincinnati; Phillip Lane, pastor of Grace and True Love Baptist Church in Clevlenad, and Ricky Ray, pastor of The Crossing Baptist Church in Proctorville.  

The full text of the four resoltuions follows:

1.  ON EXPRESSSING OUR GRATITUDE

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

WHEREAS, Our convention president, David Starry has faithfully served for the past two years and has assisted with preparations for this meeting; and

WHEREAS, Our vice president Ryan Strother, second vice president, Reginald Hayes, 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, 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 65th Annual Meeting of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio, meeting in Sandusky, express our gratefulness and appreciation for all who have brought about an annual meeting characterized by prayer, encouragement, worship and a purpose to help members of our churches Reach Ohio with the message of hope in Jesus Christ.

2.  ON REAFFIRMING THE FULL DIGNITY OF EVERY HUMAN BEING

WHEREAS, In the beginning, the Triune God chose to create humanity in His image and according to His likeness, such that "God created man in His own image; He created Him in the image of God; He created them male and female" (Genesis 1:26–27); and

WHEREAS, God judged His creation of humanity to be very good indeed (Genesis 1:31), crowned humanity with honor and glory, making them rulers over the works of His hands (Psalm 8:5–6), and put eternity in all human hearts so we might seek after Him (Ecclesiastes 3:11); and

WHEREAS, God's precious likeness and image was passed down from Adam to his posterity, the human race, through generations (Genesis 5:3); and

WHEREAS, God sent His own perfect image, Jesus Christ, into the world (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3), intending through the sufferings of Christ (Hebrews 2:10) for human beings to become conformed, renewed, and transformed into the same image of Christ (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 3:9–10); and

WHEREAS, God intends to bless human beings to "bear the image of the man of heaven," Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:49; cf. 1 John 3:2), and "wants everyone to be saved" through hearing and believing His gospel (1 Timothy 2:4; cf. Ezekiel 18:23; Matthew 23:37; 2 Peter 3:9); and

WHEREAS, Significant challenges threaten the dignity and worth of human beings who do not possess power or advantage, including but not limited to the heinous murder of the unborn child in the womb, the enforced withdrawal of life-sustaining medical care from the ill or infirm, the prejudices and discriminations of racism and ethnocentrism, various abuses of other human persons, the denigration of opposing political groups, and persecutions of religious minorities; and

WHEREAS, We are commanded by the Apostolic authority of Paul to protect the Church from false worldviews and abuses which threaten the church (Acts 20:28-31). We are to defend and protect the human dignity of the saints of God (men, women, children). As a collective body we are to stand against known threats of sexual atrocities against its membership (I Corinthians 5:1-5).

WHEREAS, Article III of The Baptist Faith and Message clearly affirms that the biblical worldview of human dignity is an inviolable status, stating, "The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love"; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio meeting in Sandusky, Ohio, November 7, 2018, reaffirm the sacredness and full dignity and worthiness of respect and Christian love for every single human being, without any reservation whatsoever; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we affirm the full dignity of every unborn child and denounce every act of abortion except to save the mother's physical life; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we affirm the full dignity of every human being, whether or not any political, legal, or medical authority considers a human being possessive of "viable" life regardless of cognitive or physical disability, and denounce every act that would wrongly limit the life of any human at any stage or state of life; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we affirm the full dignity of every human being of whatever ethnicity and denounce every form and practice of racism and ethnocentrism; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we affirm the full dignity of every human being, whether male or female, young or old, weak or strong, and denounce any and every form of abuse, whether physical, sexual, verbal, or psychological; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we affirm the full dignity of every human being of whatever political or legal status or party and denounce rhetoric that diminishes the humanity of anyone; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we affirm the full dignity of every human being of whatever religion or creed and denounce any unjust violation of the first freedom of religious liberty; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we affirm that the full dignity of every human being can never be removed, diminished, or modified by any human decision or action whatsoever; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we affirm the full dignity of every human being and commit to model God's saving love by sharing the eternal hope found in the gospel, to call all people to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19–20; 2 Corinthians 5:11; 1 Peter 3:14–17), and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39; Romans 12:10, 15; Philippians 2:4–7); and be it finally

RESOLVED, That the love of Christ compels us to stand in the gap for the hurting, stand against sin within the church, and stand up for the innocent (Micah 6:8, Zechariah 7:9-10, Galatians 6:2, 1 Timothy 5:20). Unity within our culture must begin with unity in the church who proclaims the one lasting and true unity in Christ’s gospel, for there exists no lasting and true unity outside of Christ (Ephesians 4:1-3).

3. IN SUPPORT OF THE COOPERATIVE PROGRAM

WHEREAS, the Cooperative Program supports ministries for leadership development, mission partnerships, mission education, evangelism, church planting, and church revitalization in Ohio; and

WHEREAS, the Cooperative Program supports church planting efforts across North America through the North American Mission Board; and

WHEREAS, the Cooperative Program supports mission endeavors around the world through the International Mission Board and helps provide a platform for churches to connect with effective international missions; and

WHEREAS, the Cooperative Program levels the playing field for churches to enhance their Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) ministries and provides a platform for sending missionaries from churches of any size and any ethnicity; and

WHEREAS, six seminaries supported by the Cooperative Program provide a place for training church leaders at a reasonable cost; and

WHEREAS, the Cooperative Program supports the Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention which works to keep churches informed on social and moral issues and serves to speak to issues on the public square for religious liberty and human dignity; and

WHEREAS, the Southern Baptist Convention ended its 2018 fiscal year above budget in Cooperative Program giving making possible the support of more missionaries on the international field; and

WHEREAS, the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio moved closer to reaching its budget with fifty percent of Cooperative Program giving being sent beyond Ohio, as approved by messengers of the 63rd Annual Meeting of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio; and

WHEREAS, the Cooperative Program continues to serve its vision “for the purpose of eliciting, combining, and directing the energies of the Baptist denomination of Christians, for the propagation of the Gospel”; and

WHEREAS, increased gifts of the Cooperative Program will further enhance missions and ministries to reach Ohio, North American, and the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the messengers to the 65th Annual Meeting of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio express our gratitude to those churches giving ten percent and more to the Cooperative Program in addition to engaging in their own mission activities; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we encourage continued support of the Cooperative Program and as possible increased percentages in mission giving through the Cooperative Program to help the State Convention of Ohio move toward meeting and exceeding its goals in advancing the gospel; and be it finally

RESOLVED, that we commit ourselves to strive to fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) and the Great Commandment (Acts 1:8) so that others also experience life with Jesus Christ.

4.  ON THE IMPORTANCE OF MORAL LEADERSHIP

WHEREAS, Scripture declares, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34); and

WHEREAS, The Baptist Faith and Message says, “Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love”; and

WHEREAS, Current attitudes and practices in some segments of American life in such important areas as sex, marriage, money, and power reveal that American society is in moral decline; and

WHEREAS, God judges or blesses nations based on their morality (Genesis 6:5–13; Jonah 1:1–2; Micah 6:8); and

WHEREAS, God’s Word provides guidance for living a moral life that pleases God and brings His blessing (Proverbs 3:1–8); and

WHEREAS, Leaders in every walk of life in America, such as church, government, and business, have destroyed their careers and brought shame to themselves, their families, and friends because of poor moral choices; and

WHEREAS, Regardless of their political, social, or economic status, our leaders should set a positive example for every American citizen by living and serving according to the highest moral and ethical standards; and

WHEREAS, The church has the responsibility in every season to proclaim to the culture the moral standards of God as revealed in His Word, not as legalists, but as advocates of Christ’s transformative grace (Matthew 5:13–16; Mark 6:18; 2 Timothy 4:1–5); now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio meeting in Sandusky, Ohio, November 7, 2018, express our appreciation to those leaders in all walks of life who have chosen to live according to God’s moral standards; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we express our gratitude and support for those public officials who have displayed consistent moral character and uncompromising commitment to biblical principles of right and wrong, resulting in blessing upon the people they serve; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend those leaders who choose not to meet privately with members of the opposite sex who are not their spouses in order to ensure that they leave no room for temptation to lead them astray and to avoid any suspicion of wrongdoing (Proverbs 4:23–27); and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call on all leaders in every walk of life to conduct themselves, to the best of their ability, according to the moral standards set forth by God’s revealed truth; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commit to pray for our nation’s leaders to be able to resist every temptation that would create a hindrance to the fulfillment of their calling in society; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we pledge to hold ourselves to the same high moral standards that we require of our leaders; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commit to pray that God will help us and all our fellow citizens to embrace the biblical moral values that will honor our creation in God’s image and bring God’s blessing on our nation; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we will endeavor to serve as examples to others of the blessings of living in accordance with God’s moral guidance; and be it further

RESOLVED, That in order “to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love,” we commit to “be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising [our] loyalty to Christ and His truth” (The Baptist Faith and Message); and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we reaffirm, “Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ” (The Baptist Faith and Message).

[Adapted from SBC 2017:  http://www.sbcannualmeeting.net/sbc17/resolutions#2281]