Donna Gaines
As a mother of children in the Mosaic Generation (those 18-23), I was alarmed last March when The Barna Group’s new statistics were released on Biblical worldview. “For the purposes of the survey, a ‘biblical worldview’ was defined as believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. In the research, anyone who held all of those beliefs was said to have a biblical worldview.” (Barna.org, March 6, 2009)
Of the adults surveyed, they found that only 9% held a biblical worldview. But for the Mosaic Generation, that figure was only ½ of 1%. That means that my generation has failed at passing on our faith to the next generation. As a lifelong Southern Baptist, a pastor’s wife, mother, and Bible study teacher, I take these results personally.
That is why I am honored to serve Southern Baptists as we seek the Lord for a Great Commission Resurgence. Christ has granted us the opportunity to re-evaluate and adjust our course to more effectively and intentionally fulfill His mandate. To continue doing the same thing and expect different results will give us more of the same….failure. We must ask, “Where and how is the Lord working in this generation?” Then we must answer His call and join Him.
I currently see two major areas where the Lord is speaking to His church – missions and discipleship. Southern Baptists have long thought we could “do missions” simply by praying and giving money to the Cooperative Program, Lottie Moon, and Annie Armstrong. We have also thought we could disciple others exclusively through sermons and Sunday School lessons. We’ve discovered, however, that real missions and discipleship both require personal participation. Our members must not only pray and give, but also actually go on mission trips. Likewise, we need small discipleship groups, as well as “sermons and lessons” to be discipled. When we participate, we’re challenged to allow God’s Word and Spirit to conform us to Christ’s image. That helps us become mature, responsible, contributing members of our congregations. Holding ourselves accountable to God’s Word will enable us to fulfill Christ’s mandate to go and make disciples of all nations.
Southern Baptists have the greatest missions’ agencies on the planet. Yet every believer is also responsible to be personally involved. During the next decade, we must “pull out all the stops” and engage in a spiritual “full court press.” We must pray, worship, witness, and train like never before. Lives are at stake; our nation is in peril; our world is dying without Christ. We must hear the Lord’s call and reply, “Here am I, send me!”
