The Theology Guy and the Missional Guy

During the SBC 2024 meeting I was fortunate to listen in to the livestream (as my work allowed) over the course of the two-day business portion of the meeting. Yet there was one sermon in particular that stood out to me. Now admittedly I only keep up with the convention goings-on at a very high level so for this particular sermon I was unfamiliar with both the speaker and the topic, but I found his words intriguing.

One of the unofficial themes this year that was refenced several times in various capacities was “doctrinal precision.” One speaker argued that doctrinal precision wouldn’t matter in 100 years and that it was strictly the advancement of the gospel that would make a difference, while others championed the importance of clarity and emphasis on sound doctrine.

But for this particular speaker, the point that I took away from his sermon was that SBC churches need both of these categories of thought represented. Something was said along the lines of, “We need both of these guys. We need the theology guy and the missional guys in our churches.” I understand the attempt the speaker was making to bring everyone together and avert division, but I think he made a mistake in his assessment.

Here’s the thing – the “theology guy” and the “missional guy” …these are often the same person. These aren’t competing thoughts. You don’t have to love theology at the expense of love for the Great Commission. In fact, theology done well should necessarily drive someone towards missional living. It’s not necessary, as a convention or even as a local church, to sacrifice doctrinal precision so that we may pursue evangelism. If there is anything we can learn from church history it’s that doctrine matters and so does evangelism. We can, and should, be committed to both.

The 2024 annual meeting is over and one thing is sure - it’s going to be a great year for the advancement of the gospel and for the glory of God.

Soli Deo Gloria!