WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have accepted the challenge to share the gospel with every person on earth by A.D. 2000; and
WHEREAS, During the first phase of this bold effort, Southern Baptist churches have baptized 1,246,904 persons, started 6,000 new Sunday Schools, started 7,456 new churches and missions, have supported through the Home and Foreign Mission boards a cumulative total of 6,637 career missionaries and 189,470 short-term mission volunteers; and
WHEREAS, Bold Mission Thrust 1982-85 focuses on three concerns of highest importance: Reaching People, Developing Believers, and Strengthening Families; and
WHEREAS, Among the goals for this three-year period are 8.5 million enrolled in Bible study through Sunday School, 1.5 million baptisms (including 445,000 for the current year), 1,500 new churches organized, 30,000 churches increasing a percentage of their budget giving through the Cooperative Program, and 2,554 newly appointed missionary personnel at home and abroad; and
WHEREAS, This Convention has adopted a fifteen-year “Planned Growth in Giving” emphasis which seeks to challenge each individual family, church, and state convention to make a bold financial commitment to missions through the Cooperative Program; and
WHEREAS, The goals, projects, and activities are only means to the end that we may increase our effectiveness in leading people to God through Jesus Christ.
Therefore, be it RESOLVELD, That we, the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention assembled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 14-16, 1983, pledge anew our enthusiastic support, cooperation, and active participation in the expanded outreach embodied in Bold Mission Thrust; and
Be it finally RESOLVED, That we open ourselves afresh to the work of God’s spirit in giving the highest priority to this great united effort to preach Christ to the nation and to the nations.