Cross to be nominated for second term as FBSC president

Nov 5, 2009
By JAMES A. SMITH SR.
Florida Baptist Witness

CROSS

PENSACOLA (FBW)—Florida Baptist State Convention president John Cross will be nominated for a second term, Brandon minister Bob Anderson told Florida Baptist Witness Nov. 2.

Providing to the Witness the remarks he intends to make in nominating Cross at the Nov. 9-10 FBSC annual meeting in Pensacola, Anderson called Cross a man of “gigantic faith and visionary leadership that moves from vision to venture.”
Anderson, special assistant to the senior pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, praised Cross’s “courage to step out on the cutting edge and implement innovative ministries in order to reach people of all ages and generational characteristics for Christ.”

Although a “giant man,” Anderson said Cross “remains one of the most unassuming, unselfish, unpretentious, humble, kind, gentle and caring people-persons I know.”

Cross was married this year to the former Dawn Pollock, widow of Forrest Pollock, who was pastor of Bell Shoals at the time of his death in 2008 plane crash that also took the life of their 13-year-old son Preston. Anderson said he was known as the “Florida grandfather” of the Pollock’s five children.

Cross was praised for his more than 19-year tenure as pastor of South Biscayne Church in North Port, growing the congregation from 100 to 2,100 in worship attendance, with 70 percent of the increase from conversion growth and more than 90 percent conversion growth in the last two years, according to Anderson.

Asserting that Cross wants Florida Baptists to be known by their “Great Commission Resurgency Vision,” Anderson said, “John believes we need to be like the apostles, who were known for their acts; not their talk. The biblical book about them is called the Acts of the Apostles because they were doers. They had a destination, and were busily carrying out the Great Commission. John understands they weren’t on a rocking horse. Instead, they were ‘turning the world upside down.’”

Anderson praised Cross for leading his church to give $400,000 to missions in the past year.

According to South Biscayne’s recently submitted 2009 Annual Church Profile provided by the church to the Witness, the congregation has 2,756 members, with an average attendance of 2,119 in its primary worship service. The church baptized 418 persons in the last year.

The ACP report noted $2.031 million in undesignated receipts, with $20,000 given through the Cooperative Program, or approximately .98 percent of undesignated receipts. The church also gave $15,000 for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions, $5,000.04 for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American missions, $3,000 for the Maguire State Mission Offering, and $7,600 for associational missions.

South Biscayne reported in the ACP an additional $362,642.57 in “other mission giving.”

In an Oct. 21 interview with the Witness, Cross responded to questions that have been raised about his church’s Cooperative Program giving for the first six months of 2009.

According to a report from the Florida Baptist Convention Business Services Division published in the Aug. 13 print edition of the Witness, South Biscayne gave $200 through the Cooperative Program.

“One of the wonderful things about being a Baptist is that each church is under the Lordship of Christ and that church under the Lordship of Christ is to execute the mission that God gives them as they understand God’s leading,” Cross said. “And so, prayerfully, we would all respect each other in regards to how much a church chooses to be involved and to do the Great Commission.”

Cross said his church participates “according to the bylaws of the state convention.”

Cross added, “We are trying to reach our region and our state, our country and our world. And that’s part of what, perhaps, may grow out of the national level [Great Commission Resurgence] movement—helping us understand the autonomy of the local church and perhaps a renewal and reformation of an ecclesiology of the local church.”

According to Don Hepburn, spokesman of the Florida Baptist Convention, South Biscayne Church made CP contributions of $1,916.67 in August and $20,000 in September, for a total of $22,116.67 for 2009.

Hepburn said convention officials have noticed several “trends” of church’s giving through CP in midst of economic recession—some churches have decreased CP support, while others have delayed gifts, although other churches have increased CP support.

Hepburn noted Cross’s church also has forward receipts for various special offerings—$1,833.34 for the Maguire State Mission Offering; $4,533.34 for the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes’ Mother Day Offering; $7,500 for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions; and $2,166.68 for the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American missions. Hepburn said some of the contributions may have been for funds collected in late 2008, but not received until 2009.

Concerning his hopes for the Florida Baptist State Convention annual meeting in Pensacola, Cross told the Witness he would like Florida Baptists to come to the meeting prepared to be on mission, noting many activities are planned to impact the city in the “Live Love Loud” event.

“We’re just trying to share and show Jesus’ love and be missional messengers while we’re in Pensacola because that is the mission,” he said.

Cross said he hopes “many from the younger generation and all of us” will “catch that vision of how God can use them personally in fulfilling the Great Commission. … That’s what we’re praying for—for God to do something pretty incredible.”

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