Wednesday, June 27, 2007

The Return of SBC Outpost

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 27, 2007

ST. JOSEPH, MO — On Monday, July 2, 2007, the online conversation
concerning the future of the Southern Baptist Convention will move forward
as a group of prominent bloggers merge their efforts to provide a forum
for ministry ideas, missionary support, church revitalization, and
denominational reform. SBCOutpost.com, previously administrated by Pastor
Marty Duren of New Bethany Baptist Church in Buford, GA, will be launched
as one of the premier sites for Southern Baptist news and commentary.

Little doubt exists that blogs have dominated the conversation in Southern
Baptist life for the previous 18 months. At times, the conversation has
engaged substantive issues of theology and ministry. At others, the
dialogue has been shrill and divisive. With the launch of a newly
reformatted SBCOutpost.com blog, the chance for elevating the meaningful
dialogue and limiting the intensity of contention will arrive for all
Southern Baptists.

Intentionally designed as a bridge for the diverse constituencies of
Southern Baptist life, SBCOutpost.com will bring together denominational
executives with rural pastors and church planters, missional pastors with
traditional pastors, seminary theologians with Sunday School teachers, and
field missionaries with their prayer partners. The day has passed for
monopolies in news and information. SBCOutpost.com will seek to
supplement, not replace, the excellent coverage of Southern Baptist life
already offered online through Baptist Press, Associated Baptist Press,
and various Baptist state papers.

SBCOutpost.com is singularly unique, however, in the chance for reader
interaction and commentary, offering a forum for the discussion about the
future of culturally-informed, Christ-honoring witness and ministry
paradigms for the Southern Baptist Convention. In addition to this unique
format, SBCOutpost.com will launch with the largest aggregate readership
of any alternative news source dealing with Southern Baptist issues. The
mission statement of SBCOutpost.com is "to provide interactive,
substantive, and reflective dialogue for Southern Baptist churchmen and
women to participate in shaping the future of the Southern Baptist
Convention."

The stated intention of SBCOutpost.com is to become the number one choice
for discussion of Southern Baptist news and commentary, and the blog
editors would like to encourage all Southern Baptist entities to include
SBCOutpost.com as a part of their regular schedule of recipients for all
press releases, news updates, and other statements as they are released to
major media sources by emailing editor@sbcoutpost.com.

3 comments:

Dori said...

Tim,

I'm waiting for your article over at the Outpost. We need your wisdom too. Jump into the deep end of the pool and send us your profound thoughts!

Dorcas

Tim Sweatman said...

I am currently in the preproduction phase of my inaugural article for the Outpost. I have my topic selected, and the current plan is for it to post on the 30th. I know it seems like a long time, but keep in mind that while a mushroom can grow in a couple of days, it takes a stately oak tree decades to grow. Besides, that's when I was told to post it.

In the meantime, I hope to whet your appetite with Part 3 of my series on building bridges vs. burning them, which I am hoping to post sometime before Jesus returns (or at least by the first of next week). C'mon, you remember this series. February wasn't THAT long ago! And yes, I can write an SBC themed post on this blog, since I never said that I was changing the focus of my blog. Of course, you can't change that which does not exist.

Tim Sweatman said...

For the sake of complete accuracy, I must retract the last sentence of my first paragraph. I actually volunteered for that date if no one else had taken it, and the editorial staff told me I could go ahead and take it. I don't want anyone to get the impression that we at SBC Outpost mindlessly follow orders. If we did that, there wouldn't be an Outpost, now would there?