By David Roach, Baptist Press ATLANTA (BP) - Agreements to "assume the best in one another" and that a "Gospel-above-all culture needs to prevail" in the Southern Baptist Convention were among the outcomes when SBC President J.D. Greear met Aug. 20 with 15 executive directors of Baptist state conventions. "The most basic principle in airline travel is that if you want someone there for the landing, they have to be there for the takeoff," Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., told Baptist Press in written comments. "These are the leaders who have been leading in the things before I became president and likely will be there leading after my term. I wanted to know how I could serve them, catalyze their efforts in evangelism and mobilization and bring cohesion to many of the wonderful things already going on throughout the SBC." Held at The Westin Atlanta Airport, the meeting included executive directors of conventions in the southeastern United States as well as SBC First Vice President A.B. Vines. Second Vice President Felix Cabrera was invited but could not attend. Greear will meet in the future with other state executive directors and leaders of churches, associations and SBC entities, according … [Read more...]