Mercer reflects on term as FBSC president

Characterizing this time in Florida's history as a "golden opportunity" to reach lost people, Dwayne Mercer told Florida Baptist Witness the time has come for Floridians to recognize a challenge in ministering to various people groups in different parts of the state.

"All the world has come to Florida," said Mercer, who completes his term as president of the Florida Baptist State Convention as he presides over the 141th annual meeting Nov. 11-12 in Pensacola.

Mercer, pastor of the 4,500-member First Baptist Church of Oviedo, in his nine-year tenure, has guided the congregation to become a Cooperative Program leader in the state and association, where it is second only to First Baptist of Orlando in missions giving.

One of the highlights of Mercer's year in office was preaching at a language missions conference at Lake Yale in April. He said there were over 143 different ethnic and language groups represented and four or five different interpreters.

Despite an overlap with Bible Belt states in some places, Mercer said Florida is on the "cutting edge of things" and a "little bit on the pioneer side."

"A lot of these states, they are not so much evangelized, but they do have a lot of churches," said Mercer. "We don't. There's plenty of room for a lot of new church starts, for plenty of different languages."

Calling the demographic breakdown of the state "three Floridas," Mercer said Floridians are challenged to relate to diverse populations located in South Florida, Central Florida and North Florida. Citing this year's annual meeting in Pensacola, Mercer said it's important for people throughout the state to "see" and "feel" connected to what is happening.

"Getting people all on the same page," in thinking of ways to reach out, is of concern to Mercer. "Helping people in the panhandle to see the burden for the people in Miami, and the people in Miami having a burden for the people that are coming into Central Florida and Northern Florida" is necessary if people are going to be involved, Mercer said.

This involvement may manifest itself in different ways, according to Mercer who said one of the things he has learned as FBSC president is that people choose different ways to be involved in denominational life on the association, state and national level.

"You can't do it all," said Mercer.

"I think a lot of people think Florida would be more on the liberal side, so they are surprised we are so conservative as far as Baptists go," said Mercer. "It's a positive thing and there's a lot of people that would like to serve here."

Along the same vein, Mercer said the fact that Florida directly supports one Baptist school, The Baptist College of Florida, means that there is more unity and not as much controversy in the state as there might be elsewhere.

"That takes away what I perceive to be the controversy in most states over fighting over the Cooperative Program and who's going to be president etcetera," said Mercer. "We have one school and it's conservative and it's a positive thing for our state. It just takes away a lot of the factions."

Mercer said he sees the reality of that whenever he travels around the state and interacts with Florida Baptists.

"We are a Bible believing people and all seem to be on the same page, or at least most of us seem to be on the same page with that," said Mercer. "When I go, I don't have to defend the Word, I just preach it. If I do say something about the Bible being the inerrant Word of God, it is looked upon as a positive statement and not something controversial."

Mercer also credited John Sullivan, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention and the convention staff with strong leadership.

"They are making a pretty big impact," Mercer said. "Things are going well and Dr. Sullivan makes a dollar squeal up there and makes things happen."

Preaching to different groups of people, "championing" the Cooperative Program and writing a regular column in the Witness, are all things Mercer said he hopes has encouraged pastors and others during his tenure. Though he will not be afforded the opportunity, Mercer said he looks for a positive outcome if messengers vote affirmatively, for a second time, at this year's state convention, to change the constitution to allow the president and other officers to be elected for a second consecutive term." As far as effectiveness, it would be much more effective the second year around," Mercer said. "You know what you are doing."

And as far as that goes, Mercer said Florida Baptists need to take responsibility beyond a two-day meeting or what goes on in Jacksonville. Local congregations and individuals need to look for "windows of opportunity" to reach out.

"All of us have to take responsibility before the Lord to be walking in the Spirit, listening to what God wants us to say-to get involved where we are, but also, to take off the blinders and get involved where we are not," Mercer said. "We are individual people, making individual decisions."