(EDITOR’S NOTE — The following is transcribed from Jeff Iorg’s address to Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Executive Committee (EC) members and guests at a ceremony marking his installation as SBC EC president and CEO Sept. 16. Click here to read Part 1 and here to Part 2.)

If Southern Baptists are a force for good, what about our sins and shortcomings? They are obvious and we admit them openly. We have racists, embezzlers, homophobes, adulterers, fornicators, charlatans, abusers and pedophiles among us. We are realists — confronting these problems, while also conceding that despite our best efforts, they will never be fully resolved.

We live in a world cursed by sin. We can never escape its taint or relent in opposition to it. The Bible enjoins us, “In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Hebrews 12:4) and “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and have prepared everything, to take your stand” (Ephesians 6:12-13).

We are going to keep fighting against evil — even when it’s among us and it’s painful to admit our sins before a watching world. But we also reject the false narrative that we must solve all these problems before we can pursue God’s eternal mission. That’s simply not the case. In theological terms, sanctification occurs simultaneously with and in the context of pursuing God’s mission. Spiritual maturation and missional advance are parallel, not sequential, experiences. We must continue to work on our shortcomings while we pursue God’s mission — rejecting the debilitating myth we must be perfect before we can be persuasive with the gospel. Our gospel integrity rests on humbly and honestly acknowledging our sins, not eliminating them before we can share the gospel with others. Unbelievers are willing to receive a clear witness about Jesus from authentic, imperfect believers. When our attitude is right, unbelievers are far less judgmental of us than our critics claim.

My willingness to serve as president of the Executive Committee rests on God’s call, my gratitude to Southern Baptists, and my bedrock conviction Southern Baptists are a force for good. Grassroots Southern Baptists and their hard-working pastors are united around — to borrow from SBC President Clint Pressley — our confession and our cooperation. They stand with our entities, support their leaders, and want us to lead without so much drama. They want us to spend less time in frivolous arguments on social media and more time addressing real issues that advance God’s eternal mission.

Our mission at the Executive Committee is to facilitate the work of the Southern Baptist Convention and its entities. We do that by making reasoned and reasonable decisions, quietly and effectively enabling the success of others. The Executive Committee has an important, albeit largely behind-the-scenes role. My goal is to minimize the background noise and get our work done so the people who really matter — like missionaries, pastors and professors; counselors, chaplains and musicians — can fulfill God’s eternal mission without distractions.

Over the past few months, hundreds — literally hundreds — of Southern Baptists have texted, emailed, called, written or stopped me at meetings and said, “I am praying for you. I believe in our mission and what we can do together. Focus us on God’s mission and lead us.” I have personified their hope, not because of who I am, but because they are resolutely committed to God’s eternal mission and want their leaders to model that consuming passion.

Southern Baptists, cooperation around God’s mission is a convictional mindset worth preserving. Our critics and detractors are wrong. We are not in hopeless numerical decline, marred by unforgivable sin, limited by lack of resources, or divided in ways that cannot be overcome. Southern Baptists — despite our shortcomings — are a force for good. The leaders in this room tonight can live that reality, shape the tone of our denominational conversations, and march forward together fulfilling God’s eternal mission. We can, collectively, provide the leadership needed to assure we are a force for good in this generation and the one to come.

That’s why I’m here and what I envision we can do together. May God empower us as we walk together with humility and boldness to fulfill His eternal mission.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Jeff Iorg is president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee.)