"Biblical stewardship demands accuracy," said Ezell, addressing messengers for the first time as president.

In the past way of counting, NAMB claimed there were 1,400 to 1,500 church plants a year. But in 2010, under the new way of counting, there were 769, he said.

"If Walmart can track how much toilet paper is sold in an hour," we must be able to track how many church plants there are in a year, he said.

"We are going to be focused on quality, not quantity" of church plants. "We plant only Southern Baptist churches." All church planters, he said, agree to give to the Cooperative Program and agree with the BF&M 2000.

In the past way of counting, Ezell said, NAMB claimed there were 5,100 missionaries. But he said 3,480 of those are jointly funded with state conventions. Also, he said, 1,849 in the count are spouses of missionaries, some with missionary assignments and some without. Also, there are 1,616 Mission Service Corps missionaries who receive no NAMB funding.

"But we must put more missionaries on the field," Ezell said. "We must take better care of our missionaries."  

There has not been any controversy over the counting of Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers. Ezell said there are 85,000 trained Southern Baptist DR volunteers, making Southern Baptists one of the Top 3 DR organizations in the U.S.

Much of the NAMB report focused on church planting. Canadian church planters were spotlighted -- specifically those in Quebec, where the evangelical presence is minimal. The goal, Ezell said, is "churches who plant churches who plant churches." North American can only be reached, he said, by multiplying churches.

"God has called us to reach North America," Ezell said.

4:36 p.m. -- Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary delivered its report moments ago, beginning with a video showcasing the seminary's yearly Revive This Nation initiative, whereby students and professors travel throughout the country to preach at revival services. This year, 124 students and pastors preached at various revivals, with 1,000 decisions for Christ made (including 140 first-time decisions). During his address, SWBTS President Paige Patterson drew laughter when, emphasizing the seminary's focus on preaching, he said, "There is exposition and then there is bad preaching.

3:35 p.m. -- New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary President Chuck Kelley said in the past year seminary students went out and witnessed to 8,000 people, leading more than 4,000 to Christ. During his report Kelley also urged messengers to come to New Orleans for the SBC annual meeting in 2012. Kelley introduced New Orleans pastors David Crosby and Fred Luter, each of whom underscored the need to reach New Orleans. Luter called it a "great mission field." Through Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers assisting the city post-Katrina, "you have come up to the plate and shown the city of New Orleans" what Southern Baptists can do, Luter said.

3 p.m. -- In presidential election, David Platt nominates Bryant Wright. Wiley Drake nominates himself. (Drake implied that the person who was to nominate him was not present.) There are 4,780 registered messengers, and the vote is being done by ballot. The total won't be known until the votes are counted.

2:20 p.m. -- Paul Thompson, an Idaho pastor and one of the 10 Baptists held in a Haiti jail in 2010, received a standing ovation during the Executive Committee report, introduced by EC President Frank Page. Page said there were times "we did not support him" like we should and "we apologize for that." Thompson thanked Southern Baptists for their prayers. Read more about his story: http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=32953

2:15 p.m. -- The Committee on Order of Business ruled several motions out of order and referred several motions moments ago.

-- directing the newly elected president of the SBC to send a letter of thanksgiving to God and the governor of Texas for the governor's leadership in calling America to prayer and fasting.

-- requesting the establishment of a unity committee to study GCR Task Force report implementation.

-- directing the SBC president to ask the U.S. president to call America to a day of solemn assembly.

-- asking that at least one evening session be brought back at future SBC meetings, preferably on Tuesday evening, to allow laypeople and bivocational pastors to attend.

-- requesting the Executive Committee to look into allowing online participation in SBC annual meetings.

-- requesting that LifeWay make material for regular home devotionals.

-- request that LifeWay develop materials to minister to senior adults.

-- recommend that LifeWay reinstate disclaimers on certain books in stores.

-- recommend that LifeWay publish the criteria used in determining what to sell.

The Ephesians "were strong in their doctrine" as are Southern Baptists, Wright said. Southern Baptists have said "we will not tolerate false teaching." Seminary, Wright said, was one of the most "miserable" moments of his life because, before the Conservative Resurgence, key Christian doctrines were denied by professors. "It is an absolute miracle" to see how the seminaries have turned around, Wright said. "For that, I am grateful."

But the denomination as a whole has lost its first love, Wright said.

"If there is any message that God is desiring to say to us .. it is that we have left our first love of Jesus Christ. And how does it come about? Very simply, other priorities" become bigger priorities than Christ.

Wright listed several "idols" that have come before Christ, among them materialism, which he called the No. 1 idol within churches. He told how one Sunday morning at his church years ago, the offering was stolen. People were outraged, Wright said, but too many failed to see they were "stealing from God on a regular basis" by not giving to God.  

Various forms of hedonism are another type of idolatry. He pointed to Internet pornography and addictions to technology, talk radio, blogging and 24-hour news as examples.

But "good" things also can cause Christians to leave their first love, Wright said, pointing to family and ministry. People can confuse their ministry "with their relationship with Jesus Christ," he said.

Jesus, in Revelation 2:5, provides the "cure," for Christians who have lost their first love: "Remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first."

"What was it like when you first came to Christ?" Wright asked, adding that when he was saved, he had a hunger for Christ but also a great hunger for my friends" in high school "to be introduced to Jesus."

"Can you remember what it was like when you first received the love for Christ in faith?"

"What about the Southern Baptist Convention? How were we founded?" Wright said. The denomination was founded on two issues, he said: one bad issue that was unstated (slavery) and one good issue that was stated (missions).

"It took Southern Baptists 150 years to apologize," for the sin of racism, Wright said. "... But there was a noble reason for which we were founded -- for the propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

Wright pointed to the church planting effort (promoted by the North American Mission Board) and the effort to adopt the world's 3,800 unreached and unengaged people groups (promoted by the International Mission Board).

A church of any size, Wright said, can engage in church planting and engaging the unreached, even if it has to join with other churches to do it. The local church is to lead the effort -- not NAMB or the IMB, he said. NAMB or IMB will facilitate, he said.

"It doesn't matter about the size of your church."

"With all the resources" God has blessed Southern Baptists with "there is no reason at all" Southern Baptists cannot engage all the people groups.

"But the starting point is not the Great Commission. The starting point is falling in love with Jesus again."

The time on the platform came during SBC Executive Committee President Frank Page's report that focused on unity within the Southern Baptist Convention.

Page, delivering his inaugural report to messengers as SBC president, said he has tried to be the "Chief Encouraging Officer" for Southern Baptists. He detailed several principles he has tried to follow: a principle of gratitude, a principle of trust, a principle of unified ministry and a principle of honesty.

Only 169 churches in the SBC average more than 2,000 in worship, he said. "We celebrate" churches of all sizes, Page said. "We must continually thank God" for them," he said.

Focusing on his desire for bringing Southern Baptist together, Page said there "is little trust anywhere" in the SBC. "It is time for God's people to trust each other again." "We need to believe that" we do best working together, he said. "I believe our unity affects our evangelism."

It is time to come together, he said.  "It is time for Baptists to be known for what we are for and not for what we are against." Unified ministry, he said, is one aspect for which he wants Southern Baptists to be known.  

Page urged churches to take what he called the "1 Percent Challenge" and to give 1 percentage point more to the Cooperative Program. If all churches did that, it would equal $100 million more to the Cooperative Program.

Comparing statistics from 1989 to today, Page said church dollars are not being shifted from CP to other mission giving but away from both CP and missions giving.

The Executive Committee has tried to "reduce bureaucracy" and has had a 19 percent staff reduction and has reduced its budget by more than $1 million.

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