Baptists Aren’t Autonomous Anymore

For the first eighteen years of my life, I was a independent, fundamental, mission-minded Baptist. I make no apologies for that. I am grateful for such an upbringing because it laid a foundation for a rock solid faith in Jesus Christ. It also prepared me for my ministry and I will be forever grateful to my home church for giving me all of that.

When I was eighteen, God opened the door for me to serve in my first staff position. I was called as a part-time Children’s Director while I was in college at Northern Kentucky University. God would use this position to launch me into Bible College and eventually on a path to becoming pastor. When I joined this new church, it was a part of the Southern Baptist Convention. This was a new experience for me. But one that I haven’t looked back from.

Doctrinally, there is really no difference between independent Baptists and Southern Baptists. The main difference was that where independent Baptists support individual missionairies, the SBC has the strength of the Cooperative Program, which allows small and large churches to “pool their resources” to send out more. This has always impressed me as an effective way of doing minstry. I did note, however, that with all the Boards, Agencies and Institutions of the SBC, it was a little overwhelming at first. I often joked about Nashville being “The Baptist Vatican.” But of course, that wasn’t true. SBC’ers pride themselves on being an autonomous local church and say that all decisons are made there. That used to be the way things went.

I write this essay not to critcize our denomination, or even anyone in particular. Rather, I am writing it to point out my concerns that the autonomy of local churches is no longer respected in the Southern Baptist Convention in some circles. This is a serious issue that needs to be talked about. But Steve, my church hires their own pastor and staff. They set their own budget. What are you talking about? Let’s look at some of the reasons I think we all have to be concerned:

1. Funding for several state Baptist Conventions are now dependent upon institutions/agencies of the SBC and not the messengers themselves.  In the past, the Messengers had the final say on budget issues. While they still technically approve a budget, power has been given to mission boards to determine essentially how much funding some of our state Baptist Conventions receive. Not only that, but now it appears that these same agencies are dictating how these funds are to be spent and even what personnel should serve in the State Conventions. If you don’t want to take my word for it, fine–but look and you will see at least one lawsuit that one of our agencies is facing over this very issue. Not very autonomous when we allow an agency of the SBC to essentially hold funds hostage over state Baptist Conventions.

2. Heads of some of our agencies/institutions/boards are being protected from having their salaries listed publically. As a pastor, it would be cool to have my salary package protected from public view. However, the issue is transparency. I want the church’s budget to be accounted for in every single penny, and that includes my salary. Can you imagine how people in your church would react if they were told by the Finance Committee or Deacons that “it is not appropriate for you to know who much our pastor makes?” It would cause a ruckus and people would wonder why they were trying to hide it. Yet, at least 3 of our agencies have refused, on more than occassion, to publicly reveal what the heads of those agencies are making. As Southern Baptists, don’t we deserve to know what money is being spent on salaries versus other expenses? Why would these leaders fight this so much? I’m sure there is nothing improper going on, but why open yourself to that critcism unnecessarily? It makes no sense.

3. The Trustee process does not allow our institutions/agencies/boards to be held accountable. As it stands now, if you go to the SBC Annual Meeting each year, a slate of trustees are appointed to oversee these institutions. The goal is that these trustees are to oversee the work of the instution/agency/board that they serve on. Yet, when there are issues raised with many of these trustees, many have been simply ignored or told there is nothing that can be done. Why not? If leaders are not being held accountable, than shouldn’t the trustees be able to move swiftly to deal with the issue at hand? Many fear that the Trustee system has simply become a “good ole boys network” where those in the circle protect one another. As a pastor, I am accountable to the church. Why are our national leaders not being held accountable for their actions and statements? This is a fair question that deserves to be addressed and not ignored.

4. Some of our institutions/boards/agency heads are promoting ideas that run contrary to Scriptures and long held Southern Baptist beliefs.  Let me be clear here. While there is a great deal of discussion regarding issues on immigration, that is not at all what I am concerned about. Those who fall under DACA should have some sort of compassionate way for them to continue to contribute to America while we also work to enhance our border security. The answer deserves a lot of time and thought that clearly is above my pay grade.

A while back, two of our agency heads signed onto a “Friend of the Court” brief that essentially stated that we, as Southern Baptists, support the right of a mosque to be built. While I cherish religious liberty and that religious liberty certainly applies to those who are not Christian (or have no religion at all), we should not be actively working to help promote another religion that runs contrary to God’s Word. These two indivudals later clarified their positions, but the damage was done. As head of SBC agencies, when they sign onto such a court brief, they ARE speaking for Southern Baptists. And they did so without any authority other than their own in doing so.

Perhaps most telling is that some of these agency heads decisions in whom they hire for their staffs. A simple look at Twitter will show some interesting, and at times, questionable viewpoints that these staffers are holding to. And yet, we as Southern Baptists are paying their salaries, giving tacit approval.

All of these issues I believe are fair reasons to be concerned. The denomination has increasingly become more focused on becoming a bloated bureaucracy that tells individuals and SBC churches what they should believe. Just by questioning them, you earn yourself a spot on someone’s blocked Twitter list, or face public ridicule for disagreeing. These are all concerns that show our denomination needs to remember that the agencies/boards/institutions work for US, and not vice versa. If we are to truly reclaim local church autonomy, then we must convince those in leadership in the SBC to realize that our denomination is strongest when we work together and truly cooperate. Not a “top-down” approach.

What do you see that could be causing this? What are your thoughts on this? Please feel free to share with me in the comments below. The best thing all of us can do is to pray about this situation. I believe God can and will help us remember that we do best when we truly support one another and have accountability in place. Once we can reclaim our autonomy, than we will be in a position to continue to make use of the resources God gives us at the local level to make a global impact.

 

 

Reasons for Hope and Concern: Four Trends of the Southern Baptist Convention

I’m 43, but I have been pastoring in some form since 1998. That means that I have almost 20 years of ministry under my belt. I by no means claim to know everything, but I’ve seen some interesting trends in those 20 years that our Convention has undergone, and continues to go through. Some have been wonderful, some have been terrible, and some, well–they meant well. Let me say that at the outset, I’m going to say some things that don’t sit well with you. You may not like them. That’s OK. I believe that God’s people work best when we can share and be honest and be open with each other. We can contribute to a discussion for the greater good. So, let’s jump into some trends that I’ve witnessed in my years of Southern Baptist service.

1. The Conservative Resurgence

I grew up as an independent Baptist, and didn’t start attending a Southern Baptist church until the early 1990’s. The doctrine I was taught was nearly identical. The only difference being that Southern Baptists used the Cooperative Program to fund and send many missionairies all over the world instead of individual churches supporting individual mission causes. The 1980’s for those who remember, was a tumultous time for the Convention. You had professors at SBC Seminaries who stood in front of classes and denied that the Bible was the actual Word of God. It’s true. Look it up! The Convention itself was controlled at the national level by liberal theologians whom often times brought liberal politics into the convention. The preaching and teaching of God’s Word almost became secondary. If it wasn’t for the likes of  W.A. Criswell, Paige Patterson, and others, this trend would have continued. As these leaders were elected, boards and policies of the Convention began to change for the better (IMHO). Seminaries turned back towards the Bible, and evangelism and preaching/teaching the Word of God became a priority again. The liberal and in many cases, non-biblical teachings that were being propogated started to fade away.

2. The Rise of Calvinism in the SBC

In 1993, the flagship seminary of the Convention, Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky–named Albert Mohler as its President. With this election, the rise of Calvinism began to take place across the SBC. Mohler required (and still does) that seminary professors don’t just sign the Baptist Faith and Message, but the Abstract of Principles as well. In this document, on the issue of election, it reads “Election is God’s eternal choice of some persons unto everlasting life-not because of foreseen merit in them, but of His mere mercy in Christ-in consequence of which choice they are called, justified and glorified.”  In other words, God chose some–not everyone–to be saved. This means that God therefore has condemned some to hell. With the school requiring professors to essentially be Calvinists, Dr. Mohler removed those who refused to sign it. These professors have and continue to teach generations of seminary students that Christ died “for the elect” and not the world.

To be fair to my Calvinist brothers and sisters, I have witnessed 2 things that encourage me about them. The first is there passion for evangelism. There is a zeal to what they do. They want to see people saved. Traditionalists like myself, who have struggled in this area in recent years, can not only learn from our Calvinist friends, but join in with them as well! Secondly, I’ve heard many a Calvinist say something similar to this: “yes, Christ died for the elect. But I don’t know who the elect are, so I’m going to preach Jesus to everyone I meet.” While I have some serious differences with Calvinists, if they love Jesus and can share Jesus with everyone they meet, I can work with them, and I hope they can work with me as well!

3. A Disconnect Between Older and Younger Pastors in the SBC

Within just the past few years, there seems to be a disconnect taking place between the older and younger pastors in our convention. I’m in my 40’s, so I’m in the middle. I’m not the new, hip cool kid on the block, but I’m not a long-timer yet, either. I’ve always been brought up to respect those who are older with me, even if I disagree with them. It seems within the past year or so, younger pastors instead of respecting those who are older and have served faithfully, want to demean and in many cases, run roughshod over our older guys/gals. They may have graduated seminary, follow a pastor they like on Twitter, and insist that the old ways must die at all costs. To those who are younger I say, respect your elders. Love them. Acknowledge the good they have done instead of complaining about everything you think they’ve done wrong. And by all means, help win them over to your side by spending time with them, sharing with them, listening, and helping them to understand why you see things the way you do.

Our older pastors seem disconnected with our younger ones as well. Many roll their eyes, belittle or complain about the “younger generation”. But the fact is, we aren’t getting any younger. At some point, we have to hand the torch over to the younger pastors. Instead of complaining, take time to be a mentor to them. Befriend them. Learn from them. Share your wisdom with them. You have a lot to offer! I truly believe if both generations would meet in the middle, iron could truly sharpen iron!

4. Acknowledging That There Is Racial Strife In The World And The SBC

Without a doubt, this past summer’s Annual Meeting in Phoenix will be remembered for the fact that we saw we still have a lot of work to do in the area of racial harmony. Here’s the thing–as a white pastor, I can’t truly understand what it’s like to be a minority. While our love of Christ does and should unite us, others have differing viewpoints on issues of racial harmony. They may not see things as I see it. I shouldn’t ever dismiss that. If my brother in Christ weeps, than I should weep too. I need to acknowledge that the SBC was founded on slavery(which I’m glad the convention did several years back and repented of it publicly). We should strive to be as inclusive as possible, not exclusive. All of mankind was created in God’s image, to say otherwise is to engage in racism and is sinful. We need to help those who feel the sting of racism and to know that we love them equally and that we value what they bring to God’s table. Our churches should strive, whenever possible, to be more inclusive of those whom are different than us. God calls us to take the Gospel to all the nations of the world!

While the Southern Baptist Convention has its challenges, I still believe it is a great vehicle used of God to reach the nations with the Gospel. I have great hope in my brothers and sisters in Christ and the fact that our love for Jesus, despite other differences, will truly show the world that Jesus loves them. God has blessed and will continue to use anyone whom is willing to live for Him. Let’s all commit to doing that today!

 

 

Calvinists and Traditionalists: Chill Out!

 

There. I said it. Southern Baptists need to acknowledge a big elephant in the room. Probably not the most important one, but it IS affecting how we reach people with the Good News of the Gospel. I’m talking about Calvinism vs. Traditionalism. 

Now, before I go into all of this, it is important to know which side of the aisle the author is coming from. That’s only fair. If you look at the Connect 316 website, you will find a document entitled “A Statement of the Traditional Southern Baptist
Understanding of God’s Plan of Salvation”.  If you scroll through the “signers” list, you will eventually come upon my name. Essentially, we believe that Christ died for all, and in His foreknowledge knows who will accept and reject Him. I’m sure this is no surprise to my friends who know me well. But I also have lots of friends who are on the other side of this theological debate and are Calvinists. I was raised in a Calvinist church, by some Calvinist preachers, and I was taught nothing but solid biblical beliefs. I am grateful for what my home church taught me. It made a HUGE impact on my life. But over time, my theological differences have sent me towards the Traditionalist viewpoint of understanding the great wonder that is God’s salvation. Christ died for all. That is what I believe. You may agree or disagree with me, and that is fine. But let’s get to the meat of the matter.

The whole ideal of Traditionalism vs. Calvinism is distracting from the greater goal. We shouldn’t be fighting amongst ourselves our this, but rather realizing we agree on so much more than we disagree. The world needs to see brothers and sisters in Christ who respect each other enough to agree to disagree. But they haven’t seen that lately. Personal note here. On my Twitter feed, I’ve at times been brash in some of my comments towards fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I’ve repented–and I would say publicly that if I ever offended you, that was not my intention. Having the hindsight to look back and see that more often than not it was emotion, not theology, that was driving my prideful attitude. Having made the mistake of going down that road, here are some tips to help us:

1.  Remember what the main thing is all about. Is it really to discuss under what situations/circumstances people are allowed to come to Christ, or do we too often just get in the way? At some point, our arguments become a hindrance to the God given task of making disciples. 

2. Guard against a prideful heart. One thing that I have seen from both sides, and is something that I freely admit I’m guilty of, is becoming prideful of my own position while denigrating others beliefs. I have to remind myself that I don’t know everything–far from it. But I’m sure glad God is in charge of saving people. We just tell people the Good News–He does all the work of actually saving people! This is a humbling thing to consider. We don’t need to call out on social media those we disagree with–it’s shaming and it’s wrong. Instead, follow biblical admonitions and take it to your brother or sister in private first. Have a private message sent instead of a public bashing.

3. Remember there is a person behind that theological belief. Sometimes, when we become impassioned about our own theological viewpoints, we attack the person instead of the argument. We must NEVER attack people! That person sitting at the other end of the table or the computer is a real, live person with feelings. They love God, and they want to see other people come to Christ, too! Let’s not forget to separate the belief from the person and act accordingly. 

4.  Don’t be afraid to learn from others who view theological issues different than you. Something I see on social media these days is we only retweet or quote on Facebook, etc. those whom we agree with. The sad fact is, we so often only read/listen to/learn from those whom we agree with. This is a very shallow viewpoint. You can actually learn a lot from someone who doesn’t always see things the way you do! I see many younger pastors doing this today. They think they have all the answers, and they refuse to listen to anyone who is older or who thinks differently than they do. They are missing out! I very much appreciate Dr. Albert Mohler, the President of Southern Seminary in Louisville. When it comes to the Bible, the man is solid. Rock solid! While I don’t agree with him on everything when it comes to his views on Calvinism, I still listen to what he has to say. He has taught me much over the past few years. Calvinists could learn a lot from folks like Dr. Adam Harwood, Dr. Steve Gaines, or numerous others out there. If you can’t allow your own beliefs to be challenged, then how strong are they in the first place?

My heart is that all of us will pull back, take a deep breath, and remember that as Southern Baptists, there is much more that unites us than divides us. To my Calvinist brothers and sisters, I thank God for you! Thank you for your fidelity to the Bible. Thank you for your love for God. Thank you for your evangelistic zeal! You personally challenge me in my walk with the Lord. I encourage you to do the same. Don’t look at Traditionalists as someone who needs to be “set straight”, but rather focus on the fact that we too uphold the Bible, want to see others saved, and want to see a revival take place in our land. Let’s work together to accomplish that, and spend less time criticizing each other. God bless.

 

Toxic Christians–Guidelines for Social Media for the Believer

 

The Southern Baptist Convention wrapped up their 2017 Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona last week. It was, by all accounts, a very successful gathering. A renewed focus on evangelism, a powerful comissioning of missionairies going to dangerous lands, and testimonies of God working personally in people’s lives really brought everyone together. But, if you looked on social media or followed the press coverage, you would have thought that Southern Baptists supported white supremacy and that we were on the verge of a denominational split.  For the record, I was in favor of the action taken condemning white supremacists. Racism is wrong and a sin. Period. But there were other issues that took place in the debate leading up to all of this that concerned me regarding how believers (including pastors and denominational leaders) use social media to get their points across.

If you don’t believe racism is a problem, just go on Twitter and type in #SBC17. This was to be the “official” hashtag for the Annual Meeting, but white supremacists overtook it and trolled those attending and continue to do so as of this writing. Anyone who stated they were in support of the resolution or condemned racism had some nasty things directed towards them. We shouldn’t be surprised when a lost world acts like, well, lost people. However, I was more appalled at the response of pastors and denominational leaders towards those and even fellow believers who disagreed with the resolution. I am not going to go into all the names and comments themselves–they are on social media and you can easily find them. However, I believe there is great damage being done to the witness of Jesus Christ when we behave in such a negative and sinful way to those whom we disagree with. Evangelicals are struggling to find their voice in the spiritual wilderness, but here are some things we all should keep in mind as we deal with both lost people and fellow believers. By following these guildelines, we can avoid the trap of becoming a toxic Christian:

1. Not everybody sees the world as you do. Just because you believe a certain theological idealogy, does NOT make you the all and all expert on all things biblical. To completely ignore or demean publicly those who disagree with you on issues of faith is to malign the name of Christ. There is no room for pride and arroagance in the Kingdom. “Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them” (Proverbs 26:12).

2. Words DO hurt. In many people’s zeal and passion to get their point across, they allow their passion to get the best of them and say things they ought not to say. Biting comments, accusatory statements, hateful words–none of these should proceed from a believer’s mouth. In the excitement of trying to get people to acknowledge our or other’s people hurts–we unintentionally hurt them by our own words. “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire” (James 3:5).

3. You represent Christ. Act accordingly. Have you ever seen those that post Bible verses or talk about how much God means to them, and then later in the day they post profanity-laced tirades about the guy at the grocery store that ticked them off? We have to remember that we represent Christ–the Bible says we are His ambassodors–and we need to act accordingly. Often on social media we forget because the people reading our posts aren’t directly in front of us. We falsely feel more comfortable “telling it like it is”. In other words, we probably wouldn’t say half the things we say on social media if we said it to the same people sitting in a room with us. Remember that your posts, likes, and shares all should give a witness to this. You can’t be a Christian and treat others like the devil. “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be” (James 3:10).

4. Don’t be a braggart. Lots of Christians, but mostly pastors and denominational leaders, are guilty of using social media to brag on themselves. If they are really clever, they will brag on themselves in a way that doesn’t SEEM like bragging. “So blessed to record my radio program this morning” or “speaking to a group of Nazarenes for their annual conference today, pray for me.” My favorites are the ones where we see a person complaining about their flight being delayed or someone sitting next to them on a flight bugging them when they want to be left alone. I’m tempted to do the #firstworldproblems. Does anybody really need to know this stuff? Is your life that bad? Be careful about bragging–and I struggle with it too! “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips” (Proverbs 27: 2). Ouch, that hurts!

5. Choose to build up.  At the end of the day, the words we choose will build up or tear down. Choose to build up. Be gracious. Be kind when people are unkind to you. Be happy when people try to steal your joy. Be positive when others want you to be negative. YOU control your words, nobody else. “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occassion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).

And that’s what it comes down to for all of us. Are our words seasoned with grace, or do they tear others down? Let’s use the events of the SBC meeting and the reactions on social media to help us learn how to better serve one another, and more importantly, be a better witness to the world.