Archive for the ‘Baptist Issues’ Category
MBC Officer Nominees Announced
October 5th, 2007 | Comments Off | Posted in » Baptist Issues, In the News...
Looks like its time for MBC political life to gear up again (after all, the state convention is coming up soon). How so, you ask?
Well… I received an e-mail today, with recommendations for officers from “Save Our Convention”.
The text follows:
CONCERNED BAPTIST LEADERS RECOMMEND
MISSOURI BAPTIST CONVENTION OFFICERS* * * For Immediate Release * * *
Many Pastors, staff members, Directors of Missions, laypeople, and the Save Our Convention group, have expressed concern for the future of our beloved Missouri Baptist Convention. Wanting our churches to focus on missions and evangelism, and to emphasize funding these efforts through the Cooperative Program, we ask you to prayerfully consider electing the following slate of officers at our annual meeting at Tan-Tar-A, October 29-31, 2007.
President: Gerald Davidson, Pastor Emeritus, First Baptist Church Arnold.
(Nominated by his Pastor, Kenny Qualls)First V. P.: Bruce McCoy, Pastor, Canaan Baptist Church.
(Nominated by Bob Curtis, Pastor, Ballwin Baptist Church)Second V.P.: John Marshall, Pastor, Second Baptist Springfield.
(Nominated by Hosea Bilyeu, Pastor, Ridgecrest Baptist SpringfieldRecording Secretary: Chad Pendergraft, Split Log Baptist, Goodman
(Nominated by Bob Caldwell, First Baptist Arnold)
Unless I’ve missed it (I don’t subscribe to either our current or former state newspaper, and don’t recall seeing anything on the MoBaptist list), these are the first nominees to be announced.
I do hope that Missouri Baptists will not allow their feelings about “Save Our Convention” (or any other organization) to influence their prayerful consideration of any candidate. If we’re not choosing individuals for convention service based on their real qualifications in consideration of God’s direction, but instead simply basing our votes upon how we feel about them as a result of what others have to say about them, we’ve got problems.
Every Church Needs…
September 21st, 2007 | Comments Off | Posted in » Baptist Issues, Worth Reading
Every church needs at least one person like Ms. Grace.
Check out Roger Ferrell’s article over at sbc IMPACT!… I guarantee it touches your heart.
Inconvenient Truths?
August 23rd, 2007 | 1 Comment | Posted in » Baptist Issues, Devotions / Bible Studies, My Life / Family
I hadn’t intended to write about Outpost, its detractors, or the like, but in light of the continuing buzz about the entire situation, I cannot get everything out of my head. All of it continues to weigh heavily in my heart, especially in light of Scripture, which often seems to present inconvenient truths.
Anyway, you’re only getting Scripture this morning… it’s sufficient to speak for itself.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8Love never fails.
Galatians 6:1-2
1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
John 8:1-11
1But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
1 John 3:16-20
16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
Piling On…
August 20th, 2007 | 5 Comments | Posted in » Baptist Issues
Last Friday, when Micah announced he was pulling out of SBC Outpost, there was quite a bit of discussion about the state of Outpost, the tone of blogging discussions, and the like. The bulk of discussion really simply amounted to a “piling on” of sorts, expressing regret about Outpost’s tone or congratulating Micah (as well as Darren Casper and me, albeit to lesser extents) for taking a stand against such. While issues may exist, I’m not certain what happened Friday (and over the weekend) was all that productive.
Of course, Sunday I posted my rationale for leaving Outpost. Looking back at what I had written, I see I didn’t do much better.
To the Outpost contributors that remain, I must apologize publicly. While I tried to be gracious in posting my reasons for withdrawing, I’m afraid I did all of you a disservice… my words, while well-intentioned, appear now to me to look as if I were simply piling blame on you guys. I did not clearly communicate that, while the tone of some of the things written on SBC Outpost did indeed bother me, the response from Outpost detractors seeking to discredit the site was just as instrumental in my departure as anything written by Outpost contributors. I had to distance myself from that, not only because I anticipate my church commitments increasing as we enter uncertain times, but also for the sake of my sanity… the controversy and conflict we Baptist seem to thrive on is simply maddening sometimes.
Anyway, this is the last I’ll write on the subject. I hope and pray that all involved in blogging discussions will do so in the future in as Christlike a manner possible.
Why I’m Done with Outpost…
August 19th, 2007 | 6 Comments | Posted in » Baptist Issues, Church Stuff..., My Life / Family, Prayer Requests
Many of you have been anxiously awaiting this post, wondering why I decided to leave SBC Outpost. Given the controversy centered around the site in the past few weeks, that’s understandable. I’ll tell you now, though… if you’re looking for continued controversy here, you’ll probably find yourself disappointed by what I’ve got to say. It’s not in my nature.
In other words, this won’t be an expose on Outpost’s inner workings, the contributors, SBC politics, or the like. I simply want to state a couple things for the record about my motivation for hanging up my Outpost badge in order to prevent rampant speculation.
I must admit that at the time of my departure, I was disappointed and disheartened by SBC Outpost. I felt, in large part, that the site had missed the mark to which we stated we would aspire… “to provide interactive, substantive, and reflective dialogue for Southern Baptist churchmen and women to participate in shaping the future of the Southern Baptist Convention.” While there had been some tremendous dialogue on the site over the course of its existence, it appeared to me that for the most part, Outpost had become far less a tool for dialogue to build bridges of understanding, but moreso a wedge, widening the divide between Baptists. Heated passions, while good, appeared to result more often in cutting words than in iron sharpening iron.
All of this frustrated me immensely… division and discord are not something with which I deal well. It’s more my nature to try to bring peace in such situations, and I was simply discovering that I had neither time, energy, nor influence to do so… resulting in more frustration. Simply put, the site had been taking its toll.
The final straw, though, had nothing to do with the above. It’s the “teaser” I mentioned Friday afternoon here… Micah Fries, my pastor and close personal friend, is being lead by God to serve at another local church, Frederick Boulevard Baptist.
Don’t get me wrong… I’m happy for Micah. God has spoken clearly and directly about this to him, to the search committee at Frederick Boulevard, and yes, even to me. I’m completely at peace about the situation, even though it is a bit awkward, and though it presents a uncertain future for Missouri Valley Baptist.
I really don’t get it, because it’s really not my normal response to such situations. I’m one that likes to be able to take action… who needs to see the big picture so I can do my part. In this, though, all I can do is trust God and follow Him in whatever He asks me to do… and He’s given me peace about it. I’m quite excited, actually… we’ll be forced to walk by faith even moreso than normal, and I know from past experience that God shows up most powerfully in such times. Of course things will be difficult, but God is faithful and will see us through.
The reason this affects my participation at Outpost should be clear to you… I need to be free to focus on whatever it is that God wants me to do at my church.
It’s a blessing in many ways. With Outpost frustrating me, God made my response clear… to focus my energies elsewhere. God wants me to step away for a while, regain my strength, and see what’s He’s got for me next.
I don’t know for certain what this means about my future blogging endeavors. Toward the Goal will remain, of course, but other activities? I don’t know. I still believe firmly in the originally stated mission of Outpost. With talk going around about some sort of new collaborative blogging effort intended to fulfill that mission, I can potentially see God leading me to help in the effort in some manner. But I also know that God will have much for me to do at Missouri Valley in the coming weeks, regardless of the outcome of Micah’s call to Frederick Boulevard.
Time will simply have to tell, as God reveals His plans.
I will simply close with a request… pray, and pray hard. First on my mind is Micah (and his family). He’s like a brother to me, and he needs all of our prayers this week as he prepares to go to Frederick Boulevard in view of God’s calling… this has been anything but easy for him! Secondly, Missouri Valley. Micah announced the call this morning, and there are many in our church who are still processing this… some no doubt hurting. Lastly… Outpost. There is tremendous potential for God to use the site for good in our convention. Pray that God will work through it as He sees fit.
Thanks, and God bless!
(I said I’d close, but in re-reading this, I noticed that I left out one thing… please don’t get from this that I’m upset with anyone in particular in the SBC blog world, either at Outpost or elsewhere. I consider each of the contributors at Outpost a friend, and appreciate all of them, even if I don’t always agree with them completely. The same can be said of those who write in opposition to some of the postings at Outpost. Though I don’t know many of you quite as well, I know you are my brothers and sisters in Christ, and I appreciate what each of you are doing out of your love for our Savior. One day, we’ll all be gathered around God’s throne, and I would hope that we’ll all have a good laugh looking back on our silly disagreements here!)
Coming Soon…
August 17th, 2007 | 1 Comment | Posted in » Baptist Issues, My Life / Family, Site News...
I know many of you are visiting Toward the Goal today, looking for the post I promised in a comment on SBC Outpost in regard to my reasons for leaving.
I hate to do this to all of you, but I’ve got to ask you to be patient… it will be a couple days yet. I plan to release it, at earliest, Sunday afternoon, although I may wait until Monday morning. My reasons for the delay will be apparent in the post.
How’s that for a teaser? 
Seriously, though, I do appreciate your patience!
Missouri Baptists… Save Our Convention?
June 27th, 2007 | 6 Comments | Posted in » Baptist Issues, In the News..., My Life / Family
Missouri Baptists have been up in arms recently (okay, so it seems we’re always up in arms, but bear with me) about the “Save Our Convention” movement. I’ve wondered what they’re all about for some time now, but simply wasn’t sure what to think. I greatly respect the leaders of the movement that I’m familiar with, yet I’ve heard nothing but anger and discord over what they’re doing. So… I’ve been conflicted. I haven’t heard their presentation directly, and I wasn’t sure I could trust the accounts of others (perception jades our accounts, it’s a fact of life), so I’ve simply tried to abstain from developing a strong opinion one way or the other on the group.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to hear from them firsthand… I attended the “Save Our Convention” meeting in Kearney. I think it’s safe to say I now have an opinion… albeit not necessarily just about SOC. To state it in brief?
Why would anyone want to take an active role in Missouri Baptist Convention life?
Yes, I’m serious. I attended as an interested layman, curious as to what all the uproar was about… and left wondering how Missouri Baptists will ever accomplish anything together. I’m left wondering if the MBC is even worth saving.
You’re probably wondering how I can say that, so allow me to elaborate.
Just over nine years ago, while I was a college student, I was engaged to a beautiful girl from the small town of Battlefield, Missouri. Nancy had insisted that if we were going to get married, that we needed to start going to church. Being head over heels for her, I agreed to go.
The first Sunday at First Baptist Battlefield blew me away. Pastor John’s sermon cut me straight to the heart… conviction. God started working on me. Nancy and I started attending Sunday School, and the wonderful folks there in the College and Career class accepted me wholeheartedly… even though I really didn’t have a clue about faith in Christ. I can’t remember how long we had been attending… but around April of ’98, God had been working on my heart long enough. While driving back to school late one Sunday, I asked Christ to save me and committed my life to Him.
At the time, I didn’t have a clue about the Missouri Baptist Convention, Southern Baptist Convention, conservative resurgence, etc… all I knew was that I was now part of something far bigger and better than I could have imagined in years previous. My sins had been forgiven… my eternal destination was secure… I had a Lord that was with me every moment of every day… I had a church family that loved and cared for me… all because Nancy wanted me to attend a Baptist church with her.
I know… my testimony is nice and all, but how does it relate to SOC? Keep reading, I’ll get there (eventually).
Since that point, I’ve heard the news, and I’ve read the articles… and all I’ve seen is controversy after controversy, political fight after political fight in our convention. Project 1000 and the battle vs. the moderates… the “renegade” agencies and the legal battle to win back control… the blow-up at last year’s convention… the controversy over the Journey… the investigative committee, culminating in our executive director’s dismissal… the theological review committee… now SOC vs. MBLA…
In nine years as a Missouri Baptist, these are the things that stand out in my mind. I’ve racked my brain since the meeting yesterday, and I honestly can’t think of one “Missouri Baptist” news story about a ministry, mission, or service project that stands out. Not one thing… just controversy after controversy.
Now maybe that’s just my ignorance of the convention and its activities, or my tendency to remember the negative… I don’t know. But it makes me wonder… if this is all I see when I think of the Missouri Baptist Convention, how many others are in the same boat? Even if it’s just one in every ten Missouri Baptists, it’s a sad statistic.
The question I have is this… when will everyone lay down their swords? If you were there yesterday, Pastor Ken Parker made a point… he asked a series of questions… who believes the Bible is inerrant… who believes abortion is wrong… who believes in the deity of Christ… etc. The point was that the commonalities of Missouri Baptists (SOC, MBLA, or other) far exceed our differences. When are we going to focus on our commonalities, stop all this ridiculous fighting, and move forward in a united fashion to tackle the issue that’s really important… reaching the MILLION plus lost folks here in Missouri?
As for SOC itself and the meeting yesterday? I didn’t get the impression that others had (see the Missouri Baptist list for more). It seemed to me the meeting went quite smoothly, with presenters doing as good a job as possible presenting their viewpoints in a calm and loving manner… but that the meeting went VERY far south when the question and answer period began and the fur started flying. That’s not to say that I approved of everything SOC had to say… simply that given the choice of things shared, they did as good a job possible in presenting their message. I wish I could say the same for the question / answer period… the dialogue… both sides… was truly disheartening.
Anyway, to me, once you’re able to put aside the problems in their presentation, SOC’s message is a good one. As I see it, there are six main points:
- We need change in our convention.
- We don’t need closely associated individuals (be it MBLA folks, SOC folks, individuals from the same church, individuals from the same family, or other) in positions of influence year after year after year.
- We need more strict rules prohibiting service on multiple committees, boards, and elected positions.
- We need to learn to agree to disagree on debatable matters non-central to the gospel.
- Missouri Baptists need to be better informed about convention activities.
- Missouri Baptists need to be more involved in convention activities.
The problem, as stated above, lies in the presentation. I see several issues:
- While generic descriptions of their concerns probably wouldn’t have been respected either (in a lot of ways, this group seems to be facing a no-win situation), pointing fingers at specific individuals as problems definitely detracts from the core message. Even if the things stated about MBLA and others are true, voicing them seems to me to create more controversy than it diffuses… it looks like a personal vendetta, no matter how many words are said to the contrary. In the end, it may work out, but I fear the cure may be every bit as bad as the disease.
- The lack of continual public dialogue on these issues detracts from the message. In today’s age, we have come to expect an abundance of readily available information, delivered nearly instantaneously. I’ve seen nothing online about SOC’s concerns, so this hurts their cause. There are several venues this could take place… interaction on the existing Missouri Baptist mailing list, blogging, web forums, web sites, etc. This lack of information allows the few media outlets that have covered it to dominate the public perception of the movement. The few meetings held to date simply provide an insufficient level of communication.
- The plan to address these concerns, showing 1100 messengers, makes the movement look very political (even if that’s not the intent). It’s most regrettable that this was included… if we want meaningful change in our convention (which is put in motion by the voting of messengers), pursual of a specific quota of messengers who will vote a certain way is politics at its very essence. Let’s simply make sure issues are known, and let messengers vote.
The bottom line? I left the meeting more discouraged about the Missouri Baptist Convention than ever… not because I view anyone in MBC life as having ill intentions for our convention, but simply because we’ve apparently got too much pride to reconcile our differences of opinion in regard to its direction.
I pray that God will break our hearts over the condition of our convention, drive us to our knees to seek His forgiveness for the time we’ve wasted fighting with each other, draw us together to reconcile our differences, and move us out in unity to push back against the darkness of sin and lostness that permeates our state.