Why the annual meeting of the SBC is not on my TO DO List

This week the Southern Baptist Convention is having their annual meeting in Louisville, KY.  I recently moved from that city and am from Kentucky originally (although I was born in Indiana).  I grew up Southern Baptist and even went to the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville for one year before leaving to attend another seminary.  I am currently serving a Baptist church with roots that are SBC here in Virginia.

And yet I will not be at the SBC nor do I care to ever go to an SBC meeting.  When asked what tribe I am I say “Baptist.”  I even refer to the SBC as “they/their/etc.”

Why?

While most of the rank and file within that denomination are wonderful folks they really don’t represent the actual denomination.  Only a minority of the denomination’s 30,000 plus churches will be represented.  Many churches no longer pariticipate except by giving money and that is decreasing as well.

Baptists are 400 years old this year and that is much older than the SBC.  The SBC started in the 1800s when denominations split over slavery issues.  You can read in my archive articles on Baptist history and in particular the SBC but to make a story shorter in time the denomination grew and dealt with it’s racism as a whole and became a strong one.  Baptists are all independent in a sense and only come together for mission/ministry/resources, etc.  But in the late 70s and all through the 80s a political group of folks took over the leadership of the SBC and forced out all those who did not play ball with them.  They said once they did that they’d be stronger and grow.  They said it was about liberalism but I honestly believe it was over power.  In the 90s they rebuilt the denomination to suit their vision and now in the 21st century they are not growing but shrinking.  Now they are looking for other reasons or places to blame but like all religious bodies are facing changing times.

What about Baptists like me?  We did many things.  Some stayed officially in SBC churches and just quit going to meetings (I suspect many because during the 80s almost half the denomination voted against the take over movement).  Those who do this stay busy in the local church and just let the other stuff go.  Others left and went to non-Baptist denominations.  Others formed new groups like the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.   Some stayed in their state work but found their state conventions to be the next war and lost those as well.  Only Texas and Virginia remained free from take over.  The Baptist General Association of Virginia (actually older than the SBC) now allows churches outside of the state to join and allows all churches to be VA, SBC, CBF, or a mixture.  In Texas and VA rival state denominations started for loyalists to the SBC.  In VA at the state level you have folks who only work with VA and others that pick one national body or a mixture.  Many churches just let people choose where to send their money and really do focus on the local level and don’t go to many national bodies that are denominational.

We are not in Kansas anymore.

As a Baptist pastor I focus on the work of my local church first and then work with those who I can work with freely and faithfully.  I am active in my state- the Baptist Association of VA because I am welcome here and we are all invited to work together for Christ.  In previous states I was not welcome in state conventions so I didn’t go.  I personally have worked with the American Baptists (that northern branch that split with the south during the 1800s) and I am involved personally and as a church with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.  My local church also allows money to go to the SBC and yet we don’t participate in their national meetings, etc but I personally send no money to the SBC.   We have tried to let Baptists be Baptist and follow their conscience.

Still why don’t I go to the SBC?

I started to list all those reasons again.  I have my issues that are theological and ethical but I would rather just move on.

I’m not angry. I don’t want to form an oppositional force to go against the powers that be.  I have no desire to spend energy that I can spend elsewhere.

I really do wish them well. I hope they can reach people with the good news.  I hope that missionaries will continue to tell the old old story. I hope they can transform congregations with the power of Christ.

But…

I need to be where I can work freely and faithfully. I want to be in a place where I can focus on the power of Christ without fuss.  I figure the job is really big and much work needs to be done so I’m going to go where I can do so without worrying about checking my “t”s and dotting my “i”s.  I want to be in a church that is not afraid to study hard, work with non-Baptists, learn from others, and yet share the good news of Jesus Christ in ways that we feel lead to do so.  I don’t want to get side tracked as a church into politics or other quick sand that might keep us from our mission.

So if I did go back to Louisville it would be to the zoo or maybe the Slugger museum.

I’m glad to be in Virgnia.

Later,

Derik