A New Normal?

Once upon a time, there was a rather comfortable Baptist consensus in the South. There were variations in worship and architectural style, but most white Baptist churches used the same hymnals, Sunday school materials, and supported the same mission causes. Whether you attended a church in Virginia or Alabama or Texas on a given Sunday morning, you would probably be using Baptist Sunday School Board curriculum, singing from the Baptist Hymnal, and giving to the Cooperative Program as well as Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong.

If young persons left the local church and “went away to college” (most of us did in those days), they could attend a Baptist college supported by their state convention or, if they chose to attend a state university, they would find the fellowship of the Baptist Student Union (also supported to some extent by the state Baptist convention). If the student felt the call to ministry, he or she could attend one of the six Baptist seminaries generously funded the Cooperative Program. Beyond seminary, there were opportunities for service in churches, mission agencies, and denominational agencies that were part of the denominational consensus.

Frameworks and agreements among the Baptist agencies assured that Sunday School Board literature would support the work of the other boards and agencies. Although the Sunday School Board did not receive Cooperative Program dollars, this publishing arm of the convention made sure that it was on the right side in supporting CP giving. In fact, any church or individual that questioned supporting the Cooperative Program would quickly be branded as “independent,” a term that seemed to be connected with being cast into outer darkness.

Certainly there were differences of opinion and differing philosophies among Baptists in the South but most of the time we found a way to be tolerant, work together, and move ahead in Kingdom work (because who else was going to do it if we didn’t?).

Fast forward to 2011. The old consensus has certainly broken down and a new one has yet to emerge for many Baptists and their churches. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Alliance of Baptists have attempted to step into the gap, but churches and individuals have not rushed to fall in line. Twenty years after the founding of CBF, we are still struggling to find some common ground. Initially, many thought that the common ground would be missions, but churches have become more aggressive in mapping their own mission strategies without regard to leadership in Atlanta. CBF struggles to keep “career” missionaries on the field and is dependent on alternative means of funding field staff. Theological education has certainly not been the common ground. The Fellowship has some relation to 15 different schools and several of those are starving to death!

As the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship meets in Tampa this week, many will ask the questions, “What do we have in common?” and “How will we work together in the future?” We anxiously await the answers. The old consensus has broken done and we wait to see what, if anything, can take its place.

Comments

Check these out

Confessions of a Recovering Southern Baptist

I am grateful for my heritage as a Southern Baptist. I was exposed to the Bible and worship from a very young age. I grew up in a church in south Alabama that supported the Cooperative Program of missions giving. This meant that our church had the benefit of being part of a supportive group of local churches and the educational opportunities that afforded. Our state convention provided varied and effective ministries with groups like orphans, ethnic groups, and college students. We supported missionaries at home and abroad. We had good Bible study and training literature (which we paid for, of course). I went to an accredited seminary and paid a remarkably low tuition. Wherever you went on a Sunday morning (in the Southeast and Southwest, at least), you could find a church that sang the familiar hymns and studied the same Bible lesson. In hindsight, I realize that this Southern Baptist utopia was imperfect. There were significant...

The Bible Tells Me So

As I read the story of the Good Samaritan during my devotional today, I was reminded of the times that I have heard the story in the Christian education setting of the local church--as a youngster in primary and intermediate classes (old terminology), as a young adult in college classes, and then as an adult, often teaching the passage myself. The characters and story line are very familiar due to these experiences of Christian education. These are challenging times for Christian education in the church. Like so much of what is happening in the church today, the old forms do not seem to support present needs. What once worked no longer seems to be effective. Christian education or the formation of believers is in a state of flux. In an article on ethicsdaily.com , retired professor Colin Harris addresses this issue. He points out that the period of the 60’s and 70’s “saw the beginnings of a loss of vitality within the educa...

Metaphors of the Kingdom of God

In a recent blog , consultant Seth Godin addresses the power of metaphor. He points out, “The best way to learn a complex idea is to find it living inside something else you already understand.” In other words, “this” is like “that.” “When you see a story, an example, a wonderment,” says Godin, “take a moment to look for the metaphor inside.” Jesus turned this around. In the use of parables, he told a story or provided a metaphor and challenged his hearers to see the truth within. For example, in his teaching on the Kingdom (or Reign) of God in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to such things as a mustard seed, yeast, a hidden treasure, a net, a king, and a landowner. His hearers are encouraged to use their imaginations to understand something that they had never experienced. He also attempted to shift their perspective so that they might see signs of the Kingdom breaking into their present reality. These are metapho...

The Tragedy of Willow Creek Community Church

File photo of Steve Carter, Heather Larson, and Bill Hybels As Christian brothers and sisters, we need to pray for Willow Creek Community Church. On the eve of the Global Leadership Summit, a worldwide conference sponsored by the church in cooperation with the Willow Creek Association, church leadership imploded as a result of further allegations against former pastor Bill Hybels. Last year, Hybels introduced the team who would assume church leadership upon his retirement--lead pastor Heather Larson and teaching pastor Steve Carter. Although the founding pastor planned to stay on to assist in a time of transition, reports of sexual impropriety involving Hybels surfaced early this year. He accelerated his departure from the church and left the board of the Willow Creek Association. When other charges emerged last week, teaching pastor Carter resigned. On Wednesday evening, Larson and the entire elder board--lay leaders who provide accountability ...

A Future for the Global Leadership Summit?

Craig Groeschel, the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. The Global Leadership Summit which began as a project of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and its founding pastor, Bill Hybels, over 25 years ago was held this week without Hybels. For several years, the GLS has been now produced by the Willow Creek Association, a spin-off organization and a loose network of churches but Hybels has been its driving force. Attended by thousands at the church facility in South Barrington and broadcast to thousands more at satellite locations, the annual meeting brings together not only evangelical leaders but outstanding speakers from business, charitable organizations, politics, and business. For the first time, Hybels did not appear due to allegations of sexual impropriety brought against him over the past year by former employees, staff members, and business associates. He has already left the church and resigned from the board of t...

Barnabas File

Search This Blog