When we started GVC, we did so with the full weight and support of the Southern Baptist Convention. We were sponsored by around a dozen SBC churches directly, and indirectly by all SBC churches through the North American Mission Board. As your Pastor, I’ve been involved in various ways at the network level, and I am so thankful to serve our Convention of churches in the ways God has allowed me to. So, as I head to #SBC23 in the next few days, I wanted to address some of the hot topics so that you, ye average member of Green Valley Crossing, can wrap your head around stuff you might be reading in the news.
The convention has deemed some local churches to not be “in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention.” Three of those churches will make an appeal to the convention. Two of those appealing were “disfellowshipped” because they’ve ordained women to serve in the office and role of Pastor.
I support women on a church staff. But the Bible is clear: authority in a church, including the doctrinal authority that comes with teaching/preaching, is vested in biblically qualified men. We believe in elders here at GVC, and those elders are to be men. But we also have women serving in leadership, and rightfully so. Those women are not pastors, nor will they ever be. They will not preach on a Sunday morning. They won’t hold decision making authority over the entire church.
Where some churches went awry is that they used the term “pastor” in the staff job titles… Children’s minister, minister to students, worship leader…that would be fine… pastor to students, worship pastor…to me that means those roles are elder roles… Other churches go much further and install women in roles that are traditionally elder/pastor/overseer roles.
Saddleback Church went too far. Fern Creek Baptist Church went way too far (in 1990). Any church who installs a female as a teaching/lead/senior pastor knows full well they’re at odds with this Convention of churches. Maybe they weren’t 30-40 years ago, but now, 23 years after the adoption of the BF&M 2000, they are. For me, rejecting their appeals is the right move.
Mike Law has proposed an amendment to Article 3.1 of the SBC Constitution. You can learn more here.
I almost signed the petition for the Law amendment. But I am not sold on the language. I am concerned that it doesn’t seem to allow for an all male elder council with a female worship leader, or children’s minister, etc. I’m not a fan of calling any non-pastoral staff “pastor,” but I want to see room for women to serve, under the proper elder structure. Further, I’m with the Baptist21 guys in saying that Article 3.1 needs to state in the affirmative the things we are, rather than the things we’re not.
With that, we need greater clarity around what it means to be “closely identified” with the Convention’s statement of faith. We need to protect local church autonomy - no one has a right to come into the local church and tell them what to do or what to believe. We would be appalled if anybody did that to us. But at the same time, 40,000+ churches should have a mechanism to be able to say, “we all agree upon these major alignment points, and you’re not in alignment.” If we value the mission, we have to have alignment, otherwise the mission will drift and we will continue to lose ground. If someone makes a motion to appoint a task force to address Article 3.1 and bring clarity, I’m all about it.
Finally, who allow ME to be the chair of a committee?? That should be one of the most controversial things of the entire convention!
All kidding aside, we should be proud of our heritage as Southern Baptists. We should be thankful that we get to participate in One Sacred Effort to spread the gospel. This coming Tuesday, the International Mission Board will appoint and commission 92 new missionaries who will be fully funded in their task to take the gospel to the nations! That’s huge! That puts the IMB’s total field personnel number over 3,500! FULLY FUNDED! That means they have a place to live, schooling for their children, food on their table, and resources they need to do they work, all because YOU give to the work of Green Valley Crossing. When you give money in our tithes and offerings, a percentage of that goes back to the greater work of our network, including planting churches, training pastors, bringing relief to disaster areas, and sending those missionaries all over the world. We are blessed to be a part of something bigger than us.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about by our giving to the Cooperative Program, check this out:
