SBC EXPLAINER: UPDATED

With the Southern Baptist Convention coming up in two weeks in Indianapolis, friends & former students have asked me to explain what’s happening and what’s at stake. So I’ve updated my post from last year to humbly attempt 🙏 When Southern Baptists are at their best, they are a diverse coalition of independent churches united around Jesus's Great Commission. They are urban & rural, traditional & contemporary, Calvinists & Arminian, high church & low church, politically involved & uninvolved - all cooperating to send missionaries & start new churches. As a Baptist missionary myself, I love it. Cooperation to proclaim the gospel is beautiful. WHAT IS THE SBC? Technically, Southern Baptists aren’t a denomination. That implies central control. Instead, the SBC consists of autonomous churches who have no obligation to work together yet voluntarily pool their resources to fund international missions, church planting, seminaries, and more. It really is miraculous! The SBC has adopted a doctrine statement, the BF&M 2000, to guide SBC missions organizations and seminaries. Historically, no church must adopt the statement or affirm everything within it. Churches cooperate because (1) they’re Baptist and (2) they want to fund missions together. WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR? Last summer at their annual meeting in New Orleans, the SBC passed a controversial amendment to its constitution to cease cooperation with any church that has a woman with the title pastor. Not just senior pastors, but also women’s pastor, children’s pastor, etc. The amendment does not differentiate. Because this measure requires changing the SBC Constitution, it must pass with a 2/3 majority at the upcoming convention in Indianapolis. Currently, the SBC Constitution only names three specific issues that exclude a church from cooperating: condoning (1) racism (2) homosexual behavior or (3) sexual abuse. There can be others, but these are the only three named. The amendment would add having female pastors to this list. Prominent leaders have come out both in support and against the amendment. On the surface, the issue is about whether women can be pastors. It's not. The issue is cooperation. Will we work together with MORE churches to reach the world for Christ or do we want to draw narrower boundaries than we ever have in the past? In Arlington alone, three of the four largest SBC churches (all healthy churches and wonderful ministry partners to me) could be removed from the SBC. While some friends who I respect support the amendment, I oppose it. Here are three big concerns. 1. Affirming every word of the SBC doctrine statement, the Baptist Faith & Message, has never been a prerequisite for participating in SBC life. The BF&M is a set of generally agreed upon doctrines; it provides accountability for SBC seminaries and mission agencies. But churches don't have to affirm it in totality. In fact, the BF&M says as much in the Preamble. We are "confessional," not "creedal." However, the creedal argument is now being advanced with people saying, "Any church in violation of the BF&M can't be SBC." By the same logic, the SBC would have to disfellowship other churches that don't affirm every line in the Baptist Faith & Message. This includes churches that, for instance, practice open communion, believe in dispensationalism, are governed by elders, or believe in freewill Arminianism. That's the vast majority of SBC churches! This would be a massive precedent. 2. It's also not a two-sided debate: “egalitarian-vs-complementarian.” First, there are many who believe we can disagree but still work together. Making things more complicated, there's a whole spectrum of nuanced positions on these issues. There are SBC churches that are conservative & complementarian, who believe that their elders/overseers must be qualified men. But also believe that the title "pastor" isn't equivalent to elder/overseer. For them, "pastor" is simply one who shepherds. (Interestingly, "pastor" is used only once in the Bible, in Ephesians 4, to refer to a leadership role and is most ofen translated “shepherd.”) These churches have women serving as women's pastors, children's pastors, etc. Even these churches are now being told, "You can't do missions with the SBC any longer." These churches aren’t “liberal.” (My friends in the United Methodist Church laugh at the though of liberal SBC churches.) Some of my friends say, "No it's just about women as senior pastors - not about other staff roles." But that's not what the amendment says. Even very like-minded conservative churches will be removed over their terminology, not their theology. 3. The timing, tone, and messaging has caused many women to be concerned. Instead of keeping the focus on needed sexual abuse reforms in the SBC, the focus shifted to restrictions on women, not protecting women. Many of the most vocal proponents of the amendment, also oppose the proposed measures to address sexual abuse. Furthermore, a small but vocal minority asserts, "Any woman who teaches a man is in open rebellion against Biblical authority and against God." And, “Having a woman with the title of pastor is heresy.” That messaging is unfortunate, even if it doesn't reflect the majority. Personally, I believe there are spirit-filled people with good motives & a strong view of Biblical authority who arrive at different conclusions. I hope they can keep working together to reach the world for Christ. On a personal note, I've co-labored alongside dozens of highly capable women who I admire and have learned from. My ministry at UTA trained hundreds of young women as Bible study leaders, evangelists, and disciple-makers. Our Texas BSM team is over half women. And I pray I've always pushed them to do more than they believed they were able, not less. The whole episode reminds me of Joel Gregory's famous SBC sermon: "Don't tear down the castle to build a wall." We can't be so consumed with protection that we needlessly or carelessly cause destruction. I prefer the approach of St. Augustine: "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity." I hope the SBC will too! 🙏