Return to the Scene

It is rather ironic that the SBC met in San Antonio this year and so many looked back to the last time the SBC met there and in the same year the BGCT is again meeting in Amarillo the same place where a major division in BGCT life was cemented for years to come. I went to that convention sympathetic to the moderate camp and left very sympathetic to the conservative camp, or as moderates would rather say, the fundamentalist camp. I watched the moderate camp perform every stunt I had seen the conservatives criticized for by that reliable state paper called the Baptist Standard. I could write the things that most disappointed me during that meeting, but why bring up sour grapes. The irony is this year’s presidential election.

In 1994 the battles within the BGCT were raging. TBC was working hard to protect against a substantial opponent. Even in the midst of division, much was being accomplished in Texas. The evangelism conference was the greatest testimony to unity around evangelism and fellowship of pastors. The year was one of great victory for the moderate camp that has controlled the BGCT since even before that historic convention. We return to Amarillo this year a weaker convention in terms of cooperation and evangelism suffering from an exodus of churches and a lower budget than last year. We must be reminded that there was victory in Amarillo in 1994. No, in reality, both sides lost in Amarillo.

It is ironic that charges were regularly being made about that small band of conservatives who were controlling the election process in the SBC. Today, even TBC admits to doing the same thing in Texas. It seems as though it was wrong in SBC life but accepted in the BGCT. What is unethical in one circumstance, we might conclude, is ethical if you are on the winning side. That same small band made sure of a rise in theological education in Texas with seminaries surfacing in Abilene and Waco. I seem to find myself all alone in thinking if they were really BGCT seminaries, wouldn’t they have been at least sanctioned by an official meeting of the messengers? Perhaps I am missing this, but as my memory goes, these seminaries were started by Baptist colleges who in turn came to the BGCT to ask for funding. Many BGCT leaders turned a blind eye to this move and are only now beginning to question the methods of leadership that led to such events. At the same time some cry foul over the SBC seminaries establishing undergraduate schools. I love consistency.

The presidential election in Amarillo this year presents an opportunity for change. Perhaps the BGCT could lay down her denominational war banner and again pick up her evangelistic war banner. Some have called for the lapse of an organized group such as the TBC to cease in the election of candidates. Such pleas misunderstand leadership in organizations such as the BGCT. These organizations cry out for uniting leadership. The TBC has been effective because it united a group around a vision even though it is a negative vision. If the BGCT is to move forward from its quagmire, it will require a leadership group who can garner a sizable portion of the pastors in the BGCT to support its vision. Yes, vision is the key. Not a vision of being anti SBC but a vision of being up with Kingdom progress. As long as the vision is one of defense from an enemy that left the battle in 1998, ten years ago, the quagmire will continue. This vision will only emerge from men and women with great convictions. It will not come from the so called fundamentalists who remain in the BGCT. If their convictions would have motivated them to action, they would have either left for the SBTC or have been a constant source of irritation. It won’t come from the moderates or the TBC could have led us out of the quagmire years ago. It will come from some folks who will sit down and come up with a plan, take it to the churches and not just the executive board or annual convention, preach it, teach it, live it, and give their lives to it. Where are the statesmen who will rise up? Some have suggested David Lowrie to be one who could begin this type movement. He will not be able to do it alone. It will take several Baptist statesmen who can reach out to the silent majority of the BGCT and motivate them to action. It will take several who can reach out to the moderate camp that supports the TBC and those in the conservative camp who continue to support the SBC. That would be an anointed group and that would be a miracle. Do you still believe in miracles?

I am afraid it is not the current blogging world. This world is not captivated by vision, it is captivated by what it does not like about certain people. As long as we are battling people, we will not move forward. We must advance a vision made up of dreams and ideas. As long as we focus on fighting people, there will always be plenty of enemies to go around. Isn’t that what we have been warned about in fundamentalism? Is it also happening in the moderate world? The whole idea of circling the wagons to guard against the fundamentalists was due to fear. I think it was Avery Willis who said “fear is faith in the enemy.” If we are to move forward as the people of God, we must walk by faith, not by fear. Walking by faith, now I think that is a biblical concept.

Crossroad for BGCT Baptists

The opportunity for the BGCT to find new vision and chart a course for the future is coming into full swing this year. Charles Wade has announced his retirement from the executive director’s position effective early in 2008 and for the first time in 20 years a candidate for president of the convention is coming forth to challenge the status quo nomination. This will truly be a year of decision for this group of Texas Baptist.

Charles Wade’s reign as executive director has been controversial in many respects including the departure of hundred’s of churches to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. During his watch the organizational structure has undergone renewal, giving plans have been revamped, money was temporarily limited to Southern Baptist Seminaries, funds were increased to two seminaries started by Texas Baptist universities, financial improprieties were discovered in dealing with church planting operations, and baptisms have fallen from 69000 in 1999 to just over 41000 in 2006. Dr. Wade was the choice of Texas Baptist Committed and has been an active supporter of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship since its inception. His sharp vocal disagreements with the leadership of the SBC have resulted in a deteriorating relationship between the SBC and the BGCT. The BGCT has an opportunity to hire an executive director who will spend energy on invigorating evangelism across the convention and renewed cooperation with the SBC. While the state convention has drifted from its cooperation with the SBC, reports indicate that as many as 70% of the churches that remain in the BGCT cooperate with the national convention. There is opportunity for a new direction.

Two candidates have been announced in the running for this year’s election of a convention president. Joy Fenner has been announced and is the Texas Baptist Committed candidate. She represents the status quo in BGCT politics and leadership circles. She has been actively involved in missions around the world and the inner workings of the BGCT leadership. David Lowrie will also be nominated this year. David represents a voice in the BGCT that has largely been overlooked for the last 20 years. His church continues support for both the BGCT and the SBC. He says it is time for a move back toward the center. David represents a new wind in the BGCT. There is an opportunity for a new direction.

Will the BGCT hire an executive director that will keep it on the same path or will it seek new vision and direction with a renewed emphasis on evangelism? Will the BGCT elect a status quo president or a president that will encourage renewed cooperation and fresh vision? The answers to these questions hold the future of the BGCT. We will know by January.