My trip to the BGCT (Back from blogger haitus)

Random thoughts to get back into the groove.

I didn't realize it had been two months since I had posted. Between teaching at WBU and starting a new worship service on Wednesday mornings I just ran out of time. Throw in a couple weeks of travel and intensive church work and--well you don't have time to blog thoughtfully.

I guess I also ran out of desire for the blogs on the Measure of Man as well. Great book. Time to move on. Been reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Phew. Very challenging. More on that later.

So, I did enjoy my time at the BGCT, or should I say, the convention with the Texas Baptists. I enjoyed working for the Credentials Committee, and look forward to travelling to McAllen next year. Yes, I did say McAllen.

So, what does it mean to be a Texas Baptist? More separation from a national identity? More provincialism and focus on our own state? The opportunity to start a new North American Fellowship of Baptists? Do most Texas Baptists want to be identified separately from the national body of Southern Baptists? Do most Texas Baptists even care?

I enjoyed the conference itself. Seemed like the attendance was down again. Can't see it getting better in McAllen. Most pastors that I run into believe that the Convention model of church gathering is declining (and it seems so) and dying. Makes me wonder why we do it (business? fellowship? promoting Baptist missions and causes?) and if there is any better way to accomplish these things. Can we gain the same benefit from self-improvement conferences or mission conferences? (By conference, I mean informational and motivational speakers with little of now actual business.) Can the convention model be saved? The younger generation says no. The older generation shrugs and keeps doing what it does.

Speaking of the younger generation, the BGCT had a convention track available for pastors and leaders under 35. I don't know when I became old, but at 41, I no longer fit into the "young leaders" of our convention. I think it stinks being the youngest of an older generation. And yet, I don't know that I have the desire or energy to fit the mold of the "younger" generation. So, does that make me old before my time?

It seems to me that the spirit of decentralization that is striking our conventions and associations is isolating individual churches. This is a danger for the small church and the small church pastor. Where is the support for the single-staff pastor? I may not always agree with what local associations do, but I am glad to have the support and strength that the Lubbock Area Baptist Association provides. I know that I personally benefit from the encouragement and fellowship of the believers and pastors in Lubbock. I am also glad that the BGCT (or should I say, Texas Baptists with assistance from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship) provides funding and a thought process for "peer groups" for pastors. I have gained a greater appreciation and fellowship for other pastors in the wider West Texas area. I have also been challenged professionally, in ministry and missions, and personally through the peer group model. Special thanks to Stacy Conner, FBC Muleshoe, for leading our regional group.

I also think that our universities, like Wayland, can play a huge role in providing networking and encouragement for pastors who are more geographically isolated. If only those pastors could take advantage of the connections available. I know some pastors who are getting educations through Logsdon and Baylor (Truett), but that also means that the network they are moving into is based with pastors located more in central Texas. We really need to support Wayland and help them to grow so that they can continue to support the ministers in this part of the country. And I don't know what those guys up in the northern Panhandle do . . .

And special thanks to Robert Revier for going the Convention with me and keeping things interesting. We "crashed" the "young" ministers fajita dinner Monday night. Great food. Fun times.

Intro: Which BFM: 1963 or 2000

It occurs to me, after the first post about Baptist Doctrines, that many of our readers are not aware that there is more than one accepted version of the Baptist Faith and Message (BFM). There are a couple of things we all should be aware of when discussing the BFM.

First, Baptist have never accepted a creed, which is a written statement of doctrine that is formally accepted by denomination and churches as an authoritative summary of scripture.

Secondly, the BFM is not a creed, but instead a simple summary of basic doctrines that have, over the years, come to signify what most Baptist believe.

Thirdly, Baptist have traditionally been fiercely independent in their thinking and more likely to be anti-establishment than not.

So, as we walk through these basic beliefs, we are not seeking to establish a litmus test by which we evaluate other believers. We are simply reading scripture in hopes of understanding better what Christians, who are also Baptists, need to do in order to follow God and obey the Bible.

Fourth of all, the Southern Baptist Convention felt the need to further enhance the 1963 Version of the BFM in order to better address some current social issues (such a women in ministry and the family as a cultural institution). The new version is known as the 2000 BFM. While on the surface the changes seemed to enhance this Baptist expression of faith. However, several changes concerning the role of Christ and Scripture in the faith process proved more controversial than helpful. Politically speaking, the SBC (national convention) has moved forward with the new statement, while the Texas Convention (BGCT) has remained loyal to the 1963 BFM. The division has been so pronounced that the SBC has promoted a new state convention with greater loyalty to the designs of the national convention (Southern Baptists of Texas, or SBTC).

At this point, my goal is to simply state that we will focus on the 1963 BFM, and bring in the 2000 BFM where appropriate. Of course, anyone may respond with either version, for the edification of the reader and writer alike.