EDITOR’S NOTE: The following counterpoint is published as part of our ongoing commitment to provide an independent spectrum of voices. Bill Jones, former executive director of Texas Baptists Committed, wrote the following response to a column written by Ross Shelton, pastor of First Baptist Brenham, and published by the Baptist Standard. 

A few days ago, the BGCT held its annual meeting. It was the second self-styled “Family Gathering” — now held every 5 years — in which the state’s Hispanic and African-American conventions meet simultaneously with the BGCT.

Last week, Ethics Daily published an op-ed by Jackie Baugh Moore, titled “New generation leads CBF toward other collaborations.” One sentence jumped out at me.

Moore wrote: “Fellowship Southwest (comprised of CBF ministries and initiatives in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas and the West) began about the time many of us in Texas churches saw our Baptist General Convention of Texas taken over by political maneuverings and leadership that value dogma and exclusiveness over collaboration for a common purpose.”

News coverage of this week’s “Family Gathering” appears to confirm her observation.

BGCT leaders touted the unity and diversity reflected in the gathering; yet the unity was a reflection of conformity achieved at the November 2016 meeting by sending some of the “family” packing. As for diversity, I suppose so, if you consider diversity as only skin deep.

The four fragile freedoms of Baptists

But diversity is not just skin deep. Diversity for Baptists has always included what Baptist historian Walter B. Shurden dubbed the “four fragile freedoms” in his classic book, “The Baptist Identity.”

• Bible Freedom
• Soul Freedom
• Church Freedom
• Religious Freedom

According to these four freedoms — all of which are part of our DNA since the beginning of the Baptist movement in the early 1600s — Baptists take our marching orders from the Holy Spirit, not a denominational hierarchy.

In the 1980s, a political faction schemed to take power in the SBC. Once it took control, its power-hungry leaders dictated interpretations of particular scripture passages to be enforced on Baptists and their churches as a creed.

In recent years, the BGCT — fearing the efforts of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) to steal its churches — has begun traveling the SBC road.

September 2015

BGCT Executive Director David Hardage invited Paige Patterson, then president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and co-architect of the Fundamentalist takeover of the SBC, to speak to the BGCT staff during its weekly prayer time. Hardage later told me he heard from numerous pastors encouraging him to build a relationship with Patterson and Southwestern so students there would be agreeable to pastoring BGCT churches.

November 2016

BGCT messengers, encouraged by Hardage, vote to recommend the disfellowshipping of any churches deemed to be welcoming and affirming toward LGBTQ people. Three months later, the BGCT Executive Board affirmed this vote and removed three churches, including my home church in Dallas. We were no longer part of the “family.”

Legally, the BGCT has the right to decide what churches will be affiliated with it. Nevertheless, drawing the criteria so narrowly based on doctrines that are not essential to the nature of God, the deity of Jesus, or our salvation is unBaptist. It violates at least three of those “fragile freedoms” identified by Shurden (and religious freedom may be next). Now we understand better what makes them so fragile.

Reconciliation and reform another apparent SBC inroad to the BGCT

This week, the Baptist Standard published an op-ed written by Ross Shelton, pastor of First Baptist in Brenham, titled “How disconnected BGCT pastors can reconnect with national Baptist groups.”

Shelton’s prescription serves as further evidence that the BGCT is far down the SBC road. He proposes “four ways BGCT pastors, working together, may seek to reconnect with national Baptist life”:

• Reconciliation
• Reform
• Regional
• Rise

His treatment of the first two bullets is most revealing. Reconciliation refers to the SBC; reform refers mostly to CBF.

With respect to reconciliation, BGCT leaders are told they should:

• stop calling SBC and SBTC leaders and pastors “fundamentalists.”
• sponsor a conference in partnership with Southwestern Seminary.
• have “BGCT colleges and seminaries agree to hire at least a few professors who have been recently educated by an SBC seminary and/or who are supportive of the current direction of the SBC, thereby exposing students in BGCT colleges and seminaries to at least a few voices supportive of and connected to the current SBC.”
• develop a new doctrinal statement replacing both versions of the Baptist Faith & Message.

With respect to reform:

• In relation to CBF, “BGCT pastors will provide a reforming voice … [and] call the CBF to stop their current theological trajectory and return to evangelical roots.”
• In relation to the SBC, “BGCT pastors may function as a moderating voice on certain topics or issues.”

In other words:

• Make nice with the SBC and SBTC, and maybe they’ll stop trying to steal our churches.
• Despite the faithfulness of Logsdon and Truett Seminaries in teaching and adhering to Baptist principles through the years, we’re ready to partner with a seminary whose leadership has consistently thumbed their noses at those principles.
• Let the SBC infiltrate BGCT colleges and seminaries and indoctrinate our students with its theology. (Make no mistake about it, let the SBC dip its toe into your waters, and pretty soon it’s taken over the whole ocean.)
• Bible Freedom? Soul Freedom? Ha! BGCT leaders know what’s right and are God’s tool to “reform” anyone who doesn’t agree with them. Oops, make that BGCT-SBC-SBTC leaders!

Guess what, only one of those three parties will compromise, and it won’t be the Fundamentalists of the SBC or SBTC. You have only to look as far as the late, lamented “SBC Peace Committee” of the mid-1980s to know who is going to write the new Baptist creed.

What I fear may be the case about the BGCT

I wish I could believe Shelton’s article is just the fantasy of one isolated pastor. However, based on David Hardage’s overtures to Paige Patterson and Southwestern Seminary, along with the BGCT’s recent turn toward creed-based criteria for churches, I strongly suspect his article reflects a larger movement in the BGCT with broad support and momentum.

As I wrote in 2016 and 2017, I love the Baptist General Convention of Texas. There is so much I love about its people and its ministries.

Sadly, though, Jackie Baugh Moore is right. Dogma and exclusiveness, once the province of the SBC, have captured the BGCT, and the SBC is well on its way to doing so, too.

Bill Jones is the former executive director of Texas Baptists Committed and can be found at billjoneswritings.com.

RE: How disconnected BGCT pastors can reconnect with national Baptist groups

I love the BGCT, its people, its ministries … the CLC, disaster relief, Buckner, its seminaries and universities. Now it risks the integrity of all of this.

In “How disconnected BGCT pastors can reconnect with national Baptist groups,” Ross Shelton urges reconciliation with the SBC & SBTC but “reform” of CBF. BGCT pastors should “call the CBF to stop their current theological trajectory and return to evangelical roots.” (CBF’s “current theological trajectory,” by the way, is local church autonomy, an essential Baptist principle.) The BGCT was saved from this authoritarian attitude — that such pastors exclusively know the mind of God — in the 1990s.

He also suggests that “BGCT colleges and seminaries agree to hire … a few professors … recently educated by an SBC seminary and/or who are supportive of the current direction of the SBC.” This undermines Logsdon and Truett Seminaries, which have faithfully adhered to Baptist principles for over two decades, by infesting them with the teachings of seminaries that have consistently trampled on those principles.

The BGCT’s “unity and diversity” is an illusion — unity at the expense of diversity of thought. Baptist unity, historically, has not demanded conformity. Two years ago, the BGCT kicked some “family” members to the curb, imposing the majority interpretation of a few cherry-picked scriptures on its churches. If Shelton’s suggestions — as I suspect — reflect the thinking of many BGCT pastors, the BGCT appears to be traveling the road to Fundamentalism and the SBC/SBTC.

Bill Jones
Dallas, Texas

My journey to surrendering to God started last summer, when I was a leader at youth camp. One night before worship, I asked the Lord to reveal something to me, whether it be the message, or just a word that stood out. One song that we sang was “At the Cross.” The chorus says: “At the cross, at the cross, I surrender my life. I’m in awe of you.” As soon as I sang “I surrender my life,” I instantly knew that is what the Lord wanted from me. I didn’t know at the time what I would be surrendering to, but I knew I needed to give up my control.

Fast forward to October, when I was contemplating the idea of serving with Go Now Missions. For the past two years, I struggled with feeling called to go. I have been on countless mission trips, but my control was holding me back. I came up with several excuses why I shouldn’t go—money, fear of the unknown, time, not being able to work and a school internship. In my mind, I selfishly wanted the shortest trip offered, because it seemed more doable. After talking to a friend, she gave me a friendly push to “surrender” and fill out an application.

I filled out the application, still with reservations about committing. After some time, I began to feel peace about the possibility to serve this summer. By the time it came attend Discovery Weekend, I started to freak out a little bit. It was becoming too real. I really began praying to make sure this is what the Lord wanted me to do.

Peace. I felt the indescribable feeling of peace. All the concerns about Discovery Weekend diminished when I got there. When it came time to fill out placement cards, I was torn between two trips. Both had pros and cons, but selfishly I wanted the shortest trip. It would have been a good fit, but that’s not what the Lord was calling me to. I put down my “second” choice as my No. 1, knowing I was going to get it. Sure enough, that became my assignment.

Still a little unsure, I accepted the placement, knowing this had to be the lord’s call. Everything I was worried about ended up not being an issue. I was fully funded, had the best partner/ supervisor, and I even was going to get credit for my school internship. If I had decided to not surrender, if I had been disobedient to God’s call, I would have missed the opportunity of growing in my faith.

I had a problem with control, not knowing the details, and being flexible. God doesn’t take our fears and use them against us, he uses them to strengthen us if we let him. God worked in me to always trust his will and to have faith that he works out the details. If I had said no, I would have missed out on meeting and learning from some incredible people.

I loved every second of the month I spent in Tennessee. I was worried about the length of the trip, but I found myself wanting to stay longer. It was a humbling experience to serve and love on a population that is often overlooked—vulnerable women and children.

Go Now seemed so intimidating at first, but it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable experiences in my life. I never thought I could do something like Go Now. Looking back, I can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner!

Erin McCleer, a student at Howard Payne University, served with Go Now Missions at a shelter for women and children in Jefferson City, Tenn.

Texas Baptists can be a lot of fun when they come together as they did this week at the Family Gathering in Arlington. As friends reunited, one might have heard Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World:” “I see friends shaking hands, saying, ‘How do you do?’ They’re really saying, ‘I love you.’”

Not all of our friends were with us this year. That is true. We were not able to say, “I love you,” to everyone we love.

At the same time, we made new friends, or at least we started new relationships with the potential of becoming friendships. This ability to come together and to start new relationships is one of the great blessings of Baptist life in Texas, where there is a wide diversity of what it means to be Baptist.

“The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky”

Speaking of blessings: I must give a “shout out” to the African American Fellowship, who welcomed me with great hospitality during their prayer breakfast. Sharing a meal and praying with each other enriched me, and the time we spent together after breakfast was particularly empowering.

Speaking of friends reuniting: As I was introduced to the people at the breakfast table, one person stood out. She looked so familiar, but I couldn’t place her. Well, she knew me, which is always more than a little embarrassing. As it turns out, my wife and I went through seminary with her. Rosalind Spencer is now the children’s pastor at Westside Baptist Church in Lewisville.

The prayer breakfast ended with a blessing of the hands. I’m a pretty buttoned-up Baptist. For instance, I’m not given to raising my hands in church. Yet even right now as I type, my eyes water with joy and wonder at having my hands anointed with oil and being blessed to serve God. May my hands do what they were blessed to do.

Kinds of being together

The annual meeting of the BGCT is one kind of “together.” As we breathe in the air of that gathering, some might think, “Ah, this is Texas Baptists at their best.”

The worship we shared at the African American Fellowship prayer breakfast is another kind of “together” we call church. This kind of “together” happens at least every Sunday morning, not only in Texas but all around the world. In the midst of worship, some might think, “Ah, this is Texas Baptists at their best.”

No, Texas Baptists are not at their best during their annual meeting. Texas Baptists are not at their best when they gather for worship in their local churches. At those times, Texas Baptists are at their second best.

Texas Baptists are at their best when they are together with Christ and in Christ. Texas Baptists are at their best when they walk lock-step with Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit. Texas Baptists are at their best when they are communicating the good news of Jesus and leading people of all kinds from everywhere to draw closer together with him.

I enjoyed my time with you this week and look forward to meeting again. Until then, let us both draw closer together with Jesus and so grow closer together with each other.

Eric Black is the executive director, publisher and editor of the Baptist Standard. He can be reached at eric.black@baptiststandard.comor on Twitter at @EricBlackBSP.

Since May of 2015, Chad Chaddick has been pastor of First Baptist Church in San Marcos. From deep in the heart of one Texan, he shares his background and thoughts on church and ministry. To suggest a Baptist General Convention of Texas-affiliated leader to be featured in this column, or to apply to be featured yourself, click here.

Background

Where else have you served in ministry, and what were your positions there?

Prior to serving in San Marcos, I was the pastor at Northeast Baptist Church in San Antonio for seven years, and, prior to San Antonio, I was the pastor of Fairlanes Baptist Church in Borger, Texas, for eight years.

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Dallas, spent elementary school in the country between Forney and Terrell and graduated high school in Clovis, New Mexico.

How did you come to faith in Christ?

I came to faith in Christ as a child in Casa View Baptist Church. Dr. Roy Fish was the interim pastor there, and I remember a sermon he preached titled “Rooms of the Heart” based on Revelation 3:20.

He captured my imagination, and I could see that my heart was filthy with sin. The bad news was that I could not clean it up, but the good news was that Jesus was knocking at the door. He would come in and clean up the sin if I would let him. I determined right then that I wanted Jesus in my life.

Where were you educated, and what degrees did you receive?

I received my bachelor’s degree from Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas. I received my masters of divinity from Truett Seminary in Waco, and I received my doctor of ministry from Beeson Divinity School (Samford University) in Birmingham, Alabama.

Ministry / Church

Why do you feel called into ministry?

If you are asking why God called me to ministry, I’m not sure I can answer that. Why does God call any of us for any specific task except that it somehow fits his divine purposes (which we may only understand in hindsight, if at all)?

If you are asking how God called me to ministry, I would say that he called me through a series of events. A Bible study while I was at youth camp may have sown an important seed. In that study we memorized part of the first chapter of Jeremiah — Jeremiah’s call passage. This would become important to me later.

My initial thought that perhaps I could be a vocational minister actually grew out of a negative experience in church. I said to God, “Even I could do better than that.” Later that night I felt as if God asked me, “Do you mean it?”

At that point I had to be honest about whether my earlier statement was merely youthful bravado or a sincere expression of faith. I opted for the latter, and that was the first night I ever considered vocational ministry.

From that point, though, God opened a number of doors to leadership — in my youth group, with other youth and in my local church. At one point, prior to speaking before a group of (primarily) senior adults, I remember asking God what I could possibly say to them that they did not know already. After all, “I was just a youth.” It was at that moment that a verse from Jeremiah, memorized a few years prior, came to my mind: “‘Do not say that I am a youth, because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 1:7).

From that moment, I began to seriously consider vocational ministry as my long-term future. There were several other confirming moments in the years to come, but that has been the foundation of what I perceive to be my calling.

What is your favorite aspect of ministry? Why?

There is so much I enjoy about ministry that the answer to this question might depend entirely on the day.

I enjoy preaching — both the study that goes into it and the act itself. I enjoy talking with people about faith and praying with people to accept Christ. I enjoy celebrating baptism.

I enjoy seeing the church deliver care and help and hope and love to those in need. I enjoy seeing people grow in their faith. I enjoy witnessing the church being strong and beautiful in the face of a broken world.

What one aspect of ministry gives you the greatest joy?

The “greatest” joy is hard to say, but it gives me great joy to see faith awaken in the lives of broken people and families. To see joy come in the midst of hopelessness, and to see dignity arise in people who have been dehumanized by the powers of sin, this never ceases to amaze me.

How has your ministry or your perspective on ministry changed?

Early on, I failed to appreciate how ministry touches whole persons and whole communities. My initial impulses were shaped by my earliest experiences that focused on a narrowly defined spiritual side of life — “being saved.”

So much of that emphasis focused on what we were saved from. As I have grown in faith and in the ministry, though, I see that the bulk of Scripture is about being saved for.

We have been saved for a purpose, and so much of ministry is about embracing those purposes and freeing people to be what God has called them to be, doing what God has called them to do.

We are saved to love our neighbors as ourselves, and, if we take that seriously, then love will lead us into the fullness of life: family, finances, justice, forgiveness, birth, death, graduations, retirement, promotions and prison.

Love reaches the whole person, and ministry must too. This is what discipleship means.

The forgiveness of God in Christ Jesus is the essential first step — but it is only a first step. All of life now stands open before us, and we are saved to walk in the newness of this life.

How do you expect ministry to change in the next 10 to 20 years?

It is always difficult to see the future. Those who claim to be able to do so are nearly always wrong, so let me speak to the issues that seem most pressing at the moment.

I think American Christianity is going to have to grow up in regards to our appreciation for and association with American politics. The idolatry of nationalism and party loyalty is robbing the church of its true power and authority which comes only from Christ.

I hope that in the next decade or two, the church will come to a more humble appreciation of the power of Christ, recognizing that the kingdom of God is bigger than our own nation, bigger than our party politics and bigger than any special interest group (which is what we always become when we seek to stand among the earthly powers).

About Baptists

What are the key issues facing Baptists—denominationally and/or congregationally?

First, I think that Baptists struggle with a “brand” problem. Our years of infighting and the unkind actions of some who bear the name “Baptist” do not help us.

Second, the rise of the new Calvinism is and will continue to be divisive in Baptist life — not helping with the “brand” problem.

Third, racial diversity is a big deal. Within the whole family called “Baptist,” we are enormously diverse, but, as individual churches, we still struggle. We need to do better for the sake of unity in the name of Jesus.

About Chad

Who were/are your mentors, and how did/do they influence you?

My mentors/influencers are legion, but here are a few.

At Wayland Baptist, I was profoundly influenced by many of my professors: Rick Johnson, Paul Sadler, Fred Meeks and several others helped give me a foundation for theological education and ministry.

At Truett Seminary, I think of A. J. “Chip” Conyers, Ruth Ann Foster, Brad Creed and Raymond Bailey, and I appreciate their influence in me. Fisher Humphreys was my doctor of ministry supervisor, and he inspired me to careful thinking about aspects of life and ministry, while Calvin Miller reminded me of the poetry of life, faith and the soul.

Henry Mitchell and James Earl Massey taught me a lot about preaching, and some Texas and New Mexico pastors like Travis Hart, Tom Martin and Howie Batson taught me about pastoring.

I appreciate all of them, and I seem to appreciate them more as the years go by.

What did you learn on the job you wish you learned in seminary?

If I thought about it long enough, this could fill a book!

I am extremely grateful both for Truett and Beeson in that they not only taught me what to learn but how to learn. That being said, recently I have been reminded of my lack of knowledge about buying and selling commercial property, working with city planning and zoning commissioners and city managers, interacting with a diverse business community and navigating tax and insurance issues.

A few years ago, I was walking down a hallway toward the church nursery on a Wednesday night. Our nursery workers were caring for a number of Burmese infants and toddlers, and we were having some communication problems with the parents regarding what the parents needed to provide for their children when they dropped them off in the nursery.

I remember hearing one of the workers comment to another about a child who was without a particular piece of clothing, and the worker wondered aloud if this lack was a “cultural thing.” The other replied, “I don’t know. We should ask Pastor Chad. He knows these kinds of things.”

I immediately thought, “How? How do I know about the parenting practices of Burmese refugees?” Apparently, this was one of the things I missed in seminary.

It is something I know now.

Other than the Bible, name some of your favorite books or authors, and explain why.

C. S. Lewis has been influential in my life, providing a thoughtful approach to Christianity and demonstrating that a person can and should take the intellectual life seriously in matters of faith. “Mere Christianity,” “The Chronicles of Narnia,” “The Weight of Glory,” “God in the Dock” — all have and continue to be influential in my life.

G. K. Chesterton’s “Orthodoxy” has provided a more romantic vision of the Christian life and adventure.

I have found N. T. Wright to be persuasive in his narrative approach to the New Testament. His lesser-known “Climax of the Covenant,” along with his magisterial five-volume series (if you count the book on Paul as the two volumes — it is!) “Christian Origins and the Question of God,” provide a framework for unlocking an enormous depth in the Scriptures.

Paul Scott Wilson’s “The Four Pages of the Sermon” has helped to shape my own preaching style.

Alasdair MacIntyre has provided key components of my moral reasoning in “After Virtue” and “Whose Justice? Which Rationality?”

And Eugene Peterson has produced a number of soul-enriching books — obviously written from a pastor’s heart and with a keen attunement to the themes of Scripture.

Who is your favorite Bible character, other than Jesus? Why?

I am impressed with the usual cast of characters: Moses, David and Peter. One of the lesser-known characters that I love, though, is Naaman the Syrian.

I see in him the struggle that so many of us face, particularly in ministry. We know we are broken and in need of healing, and we desire to do something great. We want to be part of something world-changing.

But healing came to Naaman, not because of great deeds, but in response to simple faithfulness. What a picture of life and ministry for us all! Being faithful in the little things matters most.

Among the thousands of Baptist General Conventional of Texas churches in our state, many of their pastors connect to the BGCT simply because their churches are associated with it—not because they necessarily have a convictional reason for associating with the BGCT. Other pastors, myself included, associate with the BGCT as a matter of conviction.

• History: A long history of associating with the BGCT through all the ups-and-downs of the previous decades has created deep friendships and nostalgia, which shapes our association with the BGCT.
• Theology: The BGCT has sought to maintain a conservative, “non-fundamentalist” approach to the Christian faith. For many, the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message is a sufficient consensus document for Baptists, and other issues can be addressed through the convention process. For example, while the 1963 BF&M does not have a statement about marriage in it, the BGCT has affirmed through the convention process, and made a requirement for harmonious cooperation, the biblical view that marriage is a sacred union between a man and woman.
• Political: Many have associated with the BGCT in response to the battles in the Southern Baptist Convention in the late 1970s through 1990s. Many believed some people in the SBC used unnecessarily harsh political tactics to win the convention presidency and shape Southern Baptist institutions. The BGCT, opposed to such tactics, became a home for pastors who also opposed them.
• Loyalty: Some pastors connect to the BGCT out of appreciation for support received, whether financial assistance to attend a BGCT college or seminary, the way they were served by a BGCT institution, or the ministry and mission partnerships they have developed with or through the BGCT.
• Diversity: Many have connected with the BGCT because of the greater racial and gender diversity found in the BGCT as compared to other Baptist groups.

The challenge for pastors of state and national connections

Pastors associating with the BGCT for convictional reasons face a challenge. Many BGCT pastors do not feel at home in either the SBC or the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the two national Baptist bodies connected to BGCT churches.

Concerning the CBF, the disconnect comes from concern that the CBF continues to move in a more progressive, or “liberalizing,” direction perceived by some to follow a similar pattern as mainline denominations. Many BGCT pastors never did feel at home in CBF, while others no longer feel at home there.

Concerning the SBC, many BGCT pastors do not feel at home there for the reasons articulated above. In addition to those five convictions, many BGCT pastors feel caricatured as liberal and a threat to the SBC. Many do not have relationships and networks within the SBC, which is especially true if a pastor did not attend an SBC seminary.

As a result of being disconnected from the CBF and SBC, many BGCT pastors have disengaged from serving within and connecting to national Baptist life. For BGCT pastors serving churches that generously support the SBC through cooperative giving and missions offerings and that think of themselves as “Southern Baptist,” the disconnect seems particularly acute.

Four ways for pastors to overcome the challenge of being disconnected

To overcome the national disconnect, I want to propose four ways BGCT pastors, working together, may seek to reconnect with national Baptist life.

Reconciliation: This approach primarily is directed to reconciling the relationship between the BGCT and SBC. In this approach, there would be an attempt to find symbolic and real ways to reconcile or, at least, make space for each other. Attempts at reconciliation might include something like the following:

• SBC and Southern Baptists of Texas leaders make a vow to stop caricaturing the BGCT and BGCT pastors as “liberal.” BGCT leaders and pastors commit to stop calling SBC and SBTC leaders and pastors “fundamentalists.” This may also include a commission to address hurts from all sides and to provide means for reconciliation.
• The BGCT sponsors a conference in partnership with Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, encouraging strong attendance by BGCT pastors.
• The BGCT and SBTC, in partnership with the North American Mission Board, develop a goal to support a certain number of church plants, each plant receiving financial support from the BGCT, SBTC and NAMB.
• BGCT colleges and seminaries agree to hire at least a few professors who have been recently educated by an SBC seminary and/or who are supportive of the current direction of the SBC, thereby exposing students in BGCT colleges and seminaries to at least a few voices supportive of and connected to the current SBC.
• Initiate the development of a new doctrinal statement allowing people to move beyond some of the baggage associated with the Baptist Faith and Messages of 1963 and 2000.

Reform: In this approach, BGCT pastors will recognize they are a minority voice and will probably not win elections or be placed in important positions. Nevertheless, in this approach, BGCT pastors will provide a reforming voice. For example, in the CBF, BGCT pastors would call the CBF to stop their current theological trajectory and return to evangelical roots. In the SBC, BGCT pastors may function as a moderating voice on certain topics or issues.

Regional: In this approach, the focus is on building up the local church, strengthening the local Baptist association, and supporting the BGCT. Here, the BGCT pastor rightly believes the heartbeat of Baptist life is the local church and works to strengthen the connections closest to home. This approach is probably the one most pastors who support the BGCT for convictional reasons, myself included, have taken.

Rise:The final approach moves beyond the other three approaches and focuses on ways to raise something new in terms of national Baptist life. This is about moving beyond dichotomies to explore new ways for Baptist pastors, churches and groups to serve together for the cause of the gospel. In this approach, Baptists from different parts of the country, different groups, and different racial and ethnic backgrounds would gather together to find ways to partner for the advancement of the gospel around the world. Like Baptists have done in the past, sometimes the best choice is to begin something new.

Each approach presents seemingly insurmountable challenges. Nevertheless, I hope to provide here an opportunity for reflection, debate and discussion focused on the future rather than rehashing the past.

Ross Shelton is senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Brenham.

(RNS) — Which comes first, religion or politics?

On the one hand, political scientists have long held that people’s political choices are formed by their childhood faith, which, for the most part, sticks with them.

On the other, 81 percent of white evangelicals voted for Donald Trump, a thrice-married adulterer who rarely attends church.

A new book by University of Pennsylvania political scientist Michele Margolis argues that it’s political science that has it backward.

As she lays out in “From Politics to the Pews: How Partisanship and the Political Environment Shape Religious Identity,” most Americans choose a political party before choosing the religion to follow in their adulthood, if they choose a religion at all.

When young adults form their political and religious choices

“Political science sometimes assumes religiosity is a fixed and stable trait, like gender and race – things we think of for the most part as unchanging,” she said. “But there’s a whole literature out there that says it changes over time.”

The idea upends conventional thinking based on Americans’ lives of 100 years ago, when young people typically got married at age 18 and had their first child at 19. Today, young adults leave home for college. Then they take jobs. They marry later in life and have children even later.

During that transition, Margolis wrote, whatever religion they had fades into the background and they begin to form a political sensibility. Only when they’re ready to settle down and have a family does religion re-enter the picture.

“When it comes time to make religious decisions in adulthood, we have these formed partisan identities,” Margolis said.

Political choices outrank religious choices

Sharpening this political-religious split is the fact that many white Americans who end up as Democrats don’t come back to church, while Republicans tend to become more religious to better align with their political convictions. (She concedes the theory does not apply to African-Americans, who are highly religious and vote solidly for Democrats.)

“It may seem counterintuitive, if not downright implausible, that voting Democrat or Republican could change something as personal as our relationship with God,” Margolis wrote in a recent New York Times op-ed. “But over the course of our lives, political choices tend to come first, religious choices second.”

Margolis’ findings are part of a growing body of evidence about the relationship between faith and politics. In their 2010 book “American Grace,” political scientists Robert Putnam and David Campbell noted the “God gap” — the most religious Americans were Republicans and the least religious were Democrats. The two found that those who say grace before digging into their meals are more likely to find a home in the Republican Party.

Sociologists Michael Hout and Claude Fischer even earlier theorized that the rise in people of no religion — the so-called nones — might be partly due to a backlash against the religious right that may have begun during George W. Bush’s presidency. (Prior to the 1970s, both parties included similar numbers of religious people.)

“People who think of themselves first as being a Democrat look out at the world and see religious people all tend to be Republican and a particular kind of Republican, and they say: ‘That’s not me. So I must not be religious,’” said Campbell, who teaches at the University of Notre Dame. “So they drop their religious affiliation because of their politics.”

Politics before religion may excuse immoral acts

The idea that people form their political opinions first may help explain recent studies showing that white evangelicals no longer frown on elected officials who commit immoral acts in their personal lives.

Famously, a 2016 PRRI/Brookings poll found that 72 percent of white evangelicals said an elected official could behave ethically even if the person has committed transgressions in his or her personal life — a 42-point jump from 2011, when only 30 percent of white evangelicals said the same.

Campbell said the nation’s political divide might foreshadow the emergence of a strong secular coalition. While secular Americans are not nearly as mobilized as white evangelicals, who have an advantage of church organizing, there are signs they may be growing.

In an online post about research he and other scholars published in the June issue of the American Journal of Political Science, Campbell concludes that the movement founded to increase the role of Christianity in the country may in fact be its undoing.

“The irony is that the Religious Right was founded to assert a greater role for religion in the public square, in opposition to ‘secular humanism,’” the post says. “Instead, it has fed the growth of secularism. The result is a likely continuation of cultural conflict in American politics.”

Yonat Shimron is an RNS National Reporter and Senior Editor. This article does not necessarily represent the views of the Baptist Standard.

(RNS) — At a women’s professional soccer game in Portland, Ore., in May, two groups were making noise from the seats: locals rooting on the hometown Portland Thorns, and another set of voices who had come out expressly to boo one player, Jaelene Hinkle, a defender for the visiting North Carolina Courage.

A few days before, Hinkle had elaborated to the Christian Broadcasting Network on the “personal reasons” that had kept her from joining last year’s U.S. women’s national team: Her Christian faith was at odds, she said, with the rainbow-splashed jerseys the team had recently adopted to celebrate LGBT Pride month.

“I just felt so convicted in my spirit that it wasn’t my job to wear this jersey,” she told CBN.

In Portland, a sign in the stands read, in rainbow letters, “Personal Reasons.”

The politicization of soccer and other sports

Jennifer Bryson, a political scientist who works for the Religious Freedom Institute in Washington (and who is a huge soccer fan), has been following the case of the rainbow jerseys since they were first adopted in June 2017. Bryson has bemoaned Hinkle’s situation and the pride-focused jerseys themselves — not to mention the NFL’s national anthem controversy — as a politicization of sports, which she calls “one of the last bastions of civility and inclusivity in America.”

Inclusivity of American sports, of course, is a somewhat recent phenomenon, but Bryson has a point that we seem to be moving backward. If nothing else, she noted, the body that governs U.S. women’s soccer violated international football’s own rules forbidding the display of political messages.

According to the International Football Association Board, whose rules have been adopted by FIFA, the international soccer governing body,  “Equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images.”

World soccer may be inconsistent in permitting the U.S. women’s team’s jersey, and I don’t presume to know what kinds of accommodations may have been offered to Hinkle. But Hinkle’s nasty treatment in Portland is a bigger problem for progressives who are committed to policing dissent from their political and moral orthodoxies.

The most obvious glitch is that the same enlightened white fans who harassed Hinkle for acting on her evangelical Christian faith would be aghast to see a Muslim player berated from the stands for choices she made based on her faith.

Disparate reactions to Christians and Muslims

Indeed, there was consternation in the Western press in 2011 when FIFA barred the Iranian women’s team from playing in uniforms that respected the customs of hijab or when the Canadian player Asmahan Mansour was tossed from a game in Quebec in 2007 for wearing a headscarf. Ibtihaj Muhammad, a fencer who was the first woman to represent the United States at an Olympics while wearing a hijab two years ago, has been lionized again lately as she goes on tour for her memoir, titled “Proud.”

Liberal approval of these faith-based heroes doesn’t depend on an agreement with Muslim customs regarding modesty or gender equality. It’s the struggle to be oneself that matters.

Hinkle made no public demands that the jerseys be banned. She only denied herself the hard-won honor of representing her country on the field because she feels that her obedience to God prevents her from celebrating what she believes is sinful. The celebration of LGBT pride has reached a point where even tacit rejection of the LGBT view of progress is enough to alienate someone.

It’s time to cool off the culture wars

We need to turn down the temperature in the culture wars. We need to resist the penetration of ideological polarization into matters of conscience. We should reject an insistence on consensus that subverts our national ethic of respect for minority views, and we should be suspect of the corporate machines that profit from these easy affirmations.

In the near future, sports — by which I mean a wide range of high school and college coaches and administrators — will be deciding questions of fairness in competition when it comes to transgender athletes.

This progress will be controversial enough. We’ll need to grant everyone patience to process and accommodate the coming changes. To lay the ground for future change, at a minimum, we need to honor the consciences of athletes, coaches and others who do not wish to celebrate moments like LGBT pride, if only by stepping aside when they can’t sign on.

For that kind of patience we might look to the athletes themselves, who play their hearts out beside people of all kinds as they rise to the top of their sports.

After the Supreme Court approved same-sex marriage, Jaelene Hinkle wrote on Instagram, “My heart is that as Christians we don’t begin to throw a tantrum over what has been brought into law today, but we become that much more loving.”

The tantrums are a bad look for both sides of the culture war. Let’s follow our athletes’ example and pursue both excellence and tolerance.

Jacob Lupfer, a frequent commentator on religion and politics, is a writer and consultant in Baltimore. His website is www.jacoblupfer.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jlupf. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily represent those of Religion News Service or The Baptist Standard.

The Muslim call to prayer cuts through this city five times a day. I should be used to it by now, but it still catches me off guard every time. In former days, a muezzin would climb up the minaret tower of the mosque and sing the call to prayer from there, his Arabic song carrying only as far as his voice could reach. Today, his voice is pumped through a public-address system to reach the city at large.

And he is not alone. At every mosque (and there are as many mosques here as there are churches in a decently sized Southern town) a voice sings out. The product is an eerie mix of deep voices (with varying degrees of vocal ability) singing on top of one another. It pours into the humid Middle-Eastern air and wafts into every home and business to invite the inhabitants to pray. As a result, everyone knows when it’s time to pray. The other result is that my teammates and I never forget where we are and just how much is stacked against the Good News in this land.

Before coming to the Middle East, I was told that mission work here would be difficult and slow. I can still hear the words of one supervisor: “You know the parable of the four soils? Well, the kind of work you will be doing is more like pre-sowing. You’re going to be digging up rocks.” I have not heard a more accurate description.

For example, just the other day I was having a conversation with a Muslim teenage girl and the subject of Jesus came up. The girl tried to explain to me that he didn’t actually die on the cross. (Muslims generally believe that the traitor Judas stepped up to take Christ’s place.)

She would have continued her short speech, but I side-stepped the Judas debate and asked if she knew why Christians believe Jesus did die that day. A look of surprise flashed across her formerly confident expression.

“No, I don’t know,” she replied.

I explained the concept of sacrifice, underscoring its parallels in Islam and Christ’s identity as the Lamb of God. She listened patiently, but before long we were on to a different subject.

How much of that conversation stuck in her head? I have no way of knowing. What I do know, however, is that she ­– and all other Muslims – “deserve to hear it.” Such are the words of a Palestinian Christian I met before leaving. After being trapped in a system of works trying to earn paradise, they deserve to know the truth and freedom that our Savior brings. As the encounter above illustrates, so much of what they have been taught about Christians and Jesus are distortions and lies. These are the “rocks” that need digging up as part of the seed sowing process.

But for all of the misconceptions that they have about us, they have one thing right. They call us masiHee, which has its root in the word messiah. To them, we are those who believe in a messiah. And indeed, that is what we are. The question remains for us: Will we show them what it means to belong to the Messiah?

Traditional mission work doesn’t fly over here. In fact, it is very much illegal. But truth be told, the Muslims I’m serving in this country don’t need our evangelical tracts or our preaching, and they most certainly don’t need any hand-outs (this particular country is pretty wealthy.) What they do need, however, is Christians living among them and holding out the word of life (Php 2:16). Among this people, we are “letters from Christ,” as Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 3. We are letters written by the Spirit and sent to this culture and generation, with the ink of freedom and love still fresh on every page.

Does it take time to break through the lies here? Yes. Does it take time and effort to gain their trust and share our hope? Yes. Are there times when it seems like the message just isn’t getting through? Again, yes. But a piece of advice I learned during training now always echoes in my ears: “The proper way to respond to any situation is with faith and hope.”

After an awesome conversation about Jesus–faith and hope. And after a disheartening day with what seems to be no progress at all–faith and hope. By this I mean not a mere optimism blind to the task ahead, but an abiding faith that Christ is who he says he is and a shining hope that he is in control even here. If Christ is for us, who can be against us? Even now, he is working to set all things right.

And the work in this region has not been without fruit. A worker here described the sense of fresh wonder among two new native believers as she walked through the word of God with them. “God did this . . . put this all together in a beautiful story . . . for us?” they asked in awe.

It’s joy like this that brings me back to the parable of the four soils. In many ways, it can be perceived as a sad tale. Three of the soils choke out any new life that forms! But Jesus says that the fourth soil bears a crop that yields a hundred times more than what was originally sown. And I’ve come to take that not just in numbers, but in beauty. For it is a special kind of beauty when even just one Muslim realizes that the good news of Jesus Christ is neither an American thing nor a Western thing, but a gift and a promise meant for all peoples.

We have been promised a harvest. Not a gratification of our pride and not an accomplishment of our own agendas, but a harvest in His own way and time. With the seed sown by his servants and watered by the Spirit himself, I am convinced that the harvest will continue to grow in this land too. All that remains is to continue in faith and hope, trusting our Savior all the way. 

Libby, a student at Baylor University, served in the Middle East with Go Now Missions. Her last name is withheld for security reasons.

I reluctantly agreed to go with a friend to her church’s outreach in a less-fortunate area of the city. I was tired from working the day shift at the clinic, but I decided it would be fun to try something new.

We rolled up to a neighborhood with two huge pots of chocolate rice, a favorite Filipino treat. It was garnished with gum drops, and kids came running from every house in sight. They arrived with mugs, bowls and even old ice cream containers to be filled with food after singing an array of songs to Jesus.

Once all the bowls were filled there were no kids in sight. After receiving their bowl full of chocolate rice, they run back to their homes to share possibly their only meal that day with their parents and younger siblings. Such little kids already thinking about providing food for their families is an overwhelming sight.

Saturday was another overwhelming day. It started with going out to past patients’ homes to check up on them and share God’s love with them. We decided that we would share the parable of the sower and talk about what it meant to be the “good soil.” It was my turn to share the story, so I start speaking. Suddenly, the new mom said: “Wait! Let me get everyone out here to listen to what you have to say.” So, she proceeded to call not only the entire household, but also the employees from the soap-making business they own.

I was suddenly overwhelmed again when our audience grew by about 20 people that don’t understand English. It ended up being a wonderful time and the most response that we’ve received from our Saturday outreach. The Lord really blessed us through this situation that made me so nervous and overwhelmed.

Pray for spiritual and physical endurance for us as we work in clinic/ birth room duty. And pray for more opportunities to plant and water seeds of the gospel.

Naomi Gonzalez, a nursing major from Del Mar College, is serving in the Mercy Midwives project in the Philippines with Go Now Missions.

“‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate.

“Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’

“‘What is truth?’ retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, ‘I find no basis for a charge against him’” (John 18:37–38).

The above exchange between Jesus and Pilate, if read out of its biblical context and heard within the current political context, might be construed as a statement about President Trump. After all, Trump seems to be the focus of so many opinions these days.

Playing with the idea that I am making a statement about Trump, what could Jesus and Pilate’s exchange possibly be made to say about him? That he wants to be king, as a Time magazine cover suggested? That anyone who wants to know the truth will listen to Trump? Or that there’s no basis for charges against Trump?

And no, I am not attempting to infer Jesus and Trump are interchangeable in this story, though some might go that far.

While Jesus and Pilate’s exchange could spur further discussion about each of the questions posed, I am more interested here in the theological issue presented by Jesus’ reference to truth. Likewise, I am interested in calling followers of Christ to look to Jesus for truth rather than seeking truth in the back and forth of what Trump would or would not say.

How now shall we define truth?

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

We used to understand truth without needing to define it. We used to take a person’s word for it, whatever “it” was. Now, we want to know whose truth. We want to know the context: what was said and when.

One way to understand truth — as generally defined — is through its converse: falsehood, deceit or misrepresentation. Another way of understanding truth is to consider the term as Jesus used it to define himself. By calling himself truth, Jesus indicates he exhibits God as God is without any falsehood, deceit or misrepresentation.

Ah, yes, but that means we have to take Jesus’ word for it, doesn’t it? And taking Jesus’ word for it requires a step of faith that makes a claim on our lives.

The relationship between truth and faith

The Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard described two aspects of truth: objective and subjective. Did I lose you at Kierkegaard? Or was it at subjective, as in subjective truth is the same as relativism: What’s true for you isn’t necessarily true for me? Hang in there.

In rough sketch, Kierkegaard understood objective truth to name those things that are scientifically verifiable. We can verify the freezing point of water and can agree water freezes at 32˚ Fahrenheit (or 0˚ Celsius). Christianity can be defended with verifiable proofs, such as the reliability of the New Testament based on archeological evidence. We can give mental assent to these verified and agreed upon facts, this objective truth.

Kierkegaard was concerned that Danish Christians agreed with certain facts about Jesus and the Bible but that such agreement made no claim on their lives. In other words, what was agreed to be true out in the world made no difference in how they lived in relation to God.

In response, Kierkegaard described subjective truth. Again in rough sketch, Kierkegaard meant by subjective truth something beyond mere agreement with facts but a person’s response to those facts. Subjective truth, then, is a person’s giving her- or himself over to the meaning or significance of the facts.

Kierkegaard would say objective truth is what is agreed to be real, and subjective truth is our relationship to it.

Don’t both objective truth and subjective truth as understood by Kierkegaard describe a Christian’s view of the Bible and Jesus’ life, death and resurrection? Doesn’t the Bible and the life and work of Jesus give us a life-animating set of facts that reach beyond this world into the mystery of eternity, calling for a relationship with the Eternal God?

To answer that last question affirmatively requires faith, defined biblically as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 12:1).

Where do facts and faith lead?

Going back to the news of the last week and a half concerning Trump and what he would or would not say, we might be able to agree on a certain set of facts, and we may be able to verify every one of them, but should such agreement translate into faith in Trump?

Well, I suppose answering that question requires us to define “faith,” doesn’t it? What kind of faith are we talking about? Are we talking about trusting Trump to save America or trusting Trump to save our souls?

Trump’s Evangelical base will say something like, “Of course, we don’t trust Trump to save our souls! But that doesn’t mean he can’t save America.”

Well, I suppose that line of argument means we need to define “save,” doesn’t it? What does salvation mean here?

Don’t get lost in the questions. Where I mean for this to go—whether or not we support Trump—is to call followers of Christ to pause and to think more critically about who we allow to define crucial terms and concepts.

In an age of misdirection, it is critical we know who defines truth, faith and salvation.

The Atlantic, no friend of Trump, last week accused his administration and Russian media of obscuring the truth of their July 16 news conference by omitting from their respective transcripts of the conference part or all of a significant question. The not-so-subtle insinuation made by the Atlantic writer is neither Trump nor Putin can be trusted, which may be verifiable by examining video of the conference captured by PBS and other news sources.

But does it matter?

Well, of course, it matters … to a point.

As followers of Christ, what Trump says or doesn’t say matters only with respect to how his words relate to our efforts to be the salt and light of Christ in this world.

As followers of Christ, regardless of what Trump says or doesn’t say, we must not allow what is happening with truth in the world to infect our relationship with the truth of the world, Jesus Christ.

As followers of Christ, our faith must remain not in the all-too-human personalities and systems of this world but in Jesus Christ, who reigns over this world.

As followers of Christ, we must fully engage our hearts and our minds in emulating Christ in this world — especially now when truth seems up for grabs — remembering something else Jesus said.

He said: “[A] time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:23).

Eric Black is the executive director, publisher and editor of the Baptist Standard. He can be reached at eric.black@baptiststandard.com or on Twitter at @EricBlackBSP.

Since June 1999, Randel Trull has been the director of missions for the Harmony-Pittsburg Baptist Association in Pittsburg, Texas. From deep in the heart of one Texan, he shares his background and thoughts on church and ministry. To suggest a Baptist General Convention of Texas-affiliated leader to be featured in this column, or to apply to be featured yourself, click here.

Background

Where else have you worked, and what were your positions?

Immediately before becoming director of missions, I served two years as pastor of FBC Ore City. Prior to that, my family and I served as missionaries in Ecuador with the International Mission Board for 14 years.

During two of our furloughs, I served as missionary-in-residence at East Texas Baptist University. Before becoming a missionary, I served five years as a pastor in Jackson, Mississippi, and two and a half years on staff at FBC Oklahoma City.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Diana, Texas, just north of Longview, where our family attended First Baptist Church. My dad was the song leader and my mom was a leader in WMU. I finished high school in Daingerfield.

How did you come to faith in Christ?

At an early age, I began pestering my parents to let me make my profession of faith. Finally, when I was seven, they had our pastor come to the house where he talked to me about being born again out of John 3. I prayed to receive Christ and that was the beginning of many life changes the Lord would take me through.

Where were you educated, and what degrees did you receive?

• East Texas Baptist College, Bachelor of Arts, 1971
• Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Master of Divinity, 1975
• Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Doctor of Ministry, 2006

Ministry/Profession

Why do you feel called to your particular vocation?

I wouldn’t say that I was called to be an associational worker. I was called to preach/teach the gospel and to make disciples that make disciples. I was led to serve on church staffs, to pastor, to serve as a missionary, and now to serve an association.

Each step along the way, the Lord was preparing me for the next position he wanted me to serve. It has always been about advancing the kingdom.

Please tell us about your association—where it’s located, the key focus of its work and ministry, etc.

Our office is located in Pittsburg in northeast Texas, about two hours east of Dallas, an hour north of Tyler. Our 74 churches are located in eight different counties. Our area is rural with small towns.

In the early years of my service here, the focus was on church planting. In addition to traditional churches, we have planted cowboy churches, country churches, a biker church, and ethnic churches. Lately, our focus has shifted more toward church revitalization.

What do you like best about leading your association? Why?

My greatest joy comes from hearing reports of God at work in various congregations. The flip side of that is the pain from hearing about church problems.

What aspect(s) of associational ministry and/or its mission do you wish more people understood?

I wish church members and church leaders understood that it is just as important for congregations to be active in a fellowship of churches as it is for a believer to be active in a specific local church. The kingdom functions through relationships. The kingdom is weakened to the degree that believers focus on themselves and congregations focus on themselves.

How has your association and its mission changed since you began your career?

I have already mentioned the shift from church planting to church revitalization. Other changes include:

1. less emphasis on associational camps, and camps themselves have shifted from an emphasis on youth to an emphasis on children;
2. a shift of financial support for BSM on community college campuses from state conventions to the association;
3. the rise of disaster relief ministries; and
4. the attempt to serve as a resource center for the churches. Some things never change — the challenge to keep churches focused on mission, the burden of caring for ministers and churches in time of need, and the duty to help churches through conflict and crisis.

How do you expect your association and/or its mission to change in the next 10 to 20 years?

The focus on providing resources will diminish as the ease of online resourcing increases. The ministry of the association will increasingly depend on the gifting and experience of the director of missions (or whatever he is called). His services as counselor, coach, and consultant to the churches and the pastors/staff/leaders of the congregations will be the primary “product” that the association offers.

In New Testament churches, pastors and teachers have always been supplemented by external ministers (apostles, prophets, evangelists in Ephesians 4). All congregations can benefit from the ministry of a godly man who has the perspective of an impartial outsider and the interest of a committed insider.

Name the three most significant challenges and/or influences facing your association.

1. Church members’ declining awareness of the association’s work which leads to declining financial support — the pull for churches to cater to the consumer mentality of their members resulting in greater consumption of resources by local congregations and in fewer resources for ministries beyond the local church;
2. the increasing difficulty of finding pastors and staff members, even musicians, for small churches;
3. the increasing number of churches that disband after spending all their resources in a losing effort to survive, often leaving the association with the responsibility for maintaining properties that in rural areas may not be attractive to buyers.

What one aspect of your job gives you the greatest joy or fulfillment?

Serving as a sounding board and confidant for pastors, staff members and other church leaders. Everyone needs a safe person to whom we can share our dreams, fears, burdens and plans without it being used against us at a later time.

About Baptists

What are the key issues—opportunities and/or challenges—facing Baptist churches?

All Christian ministries face the challenges of an increasingly secular, what’s-in-it-for-me culture and increased competition for the discretionary time/resources/attention of individuals and families. Ministry, especially evangelism, must be much more intentional than traditional. We have the opportunity to develop more authentic disciples and churches.

What are the key issues facing Baptists as a people or denomination?

Our denominational organizations face the same problems of all aging institutions: mission drift, end-means inversion, increased bureaucracy, resistance to change and decreased innovation.

At some point, all institutions take on a life of their own and fight for their own survival. Associations are small enough that they can and should continually re-invent themselves. Such change is more difficult for larger entities.

What would you change about the Baptist denomination—state, nation or local?

If it were up to me, more of our resources would go to getting the gospel to the nations. We spend too much time and money on ourselves. Our priorities don’t correspond to those revealed in the Bible.

About Randel

Who were/are your mentors, and how did/do they influence you?

I have never had anyone that I would call a mentor, but I have benefited from the ministries of many evangelists, professors and pastors. I have learned the most from those who put up with me while the Lord was changing me, especially my wife and family, my missionary colleagues, and the members of the churches I pastored both in the states and on the mission field. They helped me move from being overly task-oriented to being more relationship-oriented.

Other than the Bible, name some of your favorite books or authors, and explain why.

Over fifty years of ministry, there are too many to mention.

What is your favorite Bible verse or passage? Why?

My life verse since high school has been and continues to be Matthew 6:33: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” If I seek him first, everything else falls into place.

Who is your favorite Bible character, other than Jesus? Why?

No one comes close to Jesus.

Name something about you that would surprise people who know you well.

I can’t think of anything. I’m pretty ordinary.

If you could get one “do over” in your career, what would it be, and why?

It would be dangerous to change anything. Even my mistakes have contributed to who, what, and where I am today.