Four actions taken by messengers to the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention June 12-13 in San Antonio stand above the others in their importance and impact on denominational life:
– The re-election of Frank Page as president.
– Approval of a definition of the Cooperative Program.
– Adoption of the Baptist Faith and Message Statement as the denomination’s “only consensus statement of doctrinal beliefs.”
– The one-time allocation of additional funds to the three smallest seminaries and a change in the complicated distribution to benefit those schools in succeeding years.
The election of Frank Page, pastor of Taylors First Baptist Church, the first time was a surprise. The second time it was expected. Both times, it was deserved. Page has been a considerate and compassionate president without yielding on any points regarding the fundamentals of the Christian faith. He has sought to be a positive influence in relation to Southern Baptists and other religious groups, yet not reluctant to appear negative when he believed a disapproving spirit was called for. He has stuck by his resolve to speak the truth in love, with equal emphasis on both.
His continuing efforts to “bring us together for the task of world missions and evangelization” require and deserve the prayerful and active support of every Southern Baptist who seeks to be obedient to the commands of our Lord and the long-held priorities of our denomination.
Of the three remaining actions, each has been met with praise, and even celebration, by some and criticism and skepticism by others.
According to the approved definition, the Cooperative Program is funded through “undesignated receipts” from churches “in support of their respective state convention and the Southern Baptist Convention missions and ministries.”
Does money given directly to the national convention count? Not according to Michael Lewis, vice chairman of the Executive Committee’s CP subcommittee. Only funds given through a state convention recognized by the SBC counts as Cooperative Program giving, he explained.
For some, this represents a form of “connectionalism” that Southern Baptists have consistently rejected. The approved definition does not spell the end of debate on and division over this matter.
Likewise, the vote on the sufficiency of the Baptist Faith and Message Statement is not the last word on that document, which “is neither a creed nor a complete statement of our faith not final or infallible.” Underscore “not final or infallible.”
Left unresolved in the minds of many is whether that statement “is sufficient in its current form to guide trustees in their establishment of policies and practices of entities of the Convention.” It should be recognized, as one of the messengers did, that the term “guide” does not imply “an exhaustive list.”
It is a fact of denominational life that some matters of concern by the trustees of Southern Baptist entities lie beyond the parameters of the Faith and Message statement. A strict interpretation of the statement approved in San Antonio may not, in some instances, serve the best interest of Southern Baptists.
It must be understood, however, that stretching the limits of the Baptist Faith and Message Statement carries with it the danger of discord within a denomination that already has endured enough of that.
The one-time allocation of additional funds to the three smaller seminaries – Southeastern, Golden Gate and Midwestern – is surely a boon for those institutions. The money was a windfall from GuideStone, who said it no longer needs the CP funds.
The three schools also will receive an equivalent percentage of the one-time distribution in years to come. This changes the allocation formula in favor of the smaller schools. We will see whether this causes, or perhaps increases, tension among the Southern Baptist seminaries. Each is ever vigilant in its quest of, and competition for, the money needed for its work.
Virtually no issues we decide upon are forever settled. This can be both a benefit to, and a frustration for, the Southern Baptist Convention. The two are traveling companions on our journey of faith.