I’m Baptist born and Baptist bred, but in our current condition I’ll be a sad Baptist until I’m dead. Over my 66 years, the role of church and denominational leadership has evolved from a “divine calling” to a “professional CEO” (i.e., shepherd) to hireling (John 10).
A Bible pastor is a servant to his flock, and when done in a humble but decisive way, he earns “followship.” The current CEO model, which has seduced far too many, is draining motivation from our plain Baptist people. Show us a godly foot-washing model who believes no servant of the lowly Nazarene would accept/demand pay so outrageous it is not published clearly in yearly budget presentations or monthly reports.
Packages of a minimum of $100,000 – and much higher – reveal the pharisaical hypocrisy that is destroying the example needed by people who desire more than correct theology. We need sacrificial servanthood that will motivate laypeople to the same commitment.
The current hoop-de-lah over restructuring the convention no doubt is needed, but is not the cure for the SBC’s backward slide. Unless accompanied by reformation and repentance from the leadership down, it’s just words on paper.
I just finished reading the recent “Here’s the answer” to our problems in our paper, and I feel a nap coming on.
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