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Is the Independent Baptist Movement at a Crossroad? Part 1

Over the last several years, pastors have talked with me about my perception of the state of the independent Baptist movement.
 
After years of ministry, and having a passion for pastors and congregations around our country, I do see the independent Baptist movement at a unique crossroad as we enter the second decade of this millennium. There are significant issues that must be addressed if we are going to impact the world in decades to come. They are:

• The historic, unifying leadership of the independent Baptist movement has passed off the scene, leaving a leadership vacuum that has led to a more fractured and divisive movement.
• Because of the age of a large percentage of our pastors, a significant transition of pastoral leadership will continue to occur in our churches over the next 10-15 years.
• We have growing challenges in both missions and church planting. We are not starting enough churches to keep up with population growth or replacing the churches that are closing, and our missionaries are struggling to raise needed support to get to the field.

I am committed to doctrinal purity, the autonomy of the local church and the historical focus of the independent Baptist movement. I’m also deeply committed to working towards solutions to the realities mentioned above that will reach more people for Jesus Christ than ever before.  The thousands of independent Baptist churches around our country can begin something bigger than one personality or church, and transform our communities and the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I will be explaining and talking about solutions to some of these thoughts in multiple posts in the days ahead. I welcome any thoughts or observations you have on these issues in the comments section below.

Social Injustice And The Church

This past week we dedicated our entire mid-week service to highlight our rescue mission ministries to the poor, addicted and homeless in Jacksonville. Trinity Rescue Mission served over 256,000 meals to homeless men, women and children of our city in the past year.
 
There is a growing awareness in our society and particularly in church life about the complex challenges we are facing in our world as it relates to social issues. These issues include:

•Poverty
•Hunger
•Education
•Disease
•Social injustice (abuse, neglect, racism, bigotry, genocide, etc.)

The list goes on. I sense a hesitation or confusion in some of our churches today about how to address these issues in our society because of dogmatic political stances with which the church has associated, or a fear of sacrificing good theology by embracing "The Social Gospel" (replacing the message of the gospel with social works as the primary communication of truth and redemption).
 
We should not shy away from dealing with complex issues or be afraid to get our hands dirty in trying to help bring the healing message of the gospel of Christ. It is clear from the scriptures that Christ was deeply concerned and burdened about these issues (Luke 4:18). Christ addressed these specifically through His teachings on poverty and injustice and He addressed issues of disease through His miracles.  
 
The gospel message should foremost motivate the church to address the spiritual lostness of our generation, but also to embrace a Christ-like ministry and love for people who are hurting. The great platforms for proclaiming the truth of the gospel in this day will come when we are able to speak into the lives of hurting people and help to address the issues of poverty, disease, education, hunger and social injustice.
 
Our church is involved in reaching out to the poor, homeless and addicted through our rescue mission ministries. We are touching a forgotten and overlooked segment of our society by ministering in a multi-family housing facility that just 20 months ago had the highest murder rate in the city of Jacksonville. By the grace of God, that has changed dramatically as we have sent volunteers to pray, mentor and work among the families who live there.

Just this morning, my own 23-year-old daughter began mentoring four students from a local public elementary school that is led by a godly Christian lady who has a heart to help her students be exposed to healthy influences.
 
This is not "The Social Gospel;" it is the work that Christians and churches must do if we are going to impact our communities with the message of Jesus Christ.