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.

Comments

[Bert P. Williams]

Independent Baptist churches are dinosaurs (a thing of the past) they do not exist anymore. The only thing that might distinguish the Independent Baptist from other Baptists is Independent Baptist don’t contribute to the cooperative program making our mission program different.

I submit the leadership vacuum that has led to the fractured and divisiveness is a result of young pastors who continue to push for preference and diversity in the church body. If you will reflect for a minute you might remember this is the cry of the gay and lesbian movement, preference and diversity. These are two of the biggest lies of the devil in our churches today that a major portion of our leadership has adopted. The biggest lie of all has been the acceptance of all the perversions of the precious word of God (preference). One fallacy follows the other, perversions of the bible, promoting diversity and preferences and the conclusion is, as Bro. Clay Maynard stated in his comments “But now many of these have backed off of their stated convictions, conforming to the tide of modern pressure, and contributing to the "falling away" described in 2 Thessalonians”.

I respect Bro. Greg Mann but have to disagree with him about the need for intellectual giants. The men he mentioned were used by God because of their willingness to be obedient to the Holy Spirit not because of their intellect. I am reminded in the scripture were God used ignorant and unlearned men to establish and spread the “Good News”.

One Brother has expressed disappointment concerning dress code, music code, bible versions and that we should be able to keep our personal preferences within the bounds of each local church and concentrate on reaching our world. Another brother expressed a need to “think” for himself and that there was a generation gap which was causing us to lose our youth. I submit there lies the problem, all of these free thinkers who don’t know what it means to be separate and push their own agenda. This is exactly the reason that in the early 1900s fundamental Baptist preachers awoke to the advancement of modernism and liberalism into the Baptist denomination and recognized the need for Christians to divorce themselves from worldliness and a watered down version of the gospel. I have to agree with these early leaders, that any association with Liberalism/Modernism even in the forum of debate leads to compromise and is therefore unscriptural.

The common thread that should run thru all Christians is that we are to be Christ Like. We certainly should be leading the charge against the antichrist and that will never come by each deciding there on preferences and worldly diversity. Our cry should be one of “SEPARATION”, based on the biblical command “…Come out from among them (the unsaved world) and be ye separate, saith the Lord. II Corn 6:17. This scripture use to influence Independent Baptist in the past to believe a person with the Holy Spirit living within, would take a stand against living and acting like the world. If you were to mention taking a stand to the average Independent Baptist today they would scream at their loudest legalism, legalism. As one commenter put it “we have to be able to think for ourselves and not be worried about a backlashing from other brethren who may disagree with our methods” (methodology).
You hit the nail on the head! We are at a crossroad and the reality is if something doesn't change soon, if we don’t get back to the basics, a doctrine of a people being separate from the world, the Independent Baptist movement, will be gone forever. We will be a people engulfed by preferences and diversity; there will not be anything in our witness that will separate us from the world.
Bro.Tom, thanks for your commitment to doctrinal purity, the autonomy of the local church, and your willingness to focus on the Independent Baptist movement. My wife and I pray for you and our church leaders daily and hope your commitment will not only have a positive influence on the pastors that you have influence on but that you will lead us to be a separated people, a people who will be Christ like and honor our precious Lord and Saviour.
In Jesus
Bert P. Williams
January 6, 2010

[Randy Everist]

I just wanted to make a few comments: first, the SBC of the 70s as a majority really isn't what it is today: most of our textbooks come from SBC pastors/professors! They're not the devil, not Egypt, and not even unsaved (as a general principle).

Second, I have to agree with Bro. Mann in his main point: where are our intellectuals? Where are our theologians? If theology isn't important, well, we've seen where that gets us

Third, we must guard against both types of legalism. When I was in school at Trinity, Bro. Mike Grover introduced me to an idea that I've found to be both very biblical and practically true, confirmed on inductive levels. The Type A legalist is conservative, demands rules be adhered to, and anyone who disagrees is labelled as an apostate. In short, righteousness is from the rules. The Type B legalist is liberal, and says traditional music is "lame," people who wear suits are hypocrites, and it's not in the rules, so he dooes not have to do it. In short, righteousness is from the rules.

I have to disagree with Bert above, though I think he made some decent points, in that debate with modernists does not inexorably lead to compromise. If we label modernists as those who compromise, (and those who debate with modernists as compromising modernists as well), then we cannot do so in any sort of "proving" way, since that would render one debating with a compromiser, thus leading inexorably to compromise. Meaning we can't prove it's true, and if we try, the argument for it is actually a subtle form of compromise.

In conclusion, I am big on getting the gospel out, on both the practical and intellectual front. I know those personally who have not found a satisfactory answer for troubling questions, precisely because there was no one in our circles equipped. Let's make sure we teach our youth what holiness is, and not just what legalism and liberty are, and find new ways to transition them that aren't entertainment based.

Both conservative and liberal alike can agree on that.

facebook.com/randy.everist

www.randyeverist.com

[Tom Messer]

I appreciate the good number of comments on the blog about this subject. It reaffirms that many people have an interest in, and concern for our churches. It is apparent to me that every person, every church, and every movement needs revival and reformation from time to time. I believe that a healthy movement of independent churches can emerge if we thoughtfully and carefully submit ourselves to the Lord and to His word

[Paul Jaspers]

Maybe read Ephesians and see how Paul encouraged unity to a divided group of people.

Ephesians 2:13-22
13But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;15Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;16And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:17And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

[Steve Roberts]

Bro. Messer,
Over the years I have followed TBC on the Web and by word of mouth. I was trained academically and practically at Trinity over many years. A great foundation was laid upon which I have been able to build. Having come to Trinity from an SBC background and currently serving as a Pastor of an SBC church, I would like to offer my point of view on the Independent Baptist movement of which I am also a part.

I have served on staff in both Independent and SBC churches finding no difference in the monumental task of fulfilling Great Commission work. With few exceptions, the average church member has no idea of the issues and thoughts among pastors. There is no difference in the issues faced by church members. We must understand that the Kingdom is not “Independent” or “Southern” or any other designation, though every church has some designation. Even those who say they do not have a designation usually claim to be “Non Denominational” and have announced their designation. So every church inevitably has a designation. However, Kingdom work requires cooperation. Each believer independently and each church corporately has been given the same command. Great commission ministry is accomplished when we are obedient to its command, submissive to its empowerment, and faithful to proclaim its message.

True Kingdom work is accomplished with the mindset given to Timothy by the Apostle Paul recorded in 2 Tim 1.3:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” We can worry about a “movement” or focus on a “Kingdom.” We can go in our own “power” or the ”Power” of God. We can “argue” before the world or show the “love” of Christ. We can cloud our minds with “trivia” or empower them with “truth.”

Interestingly, I have found Southern Baptist churches to be just as independent as Independent Baptist churches. Southern Baptist and Independent Baptist churches close their doors for the same reason. Jesus takes away their lampstand because He was pushed outside of their ministry (Rev. 2:1-7). Whether an influential family is seemingly responsible or the internal politics are blamed for a church closure, the church failed in Great Commission ministry.

I cannot recall one resource outside of what our professors gave in class that was written by an Independent Baptist. I have grown in my faith using resources by authors from various church affiliations. God’s Spirit gives us a spirit of discernment to be used as the author’s comments are filtered through the Word of God. There is nothing new under the sun.

What I see among my many Independent Baptist friends and a common thread among the comments on this Site is a desire to cooperate for effective Kingdom work. Bro. Messer, I believe you have a mind for Kingdom work and that is why I am responding and that is why I sent a small though sacrificial gift to my college.

Co-laborers, let’s keep Matthew 6:33 on the “front burner” of our minds. Let’s focus on Kingdom work wherever we serve. Let’s stay behind Bro. Messer on our knees!

[Thomas Mount Sr]

There is one glaring statemnt that helps to define a problem with fundamental/independent churches - an insistance on the KJV as if the use of it is actually a doctrine and those who choose another conservative version are somehow apostates or compromisers. In truth, those who insist on an inspired translation (an oxymoron) are in fact just like the Pharisees who insisted that their extra-Biblical teachings were (in their opinion) the very truth of the Lord. And unfortunately those who use the KJV, like myself, but who understand that the inspriation & infallability apply to the originals are labeled as wrong along with those who are really at the fringe KJV onlyism and are the ones espousing what is actualy heresy. This doesn't help us keep and minister with younger Fundamentalists.

[brad starnes]

im a southern baptist but all i have to say is that some "independents" view us as liberal but my church may still be in the convention but we are conservative as it gets my pastors stands on the word of God and does not compromise the bible so before you call me a liberal check up on your facts God be with you

Brad Starnes
Psalms 27:5