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Is the Independent Baptist Movement at a Crossroad? Part 3

A New Generation

Because of Trinity Baptist College and Trinity Christian Academy, I have the privilege to be around many young adults and teenagers. I can't begin to tell you how refreshing and energizing it is for me personally to be surrounded by young people who want to serve Christ with their life. Last week I spoke of a transition, which has already begun, and which many of us will likely experience over the next 10-15 years. This is not a move of style, methodology or doctrine, but of something much more natural.

Much of the leadership in our independent Baptists churches is older (50+). This is not a negative thing, in fact in most cases it is very positive. I recently turned fifty, so I am included in this category. Many of our pastors have served faithfully for years, and in some cases decades, teaching, preaching and developing people into committed followers of Christ. The experience and wisdom of our senior leadership will continue to guide us and should be a resource for all of our churches in the days and years ahead. I think that it is important that we respect the work of these men and honor them for their faithful stand for the word of God.

I am also finding it energizing to see young men emerge as leaders in our movement. They have a passion for ministry and a desire to do great things for God. The fact is, we are going to see the rate of change in churches increase over the next few years. Just the demographics of our people and the shear size of the upcoming generation indicate this is happening. We must take a hard look at how we are transitioning from one leader to the next, and how we are preparing for change both for the younger generation and also for our churches.

I'm convinced that this new generation of leadership in our independent Baptist churches is as committed to sound doctrine, the gospel and the Great Commission as any previous generation. I do at times sense some resistance by our established leadership as these new leaders take a fresh look and approach to ministry (some of these sentiments have also been reflected in comments of previous posts). My challenge to all of us is to embrace the transition; there's too much at stake.

The week that I turned 33, I became the pastor at Trinity. I have learned the importance of respecting and honoring older men of God, and I also learned to appreciate the older men that God used to encourage me even when my approach was not identical to theirs. I have experienced the generational tension first-hand. I remember moving our Sunday night service from 7pm to 6pm, only to have Dr. Lee Roberson preach at our church weeks later that a church should never move their Sunday night service to an earlier time.

Although I look back humorously on that situation, at that time it represented a different approach to ministry, even though the change was minor. I was speaking with Dr. Elmer Towns this week and he reminded me of a saying that I have heard and quoted many times. “Methods are many, principles are few, methods may change, principles never do.”

This kind of generational transition is also taking place in the local church. Just this past month, we elected 26 new deacons ranging from their 20’s to their mid 70’s. As they stood in front of the church at their installation it was obvious that we are bringing some younger men into the leadership of our church. I am thankful for a church that is multi-generational and willing to make room for young people to emerge in leadership.

We are going to need the ideas, methods, energy and passion that young leaders bring to help us build strong churches and fulfill the Great Commission. As younger leaders develop, they will need the experience, wisdom, guidance, encouragement and support of the established leadership. There are two options: we can work together in a spirit of unity -- or --  further divide, fearing and disrespecting what each group brings to the table. I'm excited about what I see God doing in the lives of young church leaders around our country.

Again, your comments are encouraged and have been helpful to further continue the conversation. In the next post, we'll look at the current state of church planting and missions, and the opportunities and obstacles in front of us.

Is the Independent Baptist Movement at a Crossroad? Part 2

Unified Leadership

When you look at the independent Baptist churches in our country, it is clear that we have fragmented to the point that a simple description of who we are or what we believe is hard to come by. This was not always the case.

The leadership of the past -- men like John R. Rice, Lee Roberson, Jack Hyles, Jerry Falwell, Tom Malone, etc. -- while not perfect,  demonstrated both in their churches and in their fellowship, a spirit of respect, unity and cooperation. All of these men, though each  with different backgrounds, styles, and approaches to ministry, would preach in each other's pulpits, hold conferences together and work with unity to further the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Although these men  would have differed on some issues, they still maintained a spirit of unity and friendship toward each other.

In the 70's, there were a number of large regional or national meetings that were noteworthy because of the size of the crowd and the people on the platforms. For example, in 1974 the first National Sword Conference on Evangelism drew 7,000 to Indianapolis, IN. Even as recently as 16 or 17 years ago, I spoke in one meeting of independent Baptists where there were at least 4000 in the night services. While there are still some good meetings today, these are largely restricted to fellowship around a particular school or group and do not attract the wide spectrum of independent Baptists. It appears that our fragmentation has more to do with issues other than the fundamentals of the faith.

While I reflect positively on the principles and spirit that guided us decades ago, I also understand that there were negative behaviors that were allowed (and in some cases taught) that have hindered us in the present. As the years pass, there is clearly a fragmented movement that has weakened our ability to come together for missions and church planting. It seems that leaders like Dr. Roberson and Dr. Rice had the ability to rally pastors to unify for worthy causes and not be sidetracked by unhealthy behaviors and attitudes. Today, it appears that there is division among groups of people that used to be in fellowship with one another. 

This problem is not unique to our  day. The Apostle Paul specifically addressed this with the church at Corinth as they began to divide from within over the leadership in place. The church began to fragment with some claiming allegiance to Paul, others to Apollos and still others to Cephas (I Cor. 1:10-12). Because of the division occurring, and Paul's response, we could conclude from this passage that these men were different in personality and in their approach to ministry (I Cor. 1:14-17).

The wake-up call for the church at Corinth begins with a powerful, rhetorical question (I Cor. 1:13) that we should be asking ourselves today: "Is Christ Divided?" I do not believe the solution is for someone to step into the place of the leaders of our past. Proverbs 13:10 delivers to us a painfully honest truth: "Only by pride cometh contention." Let us humble ourselves and our opinions, and take our focus and vision to something eternal and indisputable. The Great Commission has historically been, and must continue to be, the binding force that brings our unique and autonomous churches together. The alternative, our inability to bring lost people to Jesus Christ and begin church planting movements that will help us to reach the world, is a high price to pay for our divisiveness.

I'll talk more next week about a transition facing independent Baptists in which the majority of us will participate whether we like transitions or not.

Your comments and insights have been helpful to me.  Thank you for participating in the conversation.