Tension between Protection and Leadership

In April 2009, Dr. Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary produced at the urging of SBC President, Johnny Hunt, a document calling for the SBC to adopt a vision for a Great Commission Resurgence. The title is an adaptation of an event that occurred from 1979 to about 1993 called the Conservative Resurgence.

The Conservative Resurgence was a movement to return to sound biblical doctrine beginning with an orthodox view of Scripture. The movement established (hopefully, once and for all) the SBC belief in the fact that the Bible is God's Word without any error or contradiction. The underlying belief among Southern Baptists at that time was that a return to conservative interpretations of Scripture and sound doctrine would solidify and protect our denomination and enable it to advance the kingdom in greater ways than ever before. Now, thirty years later, our denomination is in decline and we are reporting fewer baptisms than in previous years. Whether or not the picture is as bleak as the statistics indicate is, in my opinion, suspect, but I'll save that suspicion for a later article.

As Johnny Hunt calls SBC churches to the noble task of prioritizing the Great Commission, the call has been met with some resistance and criticism from some of the peeple in leadership positions in our convention. Morris Chapman, Executive Director of the SBC, has openly criticized Article 9 of the GCR because it calls for an evaluation of SBC structures to make sure we are as streamlined and steward-minded as possible. The Florida Baptist Witness reported Dr. Hunt's responses to his critics in their June 18, 2009, issue http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com/10370.article.

Now, to the point of this article. Johnny Hunt stated, "He (Morris Chapman) feels he's protecting the convention and I feel like I'm leading it to greater days." As I read this statement I realized that what we are seeing at the convention level is a reflection of what has occured in SBC churches for years--a tension between protecting the institution and leading the institution. Protectionism requires rearward thinking while leadership requires forward thinking. An imbalance in either direction is unhealthy, but too often for various reasons, these two requirements polarize churches. How often has a pastor been called to lead a church into the future only to be constantly reminded of the past? Interestingly, a protectionist attitude sometimes preserves "what used to be" better than what it actually was. Local churches have been notorious for creating documents and committees that protect the church from the pastor, after all, pastors come and go, but church members remain forever.

The SBC is no different. When Johnny Hunt, a pastor, tries to lead the convention to adapt to its current cultural context and possibly make structural changes that will enable this change, those involved in protecting the institution turn to bylaws and accusations. The Witness reported, "Chapman also raised the question of whether Hunt's approach violates SBC Bylaw 18." The convenient thing about bylaws is that a leader doesn't have to actually violate the bylaw in order to be accused of violating a bylaw--and usually the accusation alone is enough to create doubt and dissension among the less informed protectionists.

We all need to take time to recognize what Scripture teaches about the church, "And He (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church, who is in the beginning the firstborn from the dead, that in all things, including the church, He may have the preminence" (Col 1:18, italics mine). Jesus Christ is to have preeminent control in our churches, not a pastor, a board, a committee, or a bylaw. If we continue to fight to control our churches or denominational institutions, then no document or declaration will be effective in bringing about a Great Commission Resurgence. A Great Commission Resurgence will take place only when we realize (and align our organizations to) the fact that our churches and denomination exist solely for the eternal hope of those who are not yet members.