'Mainstream' group gets underway in North Carolina
By Tony Cartledge 

RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) -- A group of pastors who say they want to preserve historic Baptist principles and protect the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and its institutions has taken steps toward the formation of a "Mainstream Baptists" group.

North Carolina is the ninth state to form a centrist/moderate network patterned loosely after Texas Baptists Committed, an organization led by David Currie.

Organizers have planned six regional laity conferences to talk about changes in the newly revised "Baptist Faith and Message" statement and other issues. They will also promote a Laity Conference to be held on Monday, Nov. 13, at College Park Baptist Church in Winston-Salem.

Speakers for the 2-4 p.m. gathering have not yet been confirmed. None of the pastors involved wanted to start another movement, said David Hughes, pastor of Winston-Salem's First Baptist Church. Hughes strongly supported the shared-leadership effort that failed to win a two-thirds majority at the state convention's annual meeting last year. He appeared in a promotional video shown at the convention meeting, saying that he didn't want to spend another five minutes on political maneuvering.

"And I still don't," he said, "but the truth is worth standing for." 

Hughes said he had no regrets about his deep involvement in promoting shared leadership and described the decision to get involved in the mainstream movement as "gut-wrenching." 

"I saw we would either have to give up and give in, and have a hard time living with ourselves, or try a new tack," he said. "We had hoped this would not be necessary."