SBC leaders urged to ‘cease and desist’ from undermining state Baptist conventions
By Mark Wingfield,
managing editor for the Baptist Standard

DALLAS—Southern Baptist Convention leaders have been urged to “cease and desist from seeking to undermine the mission endeavors of state conventions in general and the Baptist General Convention of Texas in particular.”

That was the message conveyed in a resolution of the BGCT Executive Board Feb. 26.

The resolution, adopted by the 220-member board with three dissenting votes, was presented by Wesley Shotwell, pastor of Ash Creek Baptist Church in Azle. (see copy of resolution on page 4.)

It expressed “dismay and offense” over a letter written by Morris Chapman, president of the SBC Executive Committee to pastors and lay leaders of Texas Baptist churches. That letter, the resolution states, attempted to “persuade Baptist churches in Texas to redirect Cooperative Program giving away from the BGCT budget.”

The resolution notes that Baptists historically have cooperated together in associations, conventions and fellowships for the common purpose of fostering missions. It also notes that the BGCT last year forwarded $36.5 million in contributions to the SBC.

Earlier in the Executive Board meeting, BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade spoke about Chapman’s Feb. 4 letter, which urged Texas Baptist churches to reduce their funding for the BGCT, consider dividing their missions money evenly between the BGCT and the SBC or start giving through the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

Last year, “in spite of the distractions, in spite of a rebel convention siphoning off support from our cause,” the BGCT contributed 46 percent of total offering receipts to Southern Baptist causes, Wade explained.

But Chapman didn’t mention those facts in his letter, Wade noted.

“Such an attack on the integrity of our Texas Baptist adopted budget was improper, mean-spirited and ungrateful,” he declared. “To add to the wrong, a four-color promotional piece was included in the letter touting the competing convention in Texas.

“And all this was paid for out of Cooperative Program funds which our own Texas Baptist churches had helped to give.”

Just five days before the Executive Board meeting, the executive board of Texas Woman’s Missionary Union took a similar stand, voting to ask Chapman to refrain from appealing directly for funds from churches affiliated with the BGCT.

In addition to adopting Shotwell’s resolution, the Executive Board adopted a statement reaffirming its commitment to the Bible as “truth without any mixture of error.”

This action was taken in response to a motion made at the fall Executive Board meeting by a pastor who since has resigned from the board and led his church to uniquely align with the competing state convention. He had asked the Executive Board to affirm the “inerrancy” of the Bible’s original manuscripts.

The response approved by the Executive Board notes that messengers to BGCT annual sessions in 1980 and 1999 affirmed the 1963 version of the Baptist Faith & Message and its section on Scripture.

“Texas Baptists have not changed our high view of the divinely inspired Scripture, and there is no need to say any more than has been said in earlier affirmations,” the board said.

Wade also addressed this matter in his executive director’s report.

“Let no one doubt the joyful gratitude we express to God for his written word. … Let no one doubt our adoration and praise to the Son of God, our Savior, who is the Living Word of God,” he said.

“We celebrate with reverence the gift of God to us in the inspired Scriptures. We believe the book that is in our hands. We believe it so much that we need no manmade summaries to take its place.”

In other action, the Executive Board:

• Spent focused time in prayer for “the lost” in Texas, with board members kneeling at their chairs.

• Approved reallocation of $540,000 in funding that previously went to Houston Baptist University to be distributed among the other Texas Baptist universities. The funding was taken away from HBU after its trustees declared a self-perpetuating majority on the board.

• Approved six nominations of individuals to replace members of the Executive Board who have resigned. They are Michael Bell of Fort Worth, Bill Jones of Plano, Bill Skaar of Grand Prairie, Jean Children of Garland, Ken Cox Jr. of New Boston and Travis Wegenhoft of Eagle Lake.

• Approved four replacements for trustees who have resigned from BGCT affiliated boards. They are Jimmy Pritchard of Forney to East Texas Baptist University, Fred Norton of Texarkana to the Baptist Foundation of Texas, Charles Jones of Amarillo to Baptist Community Services and L.S. Foreman of Tulia to Wayland Baptist University.

• Honored Roger Hall, who is retiring March 31 as the BGCT’s chief financial officer and treasurer.

April 2002