Texas Baptists Committed is dedicated to reaching people for Christ through local churches; promoting and defending historic Baptist principles; spreading an understanding of Baptist heritage and distinctives through education; and cooperating with the mission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and its related institutions.

LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY WINS BIG

Texas Baptists proved once again that the majority of them are REAL Baptists. They understand and believe in the historic Baptist doctrines of local church autonomy and the priesthood of every believer.

By an overwhelming margin (estimated by most observers to be between 2–1 or 3– 1), they approved the Cooperative Missions Giving Study Committee report. The report recommended that all local church gifts to the budget of the BGCT, the budget of the SBC, any institution related to the BGCT or SBC, or any other Baptist organization, including the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, the Baptist World Alliance, and the Woman’s Missionary Union, would be considered by the BGCT as a Cooperative Program gift.

This was a vote as to whether Texas Baptists were going to respect the autonomy of the local church or not. Nothing more, nothing less. They overwhelming said yes!

Because of the takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention by the fundamentalist faction within the SBC, and the resulting division caused by the takeover, local Texas Baptist churches are giving their money in various ways to various Baptist causes. Because of the definition of the Cooperative Program, only the gifts that went to the approved budgets of the BGCT and the SBC were being counted as Cooperative Program gifts.

 

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This vote expanded the definition of the Cooperative Program to include other Baptist causes chosen by the local church.

The entire issue revolved around whether Texas Baptists were going to treat the mission giving decisions of local churches in the same manner and count all their gifts equally.

LOCAL CHURCH AUTONOMY WON BIG! All gifts from a local church will be treated with the same respect and no congregations gift will be treated in a second class manner.

Many people tried to claim this vote was something it was not.

—It was not a vote on whether to financially support or not support the Southern Baptist Convention.

—It was not a vote on whether to financially support or not support the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

—It was not a vote on whether to financially support or not support missionaries in the field.

—It was not a vote instructing local churches to financially support any particular mission cause, institution, convention, or fellowship.

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It was simply a vote on whether Texas Baptists were going to recognize the gifts of local congregations to Baptist causes in an equal and fair manner. Are we as Texas Baptists going to be inclusive or exclusive?

Notice an important point. Not a single person who voted against the Cooperative Missions Study Committee recommendations is affected in any manner whatsoever. Every one of them may support the SBC as they have always done and their gifts will be counted as Cooperative Program gifts. In fact, they now have freedom to send more to the SBC and less to the BGCT, if they choose, and it will still all count as Cooperative Program gifts.

All the vote did was say that others who give differently, to a large or small extent, will have their gifts count equally. No one is excluded.

Texas Baptists have gone on record saying they want to emphasize our historic doctrine of autonomy. Let us hope and pray all Texas Baptists will respect this doctrine and put their emphasis on what unites us as free autonomous congregations rather that what divides us. We have said we believe in freedom. Now let us respect each others choices.

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