Many Texas churches are responding to the firing of Dr. Russell Dilday. Examples of what many churches are currently doing follow:

Some have put their funds in escrow. An example below from First Baptist Church, Dimmitt.

“First Baptist Church of Dimmitt has voted to escrow the 36.65% of its Cooperative Program gifts previously sent on to SBC worldwide causes until a responsible decision can be made later about its use. The motion came from the floor in a regular business meeting and carried without opposition immediately following the firing of Russell Dilday, and after Pastor Paul Kenley shared with the congregation and fielded questions during a Sunday evening service time. The action will remain in effect until the church has the opportunity to see what other Texas Baptist churches are going to do, or until action of the state convention severs the automatic pass-through of world causes funds to the SBC. State causes money will be sent to Dallas as usual.”

Many have passed resolutions and set up committees to study their financial giving in the future. An example from First Baptist Church, Texarkana, where Dr. Terry Land is pastor.

RESOLUTION OF THE FIRING OF DR. RUSSELL DILDAY

First Baptist Church, Texarkana, Texas has faithfully and generously supported the Southern Baptist Convention through the Cooperative Program for many years. In addition to our financial support, we have gladly offered our most valuable gifts — our sons and daughters to be trained at Southwestern Seminary, believing it to be one of the best seminaries for a well-rounded, biblically based, conservative education. We have been blessed beyond measure as a direct result of its influence and direction in the education and lives of each of our ordained staff members. Accordingly, we at First Baptist Church have felt a strong sense of attachment and investment in Southwestern Seminary throughout its history and certainly desire the same relationship for its future.

We are convinced that all of the characteristics of Southwestern Seminary that make it such a great institution have been sustained and, indeed, enhanced through Dr. Dilday’s superb guidance. We have known Dr. Dilday as a man of biblical integrity and unimpeachable Christian character as shown by his insightful administration, inspired teaching, and exemplary personal life-style.

Therefore, as a church with a long standing and deeply abiding Southern Baptist and Texas Baptist heritage, we are deeply saddened and sorely distressed by the actions on the part of a majority of trustees of Southwestern Seminary, who by a vote of 26-7 chose to fire President Russell Dilday and immediately treat him with such disrespect as to lock him out of his own office and to enforce this action with security guards. We are appalled at what appeared to be blatantly political, un-Christian, unprofessional and unjustified actions of these trustees. In the month that has passed since Dr. Dilday’s summary dismissal, we have received no report through the press or from the trustees that changes this impression. We strongly denounce both the firing of Dr. Dilday and the manner in which it was carried out. Dr. Dilday’s termination and subsequent public humiliation dishonor our Lord and bring shame on us as a Southern Baptist Church. We believe our ministries and those of other Southern Baptist churches around the world will be seriously damaged.

We of First Baptist Church, Texarkana protest strongly this counterproductive action taken by these 26 trustees. We also commend those trustees who voted not to fire Dr. Dilday and lift up all the trustees in prayer.

Most recent statements made by those responsible for Dr. Dilday’s termination suggest that his reinstatement will not be given serious consideration. Therefore, First Baptist Church, Texarkana, as a church committed to ministry and evangelism in our community and world, will be seeking God’s will for us in matters of stewardship as a direct result of this precipitating, tragic event.

We will continue to pray that God’s purpose for reaching the lost of our world and for providing salvation through Jesus Christ can and will move forward despite the nature of these events. In the spirit of God’s mercy and forgiveness, it is time for our institutions, boards, and agencies to treat each other as brothers and sisters in Christ and not as enemies of one another.

Some have written open letters to the Southwestern trustees. An example from Allen Heights Baptist Church, Allen. Dr. Leon Aduddell is pastor.

“An open letter to the Trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary:

“This letter is written with the hope and prayer that those in leadership positions of the Southern Baptist Convention will look carefully at their own actions and examine their own motivations to ensure they are in accord with the will of God.

“With sadness we have recently witnessed he firing of Dr. Dilday from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. No appropriate reason for his firing has come to light in the weeks following the event. The handling of this action was harsh even when measured by a secular world and is without excuse between brothers and sisters in Christ.

“Those of us who have grown up as Southern Baptists have watched with a sense of horror and disbelief at the continuing level of conflict and the lack of unity of spirit inside our convention. We do not understand how those in positions of authority, who should be mature in Christ, can condone and even perpetuate the actions that have occurred.

“It is our hope and prayer that Dr. Dilday will be restored to the office of President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Depending upon the trustees’ actions, Allen Heights Baptist Church will determine with prayerful care and detail the allocation and use of our financial contributions.

“The goal of reaching the lost for Christ is greatly hindered by the image this incident projects. The example set by the trustees’ actions at Southwestern was not ‘They will know us by our love.’

“Your Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
“The Membership of
Allen Heights Baptist Church
“CC: Officers of the BGCT, Baptist Standard,
Officers of the SBC”

Many churches wrote not only to the trustees but to Dr. Dilday, Dr. McBride, Dr. Ed Young, and others. Westbury Baptist in Houston, where Dr. Robert Campbell is pastor, did all of the above. A copy of a letter from the Deacon Fellowship to Dr. McBride is printed below.

“Dear President McBride: “The Deacon Fellowship of Westbury Baptist Church voted to send you a letter expressing our thoughts about the termination of Dr. Russell H. Dilday. It should be noted that this letter is not from the congregation of Westbury Baptist church and reflects only the opinion of a vast majority of the Deacon Fellowship.

“Because of the traumatic events surrounding the summary dismissal of Dr. Dilday, our fellowship feels dismay, disappointment, and profound objection.

“We firmly believe that Dr. Dilday is a just and honorable man. His integrity, his theology, and his motives are above question. We wish to affirm his fifteen years of work as president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The growth in student enrollment, financial stability, improvement in buildings and properties, and exceptional growth in endowments are testimonies to his administrative abilities. His spiritual leadership is equally impressive. Few persons among Southern Baptists can point to such a long tenure of outstanding accomplishment and loyalty to Southern Baptists and our Lord.

“We believe that the action taken by the trustees is regrettable and demonstrates a lack of Christian discretion. The action does irreparable harm to the seminary, continues to foster ill feelings between groups of Southern Baptists, and harms any ongoing efforts toward reconciliation. The trustees’ action will become a further inducement to individuals to divert their funding away from Southern Baptist seminaries, agencies, and boards.

“The Deacon Fellowship would be interested in knowing what we can do as Texas Baptists to help prevent such an act from ever occurring again.

“Your brothers in Christ,”

Signed by officers and eighteen other members of Deacon Fellowship

Some are changing the way they give their gifts.

— We have heard of several churches voting to allow their members to “give as each chooses.” An example of how that works is given by Jim Stephen, pastor, First Baptist Church, Sonora.

“Our method is simple: 1. You tell us SBC or CBF. 2. The church adopted the percentage to go to missions. 3. The treasurer figures the percentage the church adopted for undesignated funds and mails them. 4. SBC funds go through regular channels. 5. The CBF funds go to Atlanta with instructions to return to Texas the Texas portion (63.35%).

This works for us. It is a little more trouble but freedom is worth it.”

Some are exercising their exclusions. An example:

“For the past several years there has been an effort for a power takeover in the SBC. The power group now is in control of the Executive Committee of the SBC. They fire and remove anyone who stands in the way of this power control. They have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of our mission money to carry out their motives. They are now in control of most of the Baptist Seminaries, including Southwestern in Fort Worth… Therefore the Sidney Baptist Church in its business meeting Wednesday evening, voted to exclude three line items from out of Cooperative Gifts. These are: the Executive Committee, the Seminaries, and the Christian Life Commission.”

Sidney Baptist Church,
Raymond Jones, pastor

Some are decreasing funding to the SBC and increasing funding to the BGCT. An example:

“Unless otherwise designated, the First Baptist Church, Gladewater, giving to the Cooperative Program through the Baptist General Convention of Texas is to be as follows:

“Of the 36.65% given to the Southern Baptist Convention causes, 17.76% will continue to b given to the Foreign Mission Board; and 6.94 will continue to be given to the Home Mission Board, as per present giving. The remainder of the SBC funds, 11.95%, is to remain in the BGCT to be used for mission causes in the State of Texas… The action is to remain in effect until the outcome of the BGCT meeting in October/November, at which time it will be reconsidered.” (approved in church conference, April 13)
FBC, Gladewater, Roy Taylor, pastor

Some are specifically withholding financial support of the Seminaries. An example from Park Cities Baptist Church, Dallas.

“Funding support to Southwestern Seminary included in the 1994 Unified Budget has been withheld in accordance with contingency provisions previously approved by the church

“The following recommendation from the Denominational Affairs Committee has been made awaiting church action: ‘That Park Cities Baptist Church temporarily withhold financial support to all SBC seminaries included in the 1994 Unified Budget pending a review of seminary education. This review will include an evaluation of the new Truett Seminary in Waco, Texas. Based on this review, the Denominational Affairs Committee will develop and present to the Church a recommendation regarding Park Cities’ future financial support to seminaries.’”

A SAMPLE DENOMINATIONAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT

“Following is the actual Denominational Relations Committee report from Southland Baptist Church in San Angelo. This report was adopted by the church in February, 1991. Martus Miley was pastor at that time

“I became pastor of Southland in May, 1993. In the fall of 1993, the church voted to move from the Regular Plan to the Ventures Plan of CBF. The church missions committee also recommended that all members be mailed both Lottie Moon Christmas offering and CBF Global Mission offering envelopes. All funds are given through the Ventures Plan unless a member requests otherwise. We include information on the choices our members have in our new member packet. Following is the original report from February, 1991. “

Dan Williams, pastor,

Southland Baptist Church, San Angelo

*TBC is printing this report in our newsletter in order for Texas Baptist churches to have an example of such a report.

REPORT OF THE DENOMINATIONAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE SOUTHLAND BAPTIST CHURCH

INTRODUCTION

In order to accomplish the stated objectives of Southland Baptist Church to introduce people to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and to teach and to train people as commanded in the Great Commission, the church has chosen to cooperate with the Concho Valley Baptist Association, the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and the Southern Baptist Convention. These cooperative relationships enable us to support missionaries, education and benevolent works to the ends of the earth.

The current controversy in our Southern Baptist Convention has been a growing concern to this church. To address this concern the Deacon Division, in committee to study and evaluate the recent events/directions of our Convention, to educate the church regarding its findings, and to recommend to the church and actions. A fifteen member committee was appointed.

It should be noted that the Southern Baptist Convention was founded in 1845 for the purpose of the “promotion of Christian missions at home and abroad and any other objects such as Christian education, benevolent enterprises, and social services which it may deem proper and advisable for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.” (SBC Constitution, Article 2)

In addition to their strong desire and commitment to the mission enterprise, these congregations shared certain “fundamental” beliefs. Among these were belief in the virgin birth; atoning death and physical resurrection of Jesus Christ; the unconditional love of Christ for all persons; salvation by grace through faith alone' the inspired authority of the scripture; the soul competency (priesthood) of every believer; the autonomy of the local church; and the separation of Church and State. As Southern Baptists, we continue to hold these commitments and cherish these beliefs.

In the past twelve years, the trust on which cooperation was built has dissolved into distrust; the covenant boundaries of what it means to be a Southern Baptist have been narrowed substantially; a vital, personal love relationship with Christ has been threatened physically by a doctrine of right belief; and a spirit of inclusiveness within those boundaries has given way to an exclusiveness which, if continued, may grow into a hierarchal relationship in the name of doctrinal rigidity.

In order to be good stewards of our mission and education calling and to participate in the Great Commission, Southland Baptist Church must consider how she shall respond to these new directions. The following report of our committee is offered in a prayerful spirit that it shall move our church to that response.

FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

1. Over a period of years commencing in 1979, a group of activists within the denomination, most often referred to as “fundamentalists,” acting according to a calculated plan, has largely completed a takeover of the control of the Southern Baptist Convention and its principal boards, agencies, and institutions.

2. The avowed purpose of the movement has been to protect the denomination from an alleged danger posed by teachers and leaders who fail to believe in the “inerrancy of the Bible.” It is the conclusion of this committee that the theological issue of inerrancy has been used to create fears within the denomination which are, in fact, greatly unfounded and unwarranted, but which have been politically useful to the fundamentalist movement.

3. The disunity within the Convention has resulted in a weakening of the Christian emphases within our denomination. The atmosphere of Christian fellowship, unity, and cooperation of Southern Baptists has been shattered and has been replaced by an atmosphere of distrust.

4. The current leadership of the Convention has consistently demonstrated its desire to bypass Baptist and biblical principles in order to promote the movement’s agenda. The Baptist belief in the priesthood of the believer has been threatened by a new emphasis upon an unbiblical pastoral authoritarianism which can result in a hierarchical structure completely at odds with historical Baptist doctrine. The autonomy of the local church, the emphasis on the separation of Church and State, and the acceptance of diversity within the body are long-standing, traditional Southern Baptist principles which have been undermined by the current movement toward fundamentalism.

5. The fundamentalist controlled Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention has abused its authority in its relationship with institutions and agencies of the Convention as evidenced by the attempted control and subsequent firing of two journalists of the Baptist Press who refused to limit the flow of information to Baptists. This forceful action was taken with the assistance of paid police guards. In addition, the Christian Life Commission has become a political arm and now involves itself in speaking for Southern Baptists rather than to Southern Baptists.

6. A primary purpose of the movement has been and is to exclude all persons not openly committed to the movement from positions of leadership and authority within the Convention and its agencies. In the accomplishment of this purpose, the activists have gained control of the governing boards of all of the agencies, boards, and institutions of the Convention, and in some instances have replaced the executive leadership of such agencies. Many of our finest Baptist leaders have been excluded from places of leadership and service and their careers in Christian service have been thwarted. This exclusion includes several leaders who believe the fundamentals of the faith but who choose to vote differently from the current leadership of the Convention. Because of this exclusion, the inclusive nature of the democratic process has been abused.

7. Denominational seminaries have been weakened and their credibility placed in jeopardy. The student enrollment at Southeastern Seminary, the first of the SBC seminaries to be dominated by takeover movement trustees, has declined by nearly half; the other seminaries now have trustee boards with fundamentalist majorities and face a similar threat.

8. Because of the loss of confidence of some Southern Baptists in the Executive Committee which disperses cooperative program dollars, a group of Southern Baptist leaders called a national meeting, August 23-25, 1990, to draft an alternate funding plan. The meeting was attended by over 3,000 persons representing churches from 30 states. Subsequent to this meeting, a Baptist Cooperative Missions Program was established to insure the future of cooperative missions and evangelism. Such will provide a way for churches and individuals to make one undesignated gift and cooperate in the support of Southern Baptist agencies and causes through a missions - ministries budget adopted annually by the BCMP Fellowship. A Fellowship Convocation has been scheduled in Atlanta, May 9-11, 1991, at which time a permanent steering committee will be elected and a cooperative distribution plan for funds will be adopted.

9. It is the conclusion of this committee that Southland Baptist Church should take an initial action which will make it known that the exclusionary purposes and tactics of the fundamentalist movement are unacceptable to this church. Such action should reflect our desire for the preservation of a Convention committed to traditional Baptist principles and affirm our strong and continuing support of both Southern Baptist Convention and Baptist General Convention of Texas mission programs.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Consistent with the research done by the committee, the findings of fact which are set out above, and our commitment to long-standing Baptist beliefs and principles, the Denominational Relations Committee makes the following recommendations to the church:

l. That Southland Baptist Church reaffirm our commitment to the cause of Christ and pledge our continuing support for missions, evangelism, Christian education, and benevolence in our community, state, nation, and world.

2. That Southland Baptist Church continue to the maximum extent possible to cooperate with other Baptist churches in the Concho Valley Baptist Association, the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and the Southern Baptist Convention.

3. That Southland Baptist Church commit to pray for a speedy and just resolution to the denominational conflict now raging in the Southern Baptist Convention.

4. That Southland Baptist Church continue to fully fund our percentage contribution to the Concho Valley Baptist Association.

5. That Southland Baptist Church continue to fully fund our percentage contribution to the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

6. That Southland Baptist Church contribute the required amount through the existing Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention to retain the privilege of sending the maximum number of messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention.

7. That beginning with the April 1991 receipts the remainder of the funds that would normally flow through the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention for the support of the Cooperative Program be sent instead through the Baptist Cooperative Missions Program for distribution according to the regular funding plan of that organization.

8. That consistent with our belief in the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer, individuals or families that desire that their contributions continue to go through the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention can so designate; and their wishes will be implemented by the church treasurer.

9. That Southland Baptist Church continue to deliver through the Baptist General Convention of Texas all special offerings for Foreign, Home and State Missions.

10. That Southland Baptist Church designate a Denominational Relations Committee, and that the church give to the committee the responsibility of making periodic reports to the church on matters that affect our cooperation and relations with other Southern Baptist churches at the local, state, and national level.

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