LYLE E. SCHALLER BRAGS ON TEXAS BAPTISTS

Lyle Schaller, one of the nation’s top experts on churches and church organizations, has singled out the Baptist General Convention of Texas as “one of the most futureoriented and trendsetting regional judicatories in American Protestantism.”

In his new book, The New Reformation, Schaller writes that “we are in the midst of a new reformation in American Protestantism… The question is not whether reform should be initiated from within or from outside. The real issue is that the train called reform already has left the station. Do you want to run and jump on before it is too late? Or will you simply sit passively, watch that train gain speed, and wish for a return of the good old days?”

Schaller writes in his new work, one of more than 20 he has written, on the role of denominational systems in the 21st Century. One system, he says, is the l9th and early 20th Century model which has several characteristics, including:

“Mobilizing the resources, including personnel, required for missionary work on other continents; credential clergy; create funds and oversee institutions such as hospitals, colleges, theological seminaries, orphanages, homes for the needy, publishing houses, camps and similar ventures; speak to and for the people on public policy and social justice issues.”

Another model is denominations organized around a late 2Oth Century principle in which, he says, the congregations have the primary purpose to “resource the denominational systems; rally people to support of denominationally articulated causes; and faithfully and obediently follow the rules, regulations and reminders handed down to congregations and parish leaders by their superiors in denominational headquarters.”

Under the third model, he writes, most of the resources are devoted to “a narrowly and precisely defined purpose. This is to encourage and help congregations formulate their own ministry goals, to help design a strategy for the implementation of those goals and to mobilize the resources required to implement that strategy… They have concluded that in the 21st Century the primary reason for the existence of regional judicatories will be to enable to congregations to succeed in their ministry.”

He says most denominational systems today fit primarily into one of three patterns. The first is the government role which emphasizes taxation, rule making and punishment of non-compliance. A second is the business model, which emphasizes making and selling goods and services. The third model is the social system which emphasizes changing people.

Schaller, who visits more than 200 churches in a typical year, uses the BGCT as a positive example of choosing the third alternative.

He writes:

“A landmark test in choosing these alternatives came on October 31, 1994, when 6,199 messengers met in Amarillo to vote on a report before the annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT).

“With more than 2.5 million members in nearly 5,000 congregations, the BGCT is one of the most future-oriented and trend-setting regional judicatories in American Protestantism.

“In adopting the report of this special committee, Texas Baptists expanded the definition of what constitutes a Cooperative Program gift.

“From this outsider’s perspective, that vote (a) affirmed the central importance of missions and evangelism in the Southern Baptist religious culture; (b) affirmed the freedom of each congregation to select the recipient of that congregation’s benevolent and missionary contributions; (c) affirmed the Southern Baptist Cooperative Program as the primary, but not the exclusive, channel for missions; (d) affirmed a pluralist approach to Baptist worldwide missions; (e) affirmed a determination to continue as an integral part of the Southern Baptist Convention; and (f) rejected the concept that the Executive Committee of The Southern Baptist Convention should function as regulatory body and thus be expected to define rules and policies governing either state conventions or congregations.”

Schaller’s book, “The New Reformation,” was published in 1995 by Abingdon Press.

April 1996