THE EYES OF ALL ARE UPON TEXAS BAPTISTS
By Mark Wingfield,
Western Recorder

Down in Texas they sing a little tune every time the University of Texas plays football: “The Eyes of Texas are Upon You.” The lyrics symbolize the fact that Texas is such a big presence that its influence is omnipresent.

I don’t recall ever hearing of Texas Baptists singing that song as a hymn, but as closely tied as football and religion are in the Lone Star State, it’s possible. Today, though, the tables have turned, and the lyric would have to be redirected to apply to Texas Baptists. Rather than Texans keeping a watchful eye on everyone else, all other Southern Baptist state conventions have an eye on Texas.

Baptists outside Texas are watching intently to see what will be the result of the most sweeping changes to affect an established state Baptist convention this century. People who pay attention to Baptists know that what happens in Texas could have a profound influence on other state conventions as well.

The changes in Texas are multiple, and they’re coming from more than one direction.

First, Texas Baptists in November adopted the report of a special study committee that affirmed the state convention’s “autonomy” and authorized Texas Baptists to appoint missionaries, offer new options for theological education, publish their own Sunday school literature and create mission partnerships with Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and non-SBC groups.

Texas Baptists, in a characteristic Texas spirit, declared their independence. They said they will continue to cooperate with the SBC in world missions, but at the same time have given notice that they will chart their own course apart from the SBC’s instruction.

One of the their primary selling points has been an explanation of the vast needs for mission and ministry in Texas. There are more unchurched Texans than there are total residents in 42 states of our nation or 143 countries of the world.

Second, in response to adoption of this report, a group of Texas Baptist conservatives has voted to form a new state convention. The conservatives believe the existing Texas convention should fall in line behind the SBC’s conservative leaders.

All these actions are significant and worthy of observation. Here’s why:

• Many of the most prominent leaders of the SBC’s conservative turn since 1979 have come from Texas: Paul Pressler, Paige Patterson, W.A. Criswell, Ed Young, Jimmy Draper and Morris Chapman, to name a few. Yet these national figures have not been able to wield a similar influence in their own state. This has been the case in most other old-line states as well, but Texas is highly significant because the impetus for conservatives to gain control of the SBC came from Pressler and Patterson in Texas.

• SBC leaders, from a pragmatic stance alone, should be courting leaders of the Baptist General Convention of Texas rather than shunning them. Texas Baptists gave $21.6 million to the SBC Cooperative Program in the 1996-97 church year. That’s 14 percent of the SBC’s total Cooperative Program receipts for the year from one state

. • Relationships between the SBC and all state conventions are in the greatest period of flux in at least 70 years. Many state conventions are redefining their purpose and re-emphasizing their own roles in reaching their states for Christ. On top of that, reorganization on the SBC level has left the long-established home missions relationships between the SBC and state conventions up for grabs. We have yet to see how the new North American Mission Board will relate to old-line state conventions.

• Texas conservatives are about to experience on the state level what SBC moderates have experienced on the national level. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, though a healthy missions enterprise, has faced an uphill battle in getting tradition-bound churches to redirect their missions money outside established SBC channels. In Texas, inertia is heavily on the side of the existing state convention. It will be a hard sell for conservative pastors to lead their churches to change the routing of state missions money.

• By size and influence alone, Texas is a force to be reckoned with. With 2.7 million members, the Baptist General Convention of Texas could be considered the nation’s ninth-largest Protestant denomination. There are more Baptists in Texas than there are Episcopalians in the whole nation.

It’s no wonder, then, that the eyes of all are upon Texas.

Mark Wingfield is editor of the Western Recorder, the weekly newspaper affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention

March 1998