Keep it Simple
Charles C. McLaughlin,
Associate Coordinator

“Which way should our church go, the Southern Baptist Convention or the Baptist General Convention of Texas?”

“In our church we have purposely chosen to not get involved in the controversy because we are trying to grow our church. We have enough problems already and we sort of resent both sides kicking each other and forcing us to chose one or the other.”

“My church is busy doing ministry. We are theologically conservative. There are people I like and don’t like on both sides. Without giving me a book to read, which side will help my church accomplish our ministry goals the best?”

These are the types of questions that some lay people and church leaders are asking as they work through what has become a “denominational mess” for them.

They long for a simplified method for making a decision. The problem is that the history that explains the controversy between the SBC and the BGCT is complicated and cannot be explained in a short simple article. However, I recommend that you keep to the facts of what has happened. Cut through the rhetoric and look at historical events.

For example, if you are interviewing a staff person to serve at your church, one of the key factors is trying to identify behavior patterns. You would consider the facts of past behavior to help you know about this person. It is the same for the BGCT and SBC. Do not be misled with guilt by association, look at the actual track record.

When you compare track records there are some significant practical reasons for your church to remain with the BGCT.

The BGCT allows your church freedom of choice and will still provide support for ministry. You do not have to leave the SBC in order to go with the BGCT. The SBC may force this choice, but not the BGCT. The BGCT has a proven history of allowing diversity.

Diverse Mission Efforts

Your church wants to support mission efforts around the world through SBC. You have that choice with the BGCT. In 1994 the BGCT broadened the definition of the Texas Cooperative Program to allow churches to exclude up to five line items or to include other recognized Baptist causes.

Recognizing local church autonomy, the BGCT has sought to work with churches to keep the main emphasis on missions and evangelism with a cooperative spirit.

That same year the SBC decided to instruct all SBC agencies to accept no funds from fellow Southern Baptists sending funds through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. For years now a member from a church that gives to CBF will not be considered for service on an SBC board or committee.

Your church may not give to CBF, but what if someday in following God’s desire for your church, it did not meet all the SBC requirements? Which group demonstrates a desire to respect the freedom of your church and partner with you to accomplish your ministry goals, the SBC or BGCT?

Local Training

Who offers training opportunities for you church? The BGCT will help with leadership training, teacher training, discipleship training, music consultation and a variety of training for specific local ministries.

Broken families and lives

Who will you turn to in Baptist life when your church wants to help a broken family, an abused child, heal a broken body, minister to the elderly or find help with an adoption?

BGCT is where you find these ministries, not the SBC. The SBC has no homes for children, no homes for the elderly and no hospitals.

University ministries

When the young people from your church go to college, who will help provide Christian options? SBC does not have any Baptist universities in Texas.

Texas Baptist universities touch 32,000 students each year. There is not a person in my entire extended family that has not been meaningfully touched by a Baptist university in Texas.

In fact, BGCT has Baptist Student Ministries at 104 Texas university campuses to help the students from your church, not to mention the many lives they will reach for Christ.

Of course these ministries will still be of help to you even if your church defunds the BGCT. But then you will be receiving the benefits of ministry without contributing to them yourself. These ministries deserve your support and will help provide for the spiritual life in the critical time of a young persons’ life.

Seminary education

According to the recommended changes by the Seminary Study committee, if you are a student from a supporting church in Texas you can choose either an SBC seminary or a seminary at a BGCT school, Truett or Logsdon. The BGCT allows freedom of choice and will still help.

The truth is you do not have to choose one or the other with the BGCT. Compare the track record of the SBC and the BGCT. The BGCT promotes the freedom of the local church and the SBC does not.

For many churches this means the SBC will take their money but not let them have any say as to how it is spent.

Biblical beliefs and practices

By the way, when the BGCT promotes freedom in the local church it does not mean that it supports liberal beliefs and practices. That is just rhetoric from the other side. The BGCT does not support homosexuality or abortion. It has no leader who does not believe in the divine inspiration and authority of the Bible. That is easily seen in by a proven track record.

As my daughters look for a church home in other parts of the state, they ask me about churches. I remind them that if a church is not supportive of the BGCT then it has turned its back on the many ministries their “Dadaw,” Charles P. McLaughlin (known as Mr. State Missions), gave his heart and life to. As their father, I do not have to tell them what to do. They know how to make good decisions. It is does not have to be that complicated a choice.

October 2000