Texas Baptists Committed - A Rancher's Rumblings, April 22, 2008

Our Debt to the Hales and Lacys among Texas Baptists
They buried Pete Hale in Commerce last Tuesday. Pete would come to every BGCT annual meeting to support the BGCT and stand up against Fundamentalism. I remember running into him once in a convenience store on my way to the convention, which was being held in Corpus Christi that year. Pete had his overalls on. He was a yellow-dog union Democrat from East Texas.

When I got word that Pete had died, for some reason I thought of my friend Jim Lacy from Midland, who died several years ago. Jim was a staunch Republican from West Texas. Pete’s politics and Jim’s politics could not have been more opposite. But they agreed on one thing totally (besides their faith in Christ) – they wanted the BGCT to stay free from Fundamentalist control.

Another thing they agreed on was their love for me as their friend. They would argue with me and give me a piece of their mind if they thought I needed it, but I knew they loved me. I miss them both.

The Baptist General Convention of Texas is today free from Fundamentalist control not so much because of John Baugh, Herbert Reynolds, Phil Strickland, or me, but mostly because of thousands of people like Pete Hale and Jim Lacy, who gave, prayed, showed up, and – most of all – cared.

BGCT Supporters Understand TBC’s Mission
Last month, I wrote part one of a series focused on exploring the question, “Is the BGCT inclusive?” This week, I want to follow up with part two regarding this question, which also involves the issue of TBC’s role in Texas Baptist life.

Several people have asked me about the search committee for BGCT executive director. They wanted to know whether most of the committee members were affiliated with Texas Baptists Committed. You know, I really do not personally know all of the committee members, but I do know that many of them actively support TBC, and I believe that is how it should be. That committee and all BGCT committees should have a lot of people on them who are like Pete Hale and Jim Lacy – that is, people who give, pray, show up, and care about keeping our convention free.

Yes, there is a lot of TBC influence in the BGCT. People who actively support the BGCT – such as members of the executive director search committee – tend to be people who recognize what TBC is all about. And what is TBC all about? Our Mission Statement says it in a nutshell:

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.

In response to the threat of Fundamentalism, TBC put itself forward as a resource for keeping Texas Baptists informed about the BGCT’s denominational structure and theological orientation, as well as Baptist heritage and distinctives, and the application of Biblical ethics to social issues concerning Texas Baptists.

Because of this, many people who strongly support the BGCT have had a natural inclination to also support TBC. Similarly, TBC supporters – as our Mission Statement would indicate – tend to be people who have a natural affinity for committed involvement in BGCT matters.

So those laypersons, pastors, and other leaders have earned the privilege to serve in all areas of the BGCT.

Serving Leads to Opportunities
Think about your local church. I bet you can name the 10 most influential people in your church. I know I can name the most influential people in the church of which I am a member, and I thank God for those people. They are the people who have shown through the years how much they care. They give, pray, and show up regularly.

In your church, how do you decide who to vote for to serve as deacons? Do you pick someone who comes once a month and drops a $20 bill in the offering plate? Not a chance! No, you choose people who tithe, teach, and regularly give of their talent and time.

(continued)

I remember one time that Phil Strickland and I were discussing a key committee that was going to be appointed in the BGCT. I mentioned a name, and Phil responded, “David, he’s never taken a stand. How can you put a person in a position of leadership who has never led? In the biggest crisis in Baptist life in the last 100 years, he sat on the sidelines.”

TBC Has Always Sought to Broaden the BGCT “Tent”
Yes, I realize that this conversation with Phil occurred many years ago, in the heat of the battle. Russell Dilday had been fired as president of Southwestern Seminary. Most of the wonderful professors who taught me at Southwestern were now gone. It was an intense time.

Now it is a different time. Many who were not actively involved in “saving” the BGCT continue to support the BGCT financially and in other ways. Even as we fought with the Fundamentalist takeover crowd, we also fought for the inclusion, in BGCT life, of persons from all perspectives. We have always worked for inclusion while also taking care to be good stewards of our institutions and ministries by preserving their freedom. The BGCT needs to be a “big tent” convention. We need to include and involve people as diverse politically as Pete Hale and Jim Lacy were. We need everyone to feel included.

Through the years, the BGCT and TBC have worked very hard to seek broader inclusion. That is why our leadership has been so diverse in recent years.

In 1970, my friend Jimmy Allen was president of the BGCT. In 1988, the last year before TBC started endorsing candidates, Paul Powell, another personal hero, was president of the BGCT. In fact, every single president of the BGCT from 1970 through 1988 was a white pastor of a large church, without exception.

In the past few years, BGCT presidents have included institutional leaders, a Hispanic, an African-American, a county seat pastor, and a woman. That is pretty diverse and inclusive.

TBC endorsed these people not because of their affiliation for or against the SBC or CBF. We endorsed them because we believe that it is important to show that the BGCT is inclusive and that the BGCT appreciates and honors all of the churches, ethnic groups, and individuals in our convention. I am very proud of the people whom TBC has endorsed and who have served as president of the BGCT.

I am proud of the inclusiveness of today’s BGCT. Our convention’s key committees include persons from many small and rural churches. I remember a call I once received from a member of the committee to nominate Executive Board members. This person was asking me for recommendations for a BGCT zone that had a large urban population. I gave him the names of some laypersons, scattered throughout that zone, all of whom were members of small churches. I’ll never forget Ed Schmeltekopf calling me and saying, “David, thank you for helping (the committee member who had called me). We have some great new Board members from small churches that have never been represented before in BGCT life.”

TBC and the BGCT Promote Freedom for All
The evidence tells me that the BGCT is more inclusive today than it has ever been in its history. It is my impression that, in what we often mistakenly remember as the “good ol’ days,” there was a lot of representation from large influential churches but not much representation from the small churches at the grassroots. Today, many loyal BGCT-supportive laypersons from small churches – both rural and urban – are serving on BGCT committees. Most of these churches were never represented in the “good ol’ days.” Leaders in the Baptist Building did not know people in the small churches or the rural communities. But TBC knew them and, when asked for recommendations, we recommended them to our convention leaders.

I do not apologize for that. They earned the right to serve, because they cared, and they proved it by attending conventions and giving of themselves. As I said earlier, all you have to do is look at the evidence to know that the BGCT is more diverse and inclusive than it has ever been in its history. TBC has worked hard to make this a reality.

(continued)

We have also worked hard to be fair and inclusive of all churches, regardless of whether they ever had even one solitary member supporting TBC. Every church in the BGCT is free today to give its mission money as it chooses – to whomever it chooses. Can Fundamentalist-controlled conventions say that? You know the answer. The truth is that not one church that supports the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention can send one dollar more to the SBC than they can through the BGCT. The BGCT has consistently supported – and promoted – the freedom of every church to give as it chooses. The BGCT did nothing to cause the creation of the SBTC! All BGCT churches have remained free to give as they choose.

I appreciate Jan Daehnert – who served as BGCT executive director in the interim – pointing out that we need to work harder to include, in BGCT life, BGCT churches that – although they do not support Fundamentalism – still support the SBC mission programs. If some people have the impression that we would exclude those who support SBC mission programs, please hear me carefully and let me correct that impression. It has never been TBC’s intention to exclude anyone from active participation in BGCT life. We have simply stood for freedom and fairness for all Texas Baptists.

Persons who continue to support SBC missions and ministries – but not Fundamentalism – are an important part of the BGCT. Their inclusion in BGCT life should not be at issue – provided that all of us agree that we do not want to endanger BGCT institutions and ministries by welcoming Fundamentalists to the table. We want to work with those who want to cooperate as Baptists to advance Christ’s Kingdom. But Fundamentalists seek only to control – not cooperate. We cannot afford to pretend that the past 30 years did not happen.

Who Else Will Fill This Role – with Fairness and Freedom?
So when people question TBC’s role in recommending people to serve – whether as members of BGCT committees or as BGCT officers – we should question what they’re criticizing. Someone needs to fill this role. TBC is unique in being made up of a diverse cross-section of Texas Baptists. Basically, there are three main things that TBC members agree on – our love for Jesus, our love for people, and our commitment to keep Texas Baptists free from Fundamentalist control. Other than that, we’re different in all kinds of ways.

So TBC knows a lot of people in all areas of the state, in churches large and small, in communities rural and urban, and of every ethnicity. We can recommend a diverse range of Texas Baptists who will work to keep the BGCT free but will also open it up to meeting the needs of all Texas Baptists. Why should anyone have a problem with that?

I want to close part two of this discussion by addressing the desire, which some have expressed, for an “open” convention. That sounds like a nice ideal, but it’s not realistic. If TBC does not endorse candidates for BGCT offices this year, you can be certain that every candidate that materializes will have been put forward and endorsed by some group – probably a “silent” group. Those who are elected will then be “lobbied” to favor the members of their group – the folks who supported them and claim the credit for their election. Then the question will be, “will they be as inclusive as Texas Baptists Committed?” Will they work to include all Texas Baptists, as we always have at TBC?

If Pete Hale and Jim Lacy can work together for a common cause and mission, then all Texas Baptists should be able to work together as well. We all are charged with carrying out the Great Commission, and we need all of us working together to accomplish the task that Christ has given us. There is absolutely no reason for any division in BGCT life today.