In my previous post, I recommended listening to Dr. Bill Monroe's sermon "God's Plan for Church Leadership." If you haven't yet watched it, I'd strongly encourage you to do so. Just click the link.
Today's Baptist churches are experiencing a crisis pertaining to church leadership and government. I personally believe that this crisis stems, in part, from a generation that has seen churches focused more on numeric growth, rather than spiritual growth. Today, success is measured by the 3 B's: Buildings, Budgets & Butts. In years past, the success of churches was measured by spiritual decisions: salvations, baptisms, memberships, students enrolling in Bible college, surrender to vocational ministry, church plants, and missionaries sent out. Those measures now seem archaic to many and have been lost in the quest for numbers. Where once Baptist churches were known for their doctrinal depth, today, many are known simply for their musical styles, casual dress, and contemporary atmosphere. Personally, I don't have a problem with any of those items, but they should not define any church. Those are marketing issues and have nothing to do with depth. When a pastor tells you more about his church's style than he does about its doctrinal beliefs and spiritual decisions, you know something is wrong! Sadly, this focus on growth without depth has led Baptist churches into a state of confusion, maybe even into an identity crisis.
With the void of historical and doctrinal teaching; the gap has been filled with attention on preferences resulting in misunderstandings that have wreaked havoc in the church. Baptist churches are beginning to look like Presbyterian churches as they implement Elders and embrace Reformed Theology; including "Election" and "Predestination." Ironically, John Calvin, the founder of the Presbyterian Church, considered Baptists to be heretics and now many Baptists are embracing Calvin's religion! Power struggles also stem from a lack of understanding as it pertains to forms of church government. Today, feelings and opinions seem to take preeminence over the Bible.
In Scripture, we find a stark contrast to the roles of Deacons and Elders when compared to their usage in modern churches. Again, Baptists have become Calvinistic in describing these terms, also. In the Scriptures, we find God calling a man... not a committee... not a Board, to lead His people. God always called a man. Consider some of these men: Moses, Joshua, David, Gideon, Peter, Paul, and others. Interesting that the idea of Elders in Baptist churches really only began to take hold in the late 1990's; but Baptist's trace their roots back over 2000 years. Allow me to be totally transparent in telling you that every time I have seen Elder rule established in a Baptist church, it was initiated either by a group desiring to control and limit the Pastor or by a struggling Pastor in an effort to use a small group (Elders) to control the congregation. Someone once said, "You can either have control or you can have growth, but you can't have both."
I tell people that I am a Christian first and a Baptist second. I believe Baptist beliefs and doctrine are the most accurate in keeping with the Scriptures. When Baptist churches don't take time to teach Baptist history and doctrine, then they eventually lose their Baptist identity. I encourage you to read books such as the "Trail of Blood" and to study Baptist history. Once finished, you'll see the rich heritage that makes Baptists different. Finally, for those who think this is just another post by a small church pastor, leading a dying church; my last church doubled in size and was the largest in the community. I didn't say choose teaching or growth... I believe solid Bible teaching will lead to substantial growth!
No comments:
Post a Comment