I’ve been involved in blogging for a long time – I’m the blogging equivalent of Noah. Marty Duren, of course, is Methuselah. But as a blogger I’ve been involved in a lot of discussions about a lot of things. And I’m also a part of the workings of the Baptist Convention of Iowa.
And I think, in all of this denominational involvement, strategic discussion and methodological argument, I have come to realize what the biggest problem is that we face in steering the SBC away from the iceberg.
I spent 5 hours in the offices of the BCI Saturday in a major strategical meeting as we tried to map out the future. We generally agreed on two things at that meeting.
1) What we have been doing has not been stunningly effective. We’ve had some good leaders at the BCI (anyone who says a word against our last Exec, Jimmy Barrentine, gets a punch in the nose from me – figuratively, at least). We’ve tried. But in the last 20 years our average rate of growth has been around 3/4 of a percent annually, and we are in the same recent statistical funk as the SBC. We are baptizing fewer people now than we did in several years in the 70s and 80s when Baptist work was much, much smaller in Iowa. Southern Baptist work here is hard and there are lots of obstacles, but we’ve been on about a 3-decade plateau and that isn’t good. I would not like to calculate the amount of mission money that NAMB (and HMB) poured into this work, but we cannot swell our chests and point with (acceptable, spiritual) pride to our great success as a convention.
2) We have to change. We have to change to be effective and we have to change because as a NAMB-dependent state, changes are being forced on us. We haven’t liked all of the NAMB changes, but I am glad that our state staff and our officers are approaching this as a chance to redefine ourselves and reorganize our ministries for greater effectiveness, instead of just whining about how good the old days and the old ways were.
But, in both of these instances, in my blogging days and in our state convention wranglings, one problem we face has come up over and over again. At our executive board meeting Saturday, one pastor stated the ultimate problem. It has also been stated here in discussions about the GCR, about the name-change proposal and many other issues. Let me state is as clearly as I can.
The problems we face are, at root, problems of the heart. Nothing we can do as a state or national convention can fix the real problems that we face!
Problems in conventions are really problems with churches, which are problems with people, which are heart-issues we have not placed under the Lordship of Christ. Nothing we do structurally or strategically can fix the ultimate issue – the spiritual issue.
That’s frustrating!
I thought this was one of the strongest portions of the Great Commission Resurgence report, it identified the root of our issues. The structural and strategic issues were controversial, of course. But the analysis of the problem was spot on, in my view. Why do we have convention financial problems? Simple. Southern Baptists have become more selfish and less missional, as evidenced by our trends in giving. Studies show that Christians (SBC included) are keeping approximately 97.5% of their income for themselves and only giving 2.5% to charitable causes (including churches). We can argue tithing all day, but to keep 97.5% for yourself and give 2.5% to God’s work is pure selfishness! And remember there are a lot of people who tithe or give generously, so to make 2.5% the average, there are a lot of Christians who are giving next to nothing to God’s work. Where your treasure is…
But it’s not just a Christian problem, its a church problem. Churches are keeping more and more for themselves and giving less and less to missions. I remember a time when giving 10% to missions through CP was a fairly standard thing. Today, its a miracle! According to the statistics we were shown, churches are keeping 94% of their income for themselves and sharing only 6% to all missions causes.
So people are keeping more and churches are keeping more. The selfishness of the individual which has come to be reflected in the selfishness of the church has led to major problems in the mission of the convention. Convention issues root in church issues which root in personal issues which are heart issues. We love ourselves more than we love Jesus, and that is reflected in the way we give.
So, what can we do about that as a convention? Well, pretty much nothing.
- We can reorganize to spend more on missions and less on administration.
- We can make sure we have effective leadership with integrity, vision and ability.
- We can hone better strategies to do more with less.
- We can fix what is broken and strengthen what is working.
But ultimately, we cannot fix the real issue.
That’s the frustrating part of convention work. The problems we face, the problems that really cause our statistical decline are not convention problems, but heart-issues reflected in church issues that become convention issues.
And the convention cannot fix heart issues. We can identify them, but we cannot fix them.
I am not saying that we shouldn’t try to streamline the convention or make it more effective. But I am saying that it is frustrating to talk over the BCI’s future for 5 hours, knowing that nothing we do can really work unless people’s hearts are changed and churches adopt the mission God set for us!
The hope for our convention is not a name-change (which I support). The GCR (which I thought was a great thing) isn’t going to turn things around. Its not a new program, or initiative, or strategy, or slogan (please), or anything else. Things will change when Christians who attend Southern Baptist churches die to self, bring their lives under obedience to Christ, are filled with the Spirit of God and begin to serve the Savior and the mission he gave us.
Until we do that, all of our discussions and disagreements will be in vain.
To sum up: The biggest problem we face is that we cannot really do anything about the big problems we face!
‘we’ can’t do the changing, no . . . not on our own,
but ‘heart change’ IS possible,
if the ‘heart change’ is the process of Christian formation
In Galatians 2:20,
St. Paul has described Christian formation:
“I have been crucified with Christ
and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,
Who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aHneNl38fM&feature=related
‘Christ-ian’ form-ation . . . to be formed to the heart of Christ,
that is what accomplishes ‘the changing’
Dave,
Great word! One thing we can do is be faithful. And I’m thinking that is pretty much what the Lord requires of us.
Well put. (I know not the things of the BCI; but from where I stand on this side of the Rockies, I agree with your conclusion.)
My guess is that the small-state conventions outside the SBC mainstream share a LOT of similarities.
“Nothing we do structurally or strategically can fix the ultimate issue – the spiritual issue.” Dave, I couldn’t agree more. Much of the recent blog topics on this and other sites point to symptoms at the heart of the problem in SBC ranks … our spiritual condition. We have been flailing at the branches when we need to take an axe to the root of the tree. From my vantage point, this is not only an SBC dilemma, but an at-large issue with the organized Christian church in America. We are not experiencing spiritual awakening and revival in our churches… Read more »
I meant to say that you asked for input on “What is the #1 Issue for the SBC at NOLA?” Someone please pick up the mic and cry for humility, repentance and prayer! We ain’t going much further in our current spiritual state.
But, to advance my point, the SBC calling for something doesn’t really accomplish that thing.
Not that we shouldn’t do it!
Then to borrow a “Southern” Baptist phrase: “Our goose is cooked.”
Not necessarily. What I am arguing is not that there is no solution, but that the ultimate solution is at the church level. The SBC cannot fix my church or yours. As pastors, leaders, we can seek God and preach truth and lead people in God’s ways.
The SBC can do what it can. I think there are important things that will happen this year at the SBC, but the ultimate solutions to our problems occur at the church level and the heart level.
Am I making sense?
Yes, you make perfect sense Dave – we are in agreement on this. Guess I’m hoping for too much in the way of a national “champion” within SBC ranks whose vision and passion will reach local church pastors and members to call us back to first love. God is still looking for that man, I suppose. In the meantime, I will pray about the condition of my heart and local church.
Here is what I see in the BCI that frustrates me. First, we have a lot of pastors and leaders who are ashamed of who we are. I am a Christian, believer and disciple foremost, that is my core identity. I have, however, chosen (yes, this Calvinist chose) to be a Southern Baptist. We hold to Scripture, lead off in missions, we reach people (or try too), and we have the Cooperative program. I believe that being a Southern Baptist is a good thing. I am not sure many in the BCI think that. They almost apologies for being SBC.… Read more »
Dave, Insightful post. Thank you. I would identify the problem in the same way as you have, but I would also say that even if we get our “hearts right at the church level” it will not translate to a thriving Convention–at least not automatically. What I mean to say is: Jesus left one institution–the Church. He has not promised to bless anything but the Church. There is no power but through the individuals of the Church. I think it is quite possible (though heretical for some) to say, the Cooperative Program as we have known it has run its… Read more »
PS–We should keep in mind that the CP was a “radical departure from the norm” when it was established.
Maybe it’s time for another “radical departure.”
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” There was a post recently about the last few presidents elected by the SBC and their church’s giving to the Cooperative Program. We are electing leaders who care very little about the Cooperative Progam and more about building their own empires (based on the evidence from that post). Dave’s point is right on the mark. Churches in the SBC no longer care about Cooperation and it starts at… Read more »
I thought the biggest problem we’re facing was Calvinists?
Or was it Liberals? Moderates? Presbyterians? Acts 29?
Fine, who am I supposed to claim to be in spirit of unity with but take every chance to assault their character and malign their respective ministries?
(Hint: My belief at one of the biggest problems is buried within my sarcasm)
Dave, Just to follow up on some of your opening comments concerning the growth of chruch planting in Iowa over the last 20 years, here are the numbers off the state ACP. From 1990-2010. Using these statistics the growth rate has been a little more that 3/4 % on average over that period. And we still have a long way to go. 1990 59 1991 62 1992 62 1993 63 1994 73 1995 80 1996 73 1997 77 1998 73 1999 73 2000 73 2001 74 2002 76 2003 77 2004 80 2005 83 2006 84 2007 85 2008 85… Read more »
My stats were based on number of members, not number of churches.
And these numbers don’t really jive with what we’ve been told. This count must be made differently than the more popular counts we got at BCI meetings. Since I got to Iowa, we’ve had “around 100” churches. I am not sure where the statistical disconnect is.
Forgive me, I’m not a big fan of morbid introspection probably because I’ve tried it and it is not a fruitful exercise. Forgive me again, but when we talk of how “we” are giving so little, do we really mean that “they” are giving so little? And is giving the measure of all things SBC? But if we speak of giving, our biggest problem is the long, long trend of churches giving less of their offering plate dollars to the CP. This is not a Baptist problem but a more generic one across denominational lines. It reflects the decline in… Read more »
…uh, wouldn’t HURT to have a 5% threshold…
5% threshold for what?
For SBC presidents, major offices, etc. I made an exception for Bryant Wright and am not displeased with Kevin Ezell’s leadership even though they were below the threshold.
The SBC has never been serious about even an informal threshold on CP giving but at some point if the think the CP to be valuable, there must be some minimum number.
Not sure either. I asked the office to give me just the church numbers reported on the ACP over the last 20 years and this is what I got. These would be full flegged churches not other things that have not constituted. I received these numbers about 6 months back when someone made the statement that there has not been any church planting in Iowa in 20 years…so I asked.
I guess the number I’ve been hearing includes the missions, chapels and preaching points.
There is some interesting stuff going on about counting churches. I’ll wait until later to tackle it. Like lots of SBC stats, numbers of churches have been a very soft number.
Yep.
Fewer baptisms may be a good thing.
Anyway, this article doesn’t say anything about the actual biggest problem we face as Southern Baptists: http://stopbaptistpredators.org/index.htm
“”””Fewer baptisms may be a good thing”””””
I’m sure there must be more to this statement than its face value, otherwise, in light of the Lord’s commission it would seem blasphemous to me.
Yeah, I cannot imagine a situation in which we would revel in the fact that we are bringing fewer people to Christ and to baptism.
Dave, thank you for enduring the five-hour meeting on behalf of the Baptists in Iowa on Saturday. However I think you should be more encouraged than frustrated. Yes, the root of Iowa Baptist’s problem or any problem is spiritual not organizational. But before throwing our hands up and saying “nothing we do can really work unless people’s hearts are changed” we need to be reminded that the body of Christ is the instrument that the Holy Spirit uses to develop people spiritually. Spending time developing the church is both worth it and really the only way to impact spiritual problems.… Read more »
Actually, I was very encouraged at that meeting. I’m planning to post, at the proper time, about the “Iowa Experiment.” I’m not completely sure if the new system is good or not so good. Time will tell. But I like the idea that we are willing to try something new.
I was pretty amazed, actually.
Dave, For the record I agree wholeheartedly with your article. I have a very difficult time understanding your following statement given the theological position you hold: “But ultimately, we cannot fix the real issue. That’s the frustrating part of convention work. The problems we face, the problems that really cause our statistical decline are not convention problems, but heart-issues reflected in church issues that become convention issues. And the convention cannot fix heart issues. We can identify them, but we cannot fix them.” Where is the sovereignty of God that efficaciously overcomes the unregenerate state but is unable to overcome… Read more »
I didn’t say God couldn’t fix them, Bob. My point is that the only cure for the issues that plague us is at the heart-level, which only God can cure.
Until such time as the people in the pulpits and in the pews seek God and and repent, nothing we do as a denomination will likely change things.
I’d rather not make this another Calvinist thing, though.
I just recently attended a three day workshop on ABA, applied behavioral analysis. This is a technique that was addressed for the children I serve as a speech language pathologist. And yet the truth is that ABA is for every communication act that takes place between people. It is based on the truth that one cannot separate the behavior of a person from language and social factors. They all interrelate and cannot operate separate from each other. In any behavior there is an antecedent (what happened before the behavior occured, for better or worse), there is the behavior itself (for… Read more »
Good stuff Gail. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of CCEF (Christian Counseling and Education Foundation), but much of what you said above regarding the need for transformation through the Cross and Gospel is exactly what they teach their Christian counselors to focus on. Some of the leading voices for CCEF are David Powlison, Tim Lane, Ed Welch, and Paul David Tripp. I would highly recommend Lane’s and Tripp’s book How People Change, where they develop this idea further. If you haven’t already, you should check it out.
D.R. , Thank you for your reply. Where I got this from is my heart conscience that has been absolutely invaded by the Holy Spirit. I will check out the book you recommended. I am glad to embrace whatever seed the Lord puts in my way to continue to grow me through His Spirit and His Truth. It is like this: I was like a fish in water that didn’t know there was such a thing called “dry” until I was pulled out of the water. I lived my life blind and deaf and dumb just like the Word says.… Read more »
Having been raised on a farm, I am aware that for fruitful productivity land requires a sabbatical, a period of lying fallow. The same is true for churches and ministers and members. Everything seems lifeless, nothing is occurring, that is, that can be seen or discerned. But God has long range plans. For 39 years (it will be this Fall), I have been praying for a Third Great Awakening. But an awakening requires prayer, sacrifice, suffering, and theology, the right theology. I did not realize that, when I began my praying. And yet the evidence was there all along the… Read more »