Let the Shepherd Lead

This year’s SBC was one that I had not planned to attend, but in many ways, it is the phrase “Who Dat?” Which drove our family to attend the SBC 2023. That phrase, adopted as the rally cry for the New Orleans Saints pro football team, really identifies the entire city of New Orleans. The melding people groups, even from the city’s beginning, has come to identify its culture. The jazz music that morphs and changes as it progresses captures the spirit of question, in a number of different inflections to indicate approval, disapproval, interest, or disgust (among many other emotions I am sure). But this year stood as a year when the SBC was asking that question of itself on a number of different issues. So here are my takeaways from the convention. While my comments cannot reflect all the churches of the convention, it does, in many ways reflect the mood in the room.

• “Who Dat?” – Southern Baptist  are a people of the Book. From soul edifying worship at the convention, all keyed to the expository themes of the preachers’ messages to the questions dealt with; it was God’s Word that was our discussion. Even the issues of women in ministry and sexual abuse which were headlining issues were seen through and addressed by the Scriptures. For instance the motion to amend the constitution originally read that a church in friendly cooperation “does not affirm, appoint, or employ a woman as a pastor of any kind.” The messengers  amended it to reflect more closely what the biblical pattern supports according to 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:7-9. The amended statement which still requires another vote of a subsequent convention to take effect reads that the conventions shall consist of church’s that affirm, appoint or employ, “only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.”
• “Who Dat?” – Southern Baptist support women serving in ministry (without the title pastor). Resolution #5 “on the legacy and responsibility of women fulfilling the great commission” in many ways captures the SBC thoughts. While there is the hesitation and reservation to title women as pastors/elders/overseers there is a desire to recognize women in various ministry roles. Quoting Ephesians 4:12 pastors are encouraged to equip women in the congregations “for the work of ministry to build up the body of Christ.” Women led worship, contributed key leadership to committees and spoke publicly to and for motions from the platform and the floor. From conversations around the convention it even seemed there was a broad support for women teaching and shepherding others so long as their title was “family minister” or “biblical counselor”. I wonder if the SBC churches should abolish ordination and utilize more regularly a process of commissioning. What if to vocational ministry roles, as we do with missionaries headed onto the misison field (both male and female), we commissioned those serving?  Would SBC women feel so maligned if there was a public recognition of their desire to serve and utilizing their gifts in their local churches while not ordaining them as pastors/elders/overseers?
• “Who Dat?” – Southern Baptists desperately want to display convictional compassionate cooperation. The heartfelt sexual abuse task force report and request to be reauthorized for another year captures this kind of convictional compassion that I believe is Southern Baptists at their best. Their quote “let us not grow weary of doing good for in due season we will reap” from Galatians 6:9 grounds this desire in Scripture. Bart Barber’s presidential address that said with confidence that the had learned how to love the Bible from his dad but learned the equally important quality of loving people from his mother, who died just a day before this convention, is embodied by his demeanor as a person. Even though the convention voted to withdraw fellowship from three churches, the immediate response was to motion for a task force to be formed to study “friendly cooperation”. This task force’s mission is to make sure to recommend to the convention’s churches how they can maintain friendly cooperation while expressing their autonomy in any number of practices. Southern Baptists want to be known as convictional, but we also want to be known as compassionate. These qualities together leads to our cooperation to reach the world for Jesus Christ.

While the New Orleans convention is now complete, I believe that we are still asking the question “WhoDat?” as a convention of churches. My prayer is that the answer is that we will become a convictional, compassion cooperative people reaching the world for Jesus Christ.