August 21, 2000
Pampa church unhappy with BGCT
___PAMPA--First Baptist Church of Pampa, one of the top 100 churches in giving to the Baptist General Convention of Texas Cooperative Program, has adjusted its funding in protest of the BGCT's failure to work more "harmoniously" with the Southern Baptist Convention.
___The church has threatened to discontinue any undesignated giving to the BGCT if the state convention does not take steps this fall to more fully affirm the theology and direction of the SBC, according to Pastor Randy White.
___A resolution passed in an Aug. 13 church conference calls on BGCT leadership to "seek a long-term cooperative and harmonious agreement with the Southern Baptist Convention," White reported in a news release sent to the Baptist Standard.
___"Our church, and I believe most Texas Baptists, are tired of the continual badgering of the Southern Baptist Convention and its leadership that comes from BGCT leaders," White said. "We want to work in the BGCT but will not do so without its cooperation in missions and ministry with the SBC.
___"Our church would be thrilled to see the election of leaders in the BGCT who love the work of Texas Baptists and can work harmoniously with Southern Baptists through the SBC," he added.
___Although the Standard did not receive a complete copy of the resolution, White said it stated its disappointment that the BGCT leadership has "clearly and repeatedly expressed its dissatisfaction with the theological position of the Southern Baptist Convention and has begun a process of severing ties" between the two bodies. The resolution also cited concerns about the involvement of "many BGCT leaders" in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and Texas Baptists Committed and "the fact that many BGCT leaders do not hold a position of inerrancy of the Scriptures," White said.
___In recent years, First Baptist Church of Pampa has given 13 percent of undesignated receipts to the Cooperative Program, following the traditional pattern of splitting Cooperative Program gifts 67 percent for the BGCT and 33 percent for the SBC. That amounted to nearly $130,000 given to the BGCT for use in Texas in 1999, White said.
___But because of concerns that the BGCT is not in harmony with the national convention, church members voted to change the percentage split of their Cooperative Program giving to direct 50 percent to the BGCT and 50 percent to the SBC, the pastor said.
___"In addition to scaling back its giving to the BGCT, the membership has voted to discontinue all undesignated giving to the BGCT beginning Nov. 1, 2000, if there is any further separation of the BGCT from the SBC," White told the Standard.
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