August 28, 2000
Associations feeling more pressure but seeking unity
___By Mark Wingfield
___Managing Editor
___As political and theological pressures that have plagued state and national Baptist conventions for 20 years move closer to home, Baptist associations in Texas are scrambling to keep their flocks together and in some cases redefine the parameters of the fold.
___These are some of the modern complexities of life in Baptist associations in Texas:
___In Amarillo Baptist Association, a prominent church uniquely aligned with the new Southern Baptists of Texas Convention still works alongside another prominent church supportive of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
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___A sampling of directors of associational missions agreed the times are changing dramatically for associations. Directors of missions, commonly known as DOMs, face unprecedented pressure as Baptist political and theological disagreements move closer to home, they said.
___But despite these pressures, many associations are determined to keep the unity between churches of different perspectives and affiliations, they added.
___"We're trying to say, 'Let's let each church make its own decision,'" explained Warren Hart, director of missions for Red River Valley Baptist Association near Paris. "We're trying to say as an association that we're open to working with whoever wants to work with us.
___"What we're trying to model is that we're going to have churches that disagree with one another but we're not going to be disagreeable," said Hart, whose association includes churches uniquely aligned with Southern Baptists of Texas and with the BGCT.
___The breaking away of some Texas Baptist churches from the BGCT and the BGCT's distancing itself from the national leadership and agencies of the SBC have created a brand new set of challenges for associations, Hart said. "A lot of us are making halting, faltering steps in dealing with these choices."
___While some associations are becoming ground zero for the political and theological battles among Baptists, other associations have virtually posted signs at the front door declaring politics off-limits.
___"We've taken a pretty strong stand that if you have a political agenda, please don't bring it to the associational platform," said Lewis Lee, a veteran director of missions who leads San Antonio Baptist Association.
___"Directors of missions want to be completely Baptist and want to affirm the autonomy of the Baptist association as it relates to any Baptist entity," Lee said. "They don't want to be co-opted by anybody. They want to do their task and be left alone to do their task."
___While pressure is mounting for associations to align one way or the other or to please one set of churches or another, the wise DOM will not be pressured by the desires of any small group of pastors with a narrow agenda, Lee said.
___"My hope is that directors of missions in this state will have the courage to be fiercely independent and lead their associations to do what they are supposed to be doing--starting churches and growing churches," he added. "I hope they will be courageous enough if necessary to lay their jobs on the line and say, 'This is not what we're about'" when political agendas surface.
___If there is any place in Baptist life today where a model of unity in diversity could be achieved, it is the association, said Lynn Eckeberger, a liaison between the BGCT and the 113 associations that relate to the BGCT.
___"But to achieve that is going to require so much work on the part of the director of missions and the associational structure," he added. "It is an untenable position, very difficult."
___Directors of missions have "pressure coming from every side," Eckeberger said. "It's as if the entire convention has finally awakened to the key role of the director of missions."
___One of the first areas of associational life impacted by the changing Baptist landscape concerns requirements for acceptance into the association.
___Historically, Texas Baptist churches have related only to one state Baptist convention and one national convention; no other choices were available. However, with the emergence of a new state convention and increasingly divided loyalties to the SBC, new possibilities have emerged.
___Within the last year, a number of Texas Baptist associations have changed their bylaws either to remove references to required affiliations with state and national bodies or to broaden the scope of possible relations.
___For example, all three associations Mike Smith works with as director of missions for Dogwood Trails Area have revised their affiliation statements. Rather than requiring member churches to affiliate with the SBC and BGCT, "we're basically saying we are Southern Baptists and will affiliate with other religious bodies as we deem necessary," Smith explained.
___"We have churches related to Southern Baptists of Texas and the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and some are dually aligned. We're just going to try to minister to and resource all our churches, regardless of who they relate to on the state level."
___Associations ought to be free to include churches that relate to different state conventions, said Jim Richards, executive director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.
___"One misconception that has been held by many people is that associations belong to or affiliate with a state convention," said Richards, a former director of missions in Arkansas. "Associations are autonomous bodies, just like state conventions and local churches. Associations can choose to relate to one or more state conventions. They are able to set their own parameters."
___While this is true, it places a new level of pressure on DOMs and associational leadership, said Eckeberger, the BGCT liaison to associations.
___"The BGCT can set a direction, and another state convention can set a direction. There can be three or four expressions of a national direction. The DOM has to stitch together the member churches of his association regardless of their other affiliations."
___Money also adds a complicating factor into this equation in some associations. Although many Texas associations are completely self-supporting, others receive varying amounts of direct support from the BGCT.
___That makes for sometimes strained loyalties.
___Montie Martin, director of missions for Golden Triangle Association, has invited BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade to address his association's annual meeting this fall. Some pastors in the association are unhappy about the stance the BGCT has taken to differentiate itself from the SBC and perceive Wade to be leading these changes. These pastors will not be pleased that Martin invited Wade to speak, Martin acknowledged.
___"I've said, 'Look, if we're going to continue to work with people, we're going to have to keep the lines of communication open,'" Martin explained. "And right now, the BGCT is pumping about $50,000 a year into our association. ... If somebody is writing us checks every year and some want me to tell the man behind that he's not welcome to come down here and speak ..., I'm not going to do that."
___Another likely area of testing on matters of relationship could come this fall as associations consider whether to embrace the 2000 version of the Baptist Faith & Message or retain allegiance to an earlier version of the doctrinal statement.
___Historically, associations have been the first line of delineating doctrinal positions commonly agreed upon by churches. From the earliest expressions of Baptist life, associations have required stricter conformity to a common set of doctrinal positions than state or national conventions.
___In this context, some pastors and churches strongly loyal to the SBC have signaled a desire for their associations to revise membership guidelines to require affirmation of the new Baptist Faith & Message. Other pastors and churches disaffected by the SBC's more conservative direction fiercely oppose any attempt to require affirmation of the revised statement.
___The director of missions may walk a fine line of satisfying a majority of churches' doctrinal demands on one hand while risking loss of financial viability on the other hand.
___For example, a pastor of one larger Texas church (who asked not to be identified to avoid creating more tension in his association) explained his dilemma. If a motion to require affirmation of the updated Baptist Faith & Message comes to the floor of his association's annual meeting this fall, a majority of churches likely would support the change. But that very change would force his church out of the association and cost the association its largest source of funding.
___Many Texas associations are finding a neutral way out of this dilemma by not aligning themselves with just one version of the Baptist Faith & Message.
___Among the small sampling of directors of missions, a majority said their associations either already have acted or likely will act this fall to embrace all versions of the Baptist Faith & Message--1925, 1963, 1998 and 2000.
___Allowing such a wide area of compromise might work in the short-term but is not likely to hold in the long-term, Eckeberger predicted. "Eventually they will not be able to hold that line. Eventually, the fellowship of churches will declare themselves."
___But for now, some directors of missions see this as positive evidence of fostering unity in diversity. They focus on the traditional Baptist desire to cooperate with those of "like faith and practice."
___"We feel like any church that will accept the Baptist Faith & Message in any of its versions will be a Baptist church," said Lee of San Antonio Association.
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