January 29, 2001
IMB will require missionaries to
accept but not sign new BF&M
___By Bob Allen
___Associated Baptist Press
___AUGUSTA, Ga. (ABP)--Nearly 5,000 Southern Baptist international missionaries won't be forced to sign their denomination's new faith statement but must commit to working "in accordance with and not contrary to" its teachings.
___International Mission Board trustees voted Jan. 24 in Augusta, Ga., to "wholeheartedly" affirm the Baptist Faith & Message as revised by the Southern Baptist Convention last June as the "standard for carrying out the programs and ministries" of the 155-year-old agency based in Richmond, Va.
___The board declined, however, to end its tradition of requiring missionaries to carry out their responsibilities "in accordance with and not contrary to" the confessional document even if they disagree with minor points.
___A new IMB policy statement puts into writing a longstanding practice in processing missionary candidates. Under the policy, missionaries and staff are asked if they have read and agree with the current Baptist Faith & Message. If they answer "no," they must explain any area of difference.
___Either way, they must sign an affirmation that reads: "In accountability to the International Mission Board and Southern Baptists, I agree to carry out my responsibilities in accordance with and not contrary to the current Baptist Faith & Message as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention."
___"That is not a new policy," said Allen Carter, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Bel Air, Md., and chairman of the trustee administration committee. "That has been taking place for some number of years."
___"We are simply affirming our historical practice and putting it into our policies," added trustee Chairman Tim McCoy.
___The trustee action came in response to a motion at last year's SBC annual meeting referred to all denominational entities that employees not be required to sign the Baptist Faith & Message. While convention boards must consider referred motions, they are not limited to voting yes or no. Other agencies considering the referral have opted instead to require employee adherence to what has been described as an instrument of "doctrinal accountability."
___IMB trustees, however, described their new policy statement as an affirmation of the Baptist Faith & Message, board policy and current personnel, who will not be required to sign the statements.
___Trustees, who meet every-other month, discussed the issue at length before ultimately deciding there is no need to change the current practice, said McCoy, pastor of Ingleside Baptist Church in Macon, Ga.
___"Our process has served us well in the past," McCoy said in an interview.
___McCoy said that given the IMB's track record both for appointments and in dealing with theological aberrations that crop up after missionaries are on the field, trustees decided the current practice is adequate.
___During their application process, prospective missionaries write a statement of beliefs in their own words. Administrators and then a trustee subcommittee review those statements and have an opportunity to discuss areas of concern before candidates are recommended for appointment. On top of that, missionaries are asked further to affirm the Baptist Faith & Message or indicate disagreements and pledge to conduct their work in accordance with it.
___Employee policies also forbid missionaries from repeatedly advocating views that are contrary to those outlined in the Baptist Faith & Message, McCoy said.
___Before the unanimous vote approving the action, IMB President Jerry Rankin decried "time-consuming processes and restrictive policies" that might hinder missionary appointments.
___"By what criteria should anyone be deprived of hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ?" Rankin asked. "By what justification can any people group or nation be denied the opportunity to know of God's love and Christ's saving power?"
___In his report to trustees, Rankin, a former missionary in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, described "a radical increase in global harvest" reflected in baptisms and overseas church growth in recent years.
___Overseas baptisms reported by IMB missionaries increased 24 percent last year, reaching 451,000, he said. The establishment of new churches on mission fields, meanwhile, grew 37 percent, to 6,525.
___Three years ago, the IMB was targeting 338 people groups, Rankin said. Today, missionaries work with 1,000 people groups.
___At that rate of growth, Rankin predicted the IMB would be reporting a million baptisms within five years and that by 2010 "there will be no more unreached people groups."
___"We will be unable to identify any people group without access to the gospel in 10 years," he said, noting it appears "practical to achieve the Great Commission," Jesus' command to preach the gospel to all peoples.
___Rankin said in an interview that when missionary candidates in the past have indicated problems with the Baptist Faith & Message, it commonly was over articles that most Southern Baptists would consider secondary or non-essential doctrines. For example, he said, occasionally a prospective missionary will come from a church that has elders, but the Baptist Faith & Message says the biblical offices of church leaders are limited to pastors and deacons.
___Unlike other employees, senior-level administrators such as vice presidents and regional leaders will be required to affirm the Baptist Faith & Message, Rankin said. Individuals currently in those posts already have said they have no problem with the current edition of the doctrinal statement, he added.
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