August 27, 2001
EDITORIAL:
Covenant could cut out confusion
___Now, more than ever, Baptist churches and pastors should establish covenants when they are called into relationship.
___Don't look down--or turn up--your nose. This is biblical. Particularly throughout the Old Testament, God's people expressed their faith and fidelity by affirming covenant agreements. A covenant directs attention to the solemn and spiritual nature of relationships. This may seem quaint or perhaps pompous in our here-today, gone-tomorrow society, which illustrates why a written document of common understanding between church and pastor is a good idea.
___Pastors and churches need covenants now for the same reason they've always needed covenants. Church is a sacred institution, and the pastorate is a holy calling. Unfortunately, church members and clergy are human beings, susceptible to the frailty and foibles of sin. Misunderstandings occur, faith gets broken, trust is violated. A covenant points back to the essentially spiritual nature of the relationship between a pastor and church. It reminds both parties their union is a product of divine calling. It helps them keep in mind the mission that is bigger than their differences. And it beckons them to be their best selves in service to the Lord, not only in relationship to each other.
___Churches and pastors also need covenants for a new reason. Denominational discord, particularly in Texas, has divided churches. Almost three years ago, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention split from the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Since that time, competition for churches has been fierce. The pastor-search process has been pulled into that battle. Churches, and often pastors, are the casualties of this "holy war."
___Sometimes, a pastor disavows political affiliations and intentions when talking to a search committee. The Standard has received reports from mystified and broken-hearted search committee members, who declare their new pastor claimed loyalty to the BGCT and no intention of dragging the church into a denominational fight. Only after arriving on the church field, the pastor began disseminating anti-BGCT propaganda in the church and pushing for a vote to join the new convention. This is not coincidental. An effective strategy to build the new convention and diminish the BGCT involves placing pastors.
___Other times, a pastor accepts the call to a congregation only to learn the search committee's description of the church's predisposition is not accurate. Perhaps they saw the situation as they wished it were; maybe they did not understand the will of the church. Either way, the pastor and congregation find themselves at cross purposes, with the church's future imperiled and the pastor's ministry in jeopardy.
___A covenant between pastor and church could cut down on confusion and prevent pain. Before the church extends and the pastor accepts a call, they would agree to a covenant of commitment and shared vision for the church's future.
___The covenant should begin by acknowledging the church and its ministries do not belong to people and pastor, but to God. Praising, glorifying and serving God would be the pastor and people's mandate, with all other causes subservient to that central theme. The covenant also could spell out common aims for the church's ministry and witness--how it will approach its work and service within the congregation, in the community and abroad.
___The covenant should affirm a common vision regarding denominational concerns. It might spell out specific affiliations and convention relationships. It could outline procedures for exploring and determining relationships. It would provide level ground for current understandings and a smooth pathway for the journey into the future.
___The future of the Baptist movement in Texas, the health of Baptist churches and the ministries of pastors are at stake. They deserve the sane, solemn and sacred resolution a church-pastor covenant affords.
___ Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
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