September 2, 2002

BGCT committee cites concerns;
no change recommended with SBC
___By Mark Wingfield & Ken Camp
___Texas Baptist Communications
___DALLAS--The 25-page report of a Texas Baptist missions study committee commends all Baptist missionaries and expresses concern about some practices of two Southern Baptist Convention mission boards. However, the report does not call for any change in relationship between the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the SBC.
___The centerpiece of the report is creation of a Texas Baptist missions network that would facilitate church interaction with a variety of missions agencies, including the SBC's North American Mission Board and International Mission Board, as well as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and BGCT missions initiatives.
___"The BGCT does not tell local churches and individuals what their vision should be," the report of the missions study committee states. "Rather, the convention works with them in seeking and implementing God's vision for both their church and the BGCT churches as a whole. The world missions network will assist churches in doing missions, just as the BGCT Church Starting Center aids churches in starting churches."
___This component of the study committee's recommendations was considered and approved by members of the BGCT Administrative Committee Aug. 29-30. It encompassed six of the committee's 16 recommendations.
___The other 10 recommendations from the study committee did not require Administrative Committee action and will be taken directly to the BGCT Executive Board at its Sept. 24 meeting in Dallas.
___Those recommendations include that the BGCT:
___ Affirm all Baptist missionaries and express gratitude for their commitment to follow God's call upon their lives and appreciation for their service.
___ Encourage Texas Baptist congregations and pastors to educate and nurture a vision of missions and the call to career missions.
___ Continue to offer help in the transition of Southern Baptist missionaries who cannot, in good conscience, affirm the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message adopted by the SBC.
___ Find ways to enable missionaries to serve who cannot, in good conscience, affirm the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message as required by the SBC's two mission boards.
___The report cites specific concerns about the way the SBC's mission boards are using the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message. Missionaries appointed by the IMB and fully funded missionaries of NAMB are required to affirm the statement of faith, which has been rejected by the BGCT. Critics of the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message, including many leaders of the BGCT, have said the revised faith statement is a non-Baptist creed with multiple theological and doctrinal problems.
___"The requirement to affirm the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message seriously impacts Texas Baptists who are called or will be called to missions service," the report states. "The IMB will not appoint those who are unwilling to prove 'denominational loyalty' by affirming the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message."
___ Seek fraternal relations with Baptist conventions and unions in other countries for mutual growth and extension of the kingdom of God.
___ Continue to work on specific missions projects with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, without entering into a formal relationship.
___ Adopt a proposed new "cooperative agreement" between NAMB and the BGCT.
___ Call on Texas Baptist churches to pray for the District of Columbia Baptist Convention and "its valiant efforts to win people to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and minister to the needs of those who live in the nation's capital."
___ Urge NAMB to reconsider its action regarding the District of Columbia Baptist Convention and that NAMB take strategic action that will enable it to work with the District of Columbia Baptist Convention in ways that will advance the cause of Christ.
___ The D.C. convention recently was notified that NAMB will cease funding missions and ministries projects through the convention because of the convention's unwillingness to allow NAMB complete control of personnel who receive any NAMB funding.
___ The BGCT Missions Review & Initiatives Committee expressed "grave concern" about the D.C. situation.
___ The report notes: "NAMB not only sought to control the editorial positions of the District of Columbia Baptist Convention state paper, but also made continued financial support contingent upon placing a mission board employee on the District of Columbia Baptist Convention staff who would have supervised all jointly funded personnel and guided programs receiving NAMB funding. This would have required the District of Columbia Baptist Convention to surrender its autonomy and would have restricted its ability to select and supervise its own personnel and carry out its local missions vision. This abandonment of cooperative missions effort represents a limitation of Southern Baptist evangelism and church starting in the heart of our national government."
___ Encourage churches to express their obedience to the Great Commission through prayer, sacrificial giving and active participation in missions.
___ Although not included in any recommendation, the Texas committee's report cites concerns about the IMB's New Directions policy, which the committee concluded has undermined the relationship between missionaries and national Baptists in the countries where they serve.
___ "Worldwide, national convention leaders report a disconnect and distancing of the IMB and national conventions," the report states.
___ Further, it adds: "The IMB has withdrawn significant numbers of personnel and financial support on an accelerated and abrupt basis from hospitals, schools, seminaries and retreat centers. Leaders of national conventions indicated this often occurred before they were able to assume responsibility for these ministries. Sudden shifts in funding and personnel impact future strategy for expanding the work. The overriding priority of the IMB is given to planting as many churches as possible in as short an amount of time as possible."
___ The committee also noted concern regarding NAMB policy decisions denying endorsement to ordained female chaplains.
___ "This denies Southern Baptists a way of influencing many people to trust our Lord as Savior," the report notes. "The U.S. Department of Defense, the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Veterans Administration employ only chaplains endorsed by an officially recognized ecclesiastical endorsing organization. According to United States Department of Defense policy, a person seeking employment as a military chaplain must be 'professionally qualified as clergy and endorsed for the military chaplaincy.' NAMB, based on its current policy, denies endorsement to ordained women. Women are a significant part of chaplaincy ministry in the United States military."
___ The BGCT previously addressed this matter by creating its own chaplaincy endorsement board, which recently received recognition from the Department of Defense.
___ Despite these concerns, the committee expressed its desire not to focus primarily on what other Baptists are doing. Instead, the committee stated its goal of focusing on the future.
___ "This report calls Texas Baptists to move forward," Glazener told the Administrative Committee, reading from his committee's report. "Texas Baptists want to find ways for their churches to touch people wherever there is a need they can meet. The proposed initiatives can help to link the missions passion and energy of Texas Baptists with the urgent needs of a spiritually hungry world.
___ "Now is the time for the Baptist General Convention of Texas to take a bold step forward," Glazener said. "Now is the time to build bridges between Texas Baptist churches and missional Baptists throughout the United States and the world."



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