The SBC Needs a Reformation of Ecclesiolgy

As I see it, many of the current issues within the Southern Baptist Convention boil down to matters of ecclesiology. I’m not idealistic and naive enough to think that perfect ecclesiology fixes everything within a church, an association, a network, a convention, or a denomination. However, I’m also not foolish enough to think that bad ecclesiology has nothing to do with the pitiful state of affairs in many of our churches, as well as the division and disunity that exists within our convention.

Consider the following examples, all of which fall under the umbrella of ecclesiology, and all of which have a negative impact on our churches and our convention.

Pastors (Elders, Overseers) … The typical Southern Baptist church recognizes one senior pastor as the leader of a local church. There may be other staff, and these staff may or may not be recognized as pastors, but the senior pastor is the main leader. By way of contrast, the New Testament seems to call for churches to be led by a plurality of leaders, a group of qualified men interchangeably referred to as pastors, elders, overseers. Many of the power struggles that take place in our churches, many of the issues relating to celebrity pastors, and many of the arguments about female pastors would be resolved if we agreed that pastors (elders, overseers) are the qualified men called to lead a local church. Deacons … The typical Southern Baptist church has a group of deacons who function like a board of directors. This is somewhat understandable, as Southern Baptist pastors don’t tend to stay in any one place for any length of time. These deacon boards have assumed power in an attempt to provide stability for their church. Unfortunately, many of our churches have selected deacons based on secular criteria rather than considering the biblical qualifications. Even worse, many of our churches have abdicated all questions of leadership to an unqualified group of deacons, rather than vesting leadership in a qualified group of pastors (elders, overseers). Many of the issues faced by our smaller churches stem from the power that is wrongly wielded by an unqualified deaconate.Membership … The typical Southern Baptist church has a horribly unbiblical view of membership. People assume that membership is something they are entitled to, regardless of participation, and even when one has moved to an entirely different community. This wrong view of membership is reinforced by a total lack of church discipline. Many churches have never considered the possibility that the massive gap between their membership and their attendance is a matter worthy of church discipline. As a result, our churches are filled with unregenerate members who feel entitled to membership, not to mention positions of power and influence. Many of the issues that plague our churches could be resolved with a return to meaningful, biblical, covenant membership. Worship … The typical Southern Baptist church has given precious little thought to what the Bible says about worship. By way of contrast, the typical Southern Baptist church has given far too much thought to how they can reach younger generations with “cool” and “relevant” worship. Others have given an inordinate amount of thought to how they can hang on to their traditions and musical preferences, even when those traditions and musical preferences are horribly out of date in the twenty-first century. In all of these considerations, the typical Southern Baptist church approaches worship from the perspective of pragmatism. What will help us grow numerically? Or, what will help us hang on to the nostalgia of the past? Many of the issues that plague our churches could be resolved with a return to the regulative principle of worship. Mission … The typical Southern Baptist church is driven by questions of evangelism, missions, and church growth. This is one of the things I love about Southern Baptists. We really do want to see people impacted by the gospel message. However, in our zeal for evangelism, we have unwittingly accepted the world’s definition of success. We assume bigger is better. We want our churches to grow numerically (at all costs), and we want missionaries to report stories of mass conversions (even if there is no substance to these conversions). These are the things Southern Baptists tend to celebrate, as evidenced by the people who are platformed at annual meetings and popular conferences. Many of our struggles could be remedied by rejecting celebrity-driven ministry and returning to regular, pastoral ministry. Many of our struggles could be remedied by tethering ourselves first to God’s glory, and second to evangelism and missions.