SBC Update

Weekly Update – June 22nd, 2023

Every year, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) meets in June for its annual meeting.  The convention contains just over 47,000 churches with anywhere from 8-12,000 messengers attending this annual meeting on behalf of member churches.  The SBC was formed in 1845 with the singular purpose of, “eliciting, combining, and directing the energies of the Baptist denomination of Christians, for the propagation of the Gospel.”  First Baptist Church is an active member of the SBC and unites with the other 47,000 churches in providing resources for church planting, international missions, seminary education, and much more. 

This year’s annual meeting was held last week in New Orleans, LA.  The meeting could be described as a massive business meeting where reports are heard from the different entities connected and supported by the SBC, with various speakers, and items presented to be voted on by the messengers who are present.  The SBC has a president who is elected every year and can serve up to two consecutive terms.  The current president, who is serving his second term, is Bart Barber.  He is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmersville, TX.   Regarding the annual meeting that was held last week, there are a few items worth mentioning from the convention that I would like to highlight for you.

First, the removal of Saddleback Church.  Saddleback Church, where Rick Warren served as pastor until he retired last year, was deemed to be “not in friendly cooperation” with the Southern Baptist Convention in 2022.  The issues prompting this decision were Warren’s views and then the further practice of his church, to ordain women elders and to officially have a woman teaching pastor on staff.  Warren appealed this decision, and it came before the SBC for a vote once again this year. Messengers to the convention upheld their original decision the year before by an 88% vote.  Messengers additionally deemed Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, KY to be “not in friendly cooperation” for the same reason. 

Second, the amendment to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.  Regardless of the issue of women serving as pastors, the confessional statement of the Southern Baptist Convention is clear, “While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”  But to be even clearer, messengers to the convention agreed to add “elder and overseer” next to “pastor”.  Therefore, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 now reads, “While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”  This is significant so that there is no finagling of roles to claim a difference between a woman serving as an elder but not as a teacher.  To serve as a pastor/elder/overseer is to lead through the role of teaching (this is an argument that will require an additional post to flesh out!).

Third, the affirmation of confessionalism.  That word, “confessionalism” simply means “to hold to a confession”.  As Baptists, and specifically as Southern Baptists, we hold to a confession of faith or a list of doctrines.  Churches within the convention may adopt their own confession of faith, but to be “in friendly cooperation” with the Southern Baptist Convention, churches must agree with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.  This is the confession that our church holds to, not only as members of the SBC, but as a church.  Rick Warren, in the days leading up to his appeal, wrote this on Twitter, “Why can’t we return to the original Baptist Vision of unity through a mission, not a confession.”  The only problem is that in order to be unified through a mission, we must first agree on a confession.  Baptists have always functioned this way too.  Whether it was the London Confession of the 1600s, the Philadelphia Confession of the 1700s, the New Hampshire Confession of the 1800s (which is what FBC held to in our early days) or the present day Baptist Faith and Message 2000, confessions of faith have always defined who Baptists are as a people.   In light of historical precedent and denominational faithfulness, the convention upheld the importance of doctrine for the sake of mission and not mission to the exclusion of doctrine.    

In a convention filled with over 47,000 churches, there is bound to be disagreement and some variety of opinions on certain issues.  But God has been gracious and has sustained the work of the SBC for the furtherance of His name and for the salvation of souls all over the world.  There is no other denomination quite like Southern Baptists, and we can be thankful to be a part of such a group that unites upon the common confession of the truth of Scripture for the sake of Christ’s name.       

Serving Him with You,
Pastor Michael Nelson

Written by Pastor
Michael Nelson

Fighter Verse for the Week

"[For] the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."
- Luke 19:10

Announcements:

Volunteers Needed: Volunteers are still needed during the 10:30am nursery time. Check the update or email the office for more information on how you can serve.

Guest Speaker: This Sunday we will hear from Travis Hamm. Travis is the executive director of Collegiate Impact with the Blue-River Baptist Association.

Members’ Meeting: Our regular quarterly members’ meeting will be held on Sunday, June 25th. Following the morning service, we will head to the Faith Center for a potluck lunch and then back into the sanctuary for the meeting.

Memorial Service for Bonnie Jewell: a memorial service for Bonnie Jewell will be held at 11am on Saturday, July 1st, at the First Baptist Church of Grandview.

Annual Church Picnic: the annual church picnic potluck dinner will begin at 5pm on Sunday, July 2nd, at Freedom Park. The church will supply the meat, you supply the sides and dessert. Visit the church calendar for more information about this and other upcoming events.

VBS Flyer Handout: On July 5th from 6:00-7:00pm we will go out into the neighborhoods of Grandview and handout Vacation Bible School information. Come and join us as we invite the community to VBS!

Women’s Brunch and Crafting: All ladies of the church are invited to the Larson home at 10am on Saturday, July 8th, for a time of food and fellowship. More information and a signup sheet are available on the bulletin board in the hall.

Vacation Bible School: Mark your calendar. This year, we will host Vacation Bible School on Monday, July 10th-Friday, July 14th from 5:45-8:00pm. More information on how you can help is available on the bulletin board in the hall and more information about how to register your child is available HERE. We are now collecting items for VBS decorations. We are looking for large square cardboard boxes, white wrapping paper, black wrapping paper, large sheets of insulations foam, large sheets of sturdy cardboard, and any leftover interior acrylic paints in bright colors, pastel colors, black, or white.

Upcoming Mission Trips: Martin Maharas and Matthew Klika are both going to Europe for mission trips in July. If you would like to support them through prayer or through financial giving, be sure to connect with them in the next couple of weeks.

Food Pantry: We are in need of pop-top and ready to eat items for our food pantry. These items are needed specifically for the homeless in our community that stop by the church building throughout the week looking for a meal.

Awana

We had a great year this year! We look forward to starting again in September.

Equipping Hour

We have three classes held at 9:15am on Sunday mornings. “Evangelism: Engaging the Lost” will meet in the Sanctuary, a biblical exposition of 1 and 2nd Thessalonians will meet in the Fellowship Hall, and a Ladies’ class studying the Old Testament will meet in the classroom next to the nursery. You can find more information HERE.

Giving

To Give Online, Go HERE. 

You can also mail your offering to: 1416 Main Street, Grandview, MO. 64030

Home Groups

Home Groups typically meet on the first and third Sunday of each month. Please contact Pastor Michael if you would like to join a Home Group. You can find more information HERE.

Prayer

An updated Prayer Guide can be accessed HERE. 

Prepare for Sunday

Guide for Worship can be found HERE.