Response to the SBC

Weekly Update – June 2nd, 2022

On Sunday I gave a response to the events that are currently taking place within the Southern Baptist Convention. This response is meant to function as the position our church will take as well as hopefully provide you with a response in conversations you might have with others. Here is a summary of what I said:

“Last June, the messengers of the churches representing the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) asked that an independent investigation be conducted in light of suspected abuse that was occurring within the leadership of the SBC. This report (found HERE), presents the findings of the SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force (SATF) regarding the mishandling of sexual abuse cases by what is called the Executive Committee of the SBC. 

This report is now public. It is likely that your co-worker and your neighbors have heard about it, as the SBC is now facing not simply a crisis but a sort of apocalypse, as Russell Moore put it, that rivals what the Catholic Church has dealt with in the past.

Sadly, the report demonstrates that the Executive Committee did not act in the best interest of sexual abuse survivors and those seeking help. Many in leadership were guilty of neglect or cover up, and even in some cases, sexual abuse themselves. This comprehensive report reveals the painful reality of gross sin and failure within the Executive Committee to use it’s power to “protect” the image of the convention instead of caring for the most vulnerable among us. 

In light of this report, here are a few specific responses that I want to make on behalf of our church:

First, we are committed to the safety and the dignity of every single person who is not only a member of our church but who walks through our door.  We believe that sexual abuse is demonic and deserves not only the justice of our legal system but also the justice of God.  We will continue to promote a culture that cares and protects all people.  

Second, we are committed to the ongoing transparency and accountability for all leadership and volunteer positions in the church. This includes background checks, recurring training for children’s ministry volunteers, and responding to any and all abuse allegations that would, God forbid, ever surface with our full attention and involvement from local authorities.  We will follow our child protection policy and we will continue to promote ways in which we might better protect the children of our church.

Third, though we partner with the Southern Baptist Convention, we are fully autonomous.  That means that we don’t take orders from a hierarchy of sorts.  We are a congregation, made of up members of a local church and we first and foremost follow Christ’s orders and not a denomination.  That means the report released this week has no bearing upon us as church, just as it has no bearing upon many other churches who are faithfully seeking to represent Christ and proclaim his truth.

Fourth, though this report brings with it a lot of emotions, such as anger and sorrow, we must remember that there are many good organizations and faithful people who serve in our denomination.  There are over 40,000 churches who partner with us in the SBC and many of them are seeking to further the name of Christ and expand his kingdom.  We must be careful not to pass blame upon every entity within our denomination as many within their service are just as disheartened as we are.

Fifth, even with the last point being true, what has surfaced is evil, brought about by Satan himself, and it does do damage to our witness as a church.  Though we are not guilty of the sins of those specifically within the leadership of the Executive Committee, we are affiliated with them.  Therefore, we must pray for those who have been hurt, either by being ignored, or directly through the abuse of some within our convention.  At the same time, we will pray for repentance of the Executive Committee as well as those implicated in this report.  But then we will also begin to pray about what our relationship will look like with the SBC as we watch the response of our denomination in the upcoming months.  My first priority as your pastor is to guard the gospel through protecting the witness of our church.  I pray that our denomination can heal through this and that the proper steps can be taken to address sin and provide accountability.  But at the same time, in the long run, our priority is to do what is best for First Baptist Church. 

I want to ask you to join in prayer for our denomination in the upcoming months.  I want to ask you to especially pray for the annual meeting of our denomination in the next couple of weeks.  Pray that there will be a humility that floods through every rank of leadership down into every local church.  And pray that repentance is clear, quick and within hesitation.  Pray for our church too, that we would be wise in how we view the situation before us and that we might strive to grow as a place that seeks what is good, holy and righteous in all things.”

Serving Him with You,
Pastor Michael Nelson