“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
John 17:17
“There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
Ephesians 4:4-6
As Christians, we are to define our beliefs about God, and our actions in life, by what we find in the Bible – as God’s word made known to us. Our goal is interpretation that is faithful to the text as written. As Christians read, interpret, and obey the Bible, it is right that Christians form local churches and that churches cooperate. Our basis for cooperation is gospel truth and gospel mission, and we can always accomplish more together than we can alone. Jesus intended for His disciples to work together and for churches to cooperate toward common gospel ends.
Due to sin and disagreements of various sorts, cooperation is never a simple task, but it is worth striving toward. In an effort to cooperate with other Bible-believing and gospel focused churches, Redeemer cooperates with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and the Pillar Network of churches within the SBC. The SBC is comprised of approximately 40,000 US churches and is a very broad tent of cooperation. We want to cooperate broadly to demonstrate the singular nature of the church, of which Jesus Christ is the head. However, we do not want broad cooperation to result in doctrinal minimization. So, we are aligned with a caucus of churches within the SBC known as the Pillar Network (over 700 churches). The Pillar Network emphasizes certain central doctrinal convictions and seeks to see these convictions emphasized in the broader SBC and instilled into the DNA of newly planted churches.
The core doctrinal convictions of the Pillar Network (thepillarnetwork.com) are:
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Gospel Proclamation: We proclaim the gospel of our Sovereign Lord Jesus and Savior Jesus Christ.
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Biblical Authority: We submit to the Bible as our final authority in life, faith, and doctrine.
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Live Exposition: We promote live expository preaching to equip the church.
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Elder Led: We believe in congregationalism, led by a plurality of elders.
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Confessionally Baptist: We untie around historic Baptist theology.
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Kingdom Minded: We cooperate to start and strengthen churches all over the world.
Next week is the annual SBC national meeting. I will not be able to attend but am thankful for representatives (known as messengers) from Redeemer that will be present to represent us all. Thank you to Joe Holmes (elder), Amy Holmes, Sherry Schools, and Hannah Walker. They will attend a week of large group meetings (12,000+ people!), briefings, and small group meetings to keep us connected, vote on our behalf, and keep us connected to the convention we are a part of.
Each year resolutions, amendments, and personnel are presented and voted on by the convention messengers. The resolutions are public statements as to what the SBC stands for. Amendments that are passed change how we cooperate as a convention to accomplish international and domestic missions, theological education, disaster relief, and other priorities. The SBC president and other influential personnel are also voted on annually.
Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, intends to introduce an amendment to the SBC by-laws that he is calling the “Truth and Unity Amendment.” The amendment would add this language to the section about churches that are in friendly cooperation (with the SBC) “do not act to affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor / elder / overseer, specifically preaching to the assembled congregation.”
The elders of Redeemer support this amendment. The purpose of the amendment is to clarify and solidify the position the SBC has historically held without explicit statement:
– A complementarian gender position in the church. This means that men and women are equal in dignity, worth, and personhood before God, but men and women are created different by God to fill different and complementing roles. These roles are not interchangeable. These complimenting roles begin in marriage and work their way out in the church. Husbands should spiritually lead their home’s, and qualified godly men should spiritually lead the church << For more on these positions read these brief but very clear books: The Grand Design: Male and Female He Made Them by Owen Strachen and Men and Women in the Church by Kevin DeYoung >>
– To separate ourselves from an egalitarian gender role position. The egalitarian position most basically states that there is no inherent difference between men and women. This position states that men and women and can move fluidly between any role or position, re-making themselves into what they consider their best role. In the church, this results in women pastors and married couples co-pastoring a church.
– To clearly rule out SBC churches that call women pastors or elders. The amendment affirms 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 elder qualifications as applying only to spiritually qualified men.
– This amendment does not relate to support staff positions – particularly children’s ministry directors. Countless SBC churches are organized just like Redeemer, where they have a godly and capable woman organizing the ministry to our children. This amendment does not see this as a problem. Organizing gospel ministry to our children is not a role of public teaching with shepherding authority over the church.
Please pray for our messengers this week and for the convention as a whole. When they return, they will give us an update. If you have questions or concerns, please bring them up at our member meeting this Sunday. May the Lord strengthen the doctrinal purity, clarity, and unity of the SBC for the glory of Jesus and the salvation of the lost.
May the Lord strengthen and grow His church,
Pastor Vic