We are Family!

In viewing Dr. Al Mohler’s forum at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary I found myself in agreement with the resolution of his analogies.  He presented analogous formulas to represent where the Southern Baptist Convention came from and where she finds herself today.  Based on those analogous formulas Dr. Mohler ended up with a presumption that we must drastically change our organizational structure and the funding apparatus in order to fund an missiological mindset for today’s younger generation.  According to Dr. Mohler, we must move into the future with our structural and institutional methods open.  In other words, what we have today will not look like or function like what we will have tomorrow.  Also, what we move to tomorrow will not look like or function like what we will move to in the future. Dr. Mohler’s analogy is spot on–if we view the Southern Baptist Convention form a corporate mindset.  Dr. Mohler’s analogies were correctly based as he gave much historical data illustrating how we have reorganized in the past based on the corporate structure.  Which brings me to the purpose of my article.

Dr. Mohler, while affirming the efficient method of the SBC structure and how it has served us well, basically chided the reorganization changes in the past because they were not based on theologically sound standards based on scripture.  Amen and Amen.  He did acknowledge that the Covenant for a New Century, our lastest attempt for reorganization, was more theologically sound than others before it.  However, he proposes a need for change using as an analogy the Mac commercial where the PC guy is constantly outdated by the Mac guy–another corporate method.  I submit that we need to do away with the corporate methods and see where scripture points us and use those type of analogies.

When we look at Scripture we find that we have God as our Father.  Even when Paul, under the inspiration of the Spirit, penned the words  to the church at Ephesus he described the roles of the family leaders to the role of Christ and the church. Thus we find ourself, as followers of Christ, whose names are engraved into a family history.

The Family Structure is made up of father mother and children.  Our Father has given us the command to go and make disciples.  No one can deny that fact.  Our mother is given to us to nurture and provide support for each of the children.  As children we are expected to reproduce and uphold certain standards or we get disciplined when we rebel against the items clearly defined for us by the Father.  As children we are committed to maintaining the family.  We love our Father and desire to please and serve Him because he loved us first and taught us about love.  Things will happen within the family between the siblings and even from outside forces that cause pain for the entire family.  When that occurs the nurture of the mother takes over and comforts the hurting children, even if it is discipline by the Father that needs the comforting, the mother is there to nurture and comfort the deepest hurt.

The family units receive income from the family business.  Each family unit receives this income and it is certainly used to further extend the family business.  Because our family business has grown like it has some family members are not able to perform their duties on their own.  If a family unit is not spending funds wisely the Father is informed and it is the Father’s business.  Each family is supported by the work of that family and the Father graciously provides for their needs.  It was decided early on that the family could get more done together than they could as individual family units.  Because of this there was organized various elements of expertise that would enable us to do more together.  We decided that we could fund these elements of expertise by a freewill giving plan that each family unit decided the amount to give.  A certain percentage was suggested but it was not required.

The Southern Baptist Convention is a conglomerate of churches that represent the various nurturing tendencies of a mother.  Our Father is God and he certainly has rule over us individually and corporately.  While there is only one church–the Bride of Christ–she is visibly seen in the make-up of the local church structure.  It is within this structure that we, the children of the Father, carry out the task assigned to us by the Father.  We organize our local structure around the will of the Father and we perform tasks the Father has assigned us individually and carried out under the authority of the Father through the leadership of our local church family.

The Southern Baptist Entities are the elements of expertise that support the family members to carry out the Father’s business.  The family units are the churches making up the SBC.  Each entity is supported by the voluntary gifts of the churches and directed by republic representatives that come from the various churches.  These republic representatives are called Trustees.  The trustees hold in trust for the churches these entities that receive funding.  The funding for the entities come from a freewill offering that the churches have been asked to give.  We operate on the understanding that we can do more together than we can alone.  Some of our churches have grown to the extent that they really do not need the convention.  However, they still desire to be part of the SBC family.

The Family Dynamic is something that we all desire to improve on.  Within every family dynamic there is that uncle or aunt that shows up and embarrasses the entire family during family reunions.  You know the one I am speaking of.  In my family it was an uncle that was known for drinking too much and then showing up to let everyone know how much he loved his family.  He would hug you with overbearing hugs that would squeeze the breath out of you and he did not know it.  He would kiss you on your cheek with some of the wettest kisses that would take a half roll of Bounty to dry your face.  This uncle was loud and boisterous.  He would let everyone know what family he came from and he would not allow anyone to mistreat someone from that family.  He also was ready to fight and even looked for ways to make others want to fight.  However, though my uncle was that way we simply understood that he was going to be that way and there was nothing we could do to change it.  We would speak with him and let him know how much he was appreciated and that we did ask him to tone it down some.  It seemed that was the way to approach him becuase he loved his family so much that he was willing to do what was good for the entire family.

It was at these family reunions that we would see old family members that we lost touch with over the years.  When anyone in the family had lost their way and financial ruin was just around the corner there would be an offering received in order to help them through tough times.  Because we prided ourselves not to take welfare from the government.  We will not receive charity from strangers, but we will receive an offering from our family.

The Southern Baptist Convention has about the same family dynamic.  We do have uncles that come to the family reunion a little too intoxicated on keeping the family pure.  They will speak out about their love for the convention and even call names of other family members that they feel are doing things that hurt the family.  These are those that are boisterous and desire to be heard because, after all, the Southern Baptist Convention was established with the idea that messengers could speak what was on their heart and then let others decide if they agreed.  Some, like my uncle, just believe if they would yell a little louder he could convince others that he was correct.

It was at these family reunions that we get nostalgic and speak about the “good ole days”.  That is what family reunions are created for–to remember the good ole days.  We would speak about those family members that struggled and those that we lost along the way and we would remember their contribution to the family as well as to our country.  While we remembered these we also celebrated those new births and new marriages during the year.  We would never forget those because it is the next generation and those after them that will keep the family name alive.  While we do not desire to go back to a time when cloth diapers were used, we certainly encouraged the need for for the mothers to change stinking diapers.

It is the same with the Southern Baptist Convention.  We do get together once a year and handle the family business.  We need to do this and it is like a family reunion so to speak.  While the past is the past no one desires to return to the 1950′s way of doing things.  I have read only one person that has jokingly advocated a return to the envelope system.  While he is joking about that system he does advocate that the system did work in getting people to read their bible.  As a family we can do more together than we can individually.

As the Great Commission Task Force looks at the various possible scenarios concerning the Cooperative Program, I encourage them to do three things.  First, remember that the life line for missions is tied to the Cooperative Program.  It is the family’s way of looking after each other.  Second, remember that those serving in far off lands are family members.  Not only that, but those serving in areas where their lives are in jeopardy everyday are also family.  But never forget, those in the state convention offices and other denominational positions are also family members. Thirdly, do not ever forget that family will embarrass one another.  Just because we get together and someone makes a motion that is not the most desirable motion in the world does not mean that they are no longer part of the family.  How many times have we had family reunions and someone showed up and embarrassed the family by being drunk or being obstinate?  Many times, but they still are part of the family.

I love the Southern Baptist Convention.  I desire for the Southern Baptist Convention to reach the world for Christ.  I also know that the instruction of Acts 1:8 begins with Jerusalem.  It is in Jerusalem that the Great Commission Resurgence must begin–within our FAMILY.