Here is my editorial in today's Tennessean, the Nashville paper. They asked me to write on the topic, "How to Stem the Decline of the SBC."
There are three editorials and some reader's letters: one from the editors from the paper, one from me, and one from Robert Parham of the Baptist Center for Ethics and Ethics Daily. Finally, there are reader's opinions.
The first editorial from The Tennessean editors mainly focused on the North American Mission Board and the Global Plan for Sharing, drawing from an earlier piece they wrote on the subject.
The second was from Robert Parham. Robert is a good (and prolific) writer and would be one of the more vocal critics of the conservative shift of the SBC. He stays true to form here and I am sure he will provoke many responses. Obviously, we would disagree on some important issues. Most obvious in this context: I would be a supporter of the conservative shift while he (as you can tell from the article) was not. (We call it the "conservative resurgence" and Robert would refer to it as a "fundamentalist takeover.")
Mine was third and I drew on an earlier blog post here and this post explains the trend. Here is mine in its entirety:
Stemming SBC Membership Decline
LifeWay Research recently reported that the SBC had declined in membership. The SBC growth rate has been slowing for decades but last year was the first year of decline in a long while--but trends say that more will follow.
The SBC I care about is in decline. Yes, it's part demographics (i.e. we're historically rural and such regions are in numeric decline) and ultimately changes have to be made at a local church level. But, many believe there are issues the convention can acknowledge and address to help turn around the decline. Denying the facts won't help, nor will a theological left turn, but there are things that need to change to reverse the decline.
When the news came out, some in the SBC stuck their heads a bit deeper in sand saying, "We're doing just fine, thank you!" They believe trying harder without change is best. Besides, they say, the SBC is not shrinking as fast as liberal denominations--which seems to me like bragging that our sunset is brighter than theirs.
On the other hand, some "finger waggers" will propose that the answer is to move leftward theologically. Yet, regardless of one's theological views (and that is important), no evidence exists to support that a leftward shift will grow a denomination--generally, the more liberal a denomination is, the faster it is declining.
Yet, a growing number of us believe that change is needed in the SBC. Let me suggest a few of those needed changes.
First and most importantly, the SBC must refocus on the gospel. The convention has become big, bureaucratic, and distracted by so many things--from politics to boycotts to programs. In the process, we have, at times, lost the focus on what was once the main thing: being, doing, and telling the good news locally and globally. We must return to our "first love" (Rev. 2:4), Jesus, and then show and share his message. We need gospel change.
Second, the SBC must address the continued loss of leaders. Ongoing denominational conflict has hastened the depopulation of young leaders. Furthermore, ethnic leadership remains mostly absent after decades of ethnic change in America.
Yet, such change will require an openness to other approaches to church and ministry from different cultures and generations. Openness will be difficult since preaching against other ways of doing church still gets the "big amen" at the SBC meeting-- even though the "Amen Corner" is getting older and smaller every year. If we share a common theology, we need to hold out a chair and ask new generations and ethnicities to sit at the table of leadership. We need leadership change.
Finally, infighting must not define the SBC. It is public knowledge that Baptists do not always settle their differences amicably at the convention or local church level. If "Baptist" and "bad-tempered" are synonyms to the average American, the trend toward decline will only accelerate. We need a heart change.
Can the tide be stemmed? Yes. Will it? Realistically, the "odds" are against it. But, I am one who believes that if we obey God's leading, He can continue to use even an imperfect people like Southern Baptists.
Interestingly, The Tennessean editors changed my title from "How to Stem the SBC Decline" to "SBC needs right kind of change." I prefer the original title much more than their new one and hope that change does not confuse readers with the multiple meanings assigned to the word "right."
Being the guy who writes the conservative evangelical position in the secular paper is always interesting (particularly in 500 words!). But, I hope I held up a commitment to biblical theology while calling for change in the denomination. You decide.
Posted on January 5, 2009 at 8:05 PM ~ 14 Comments
Tagged with: decline, denomination, membership, newspaper, sbc, statistics, TN
Great article. I became a Christian in a sbc church in Pigeon Forge, TN when I was in high school. However, while the student ministry bought into utilizing culture to advance the Gospel the rest of the church didn't. I thought that there may be more churches in the convention that thought like I did, so I went to the Baptist College of Florida for my Ministry Degree and found out that the overall form of the SBC was "non-relevant". I am a very theological conservative believer that serves at a non-denom church now (northpoint model), but I still think if the SBC would refresh their leadership and refocus on the Gospel and our charge as Christ followers, we could continue in our mission of Grace and Redemption with an amazing force.
Ed, it would be interesting to include any research on the loss of young leaders "leaving the ministry." My mentor told me of recent research that suggested a great percentage of Seminary graduates leave the ministry by the five year mark. A pastor friend's wife told me yesterday she read where the average age of ministers is early to mid 50's. Have you any research to support or refute these assertions? I am still looking.
What a great overview, Ed. This is exactly what I have been saying for the last couple of years. As a former pastor of an SBC church, I can attest to the fact that the gospel and evangelism is no longer the focus of many established SBC churches in this area. God help us to see our complete failure to follow the Commission in Acts 1:8.
Hey Ed,
What are your thoughts on the SBC prohibiting the service ministers and missionaries who have received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and a prayer language? (Not talking about full-tilt pentecostals ;) - there's plenty of folks within non-P denom's who speak in tongues; many do so only in private, and in fear)
I was thinking, at a time when the SBC desperately needs ministers, is it right to limit in this way?
Altar calls might help too (did you ever read the post I tweeted you about, where there was no invitation given @ a large SBC church's Christmas Eve service? A member told me, "It's inappropriate to do that" and the pastoral staff didn't bother to reply to my (very polite) email inquiring as to why. Not even a "thanks for your concern, but we disagree".)
Just curious as to your thoughts.
Ed, I'm not in the SBC, I'm part of the BMA of America, but our problem is much the same. We're seeing a mass exodus of young people from leadership positions not only as the result of not listening to voices like yours, but also by moral and personal failures, which is even more tragic. Satan will keep laughing until we 'get it.'
right on.
Ed, you did a great job! I believe that the loss of our young leaders can be attributed to many factors, not the least of which is the politics of the old guard and the consistent infighting within our self-appointed and convention appointed leaders.
Keep up the good work!
Good stuff! Your article really stood out as the only one to suggest the need to refocus on the Gospel, as opposed to "redefine the message."
Ed,
Isn't it common historically that all denominations have a very similar lifespan in that they are all (at least seemingly) born out of a fiery, Holy-Spirit-birthed, truth-driven infancy only to plateau and then decline?
It seems that the SBC is merely experiencing this almost inevitable pattern.
I found it interesting that you mentioned that some people suggest a more leftward shift of the denomination might help revitalize it. I agree that such a move is not going to help. I think some people in the SBC in their 30's and below see all the politics in the good ol' boy network in the SBC and want no part of it. Some of those folks probably feel that if the SBC suddently ceased to exist tomorrow their Christian life and relationship with God would go on unaffected. Seeing those on the right and the left of the theological spectrum fight over control of the SBC reminds me of Bluto and Popeye fighting over Olive Oil--even if you win you're stuck with Olive Oil.
When C. Kirk Hadaway worked at the BSSB and released Church Growth: Separating Fact from Fiction, I think he ran into the same sort of resistence: "The SBC is doing fine . . ."
Me: Churches cannot reach the people we want to reach nor keep the people we have reached primarily because of: (1) Normal Migration/Attrition (people moving into/out of cities, and within cities--and we won't work hard enough to stay even, much less ahead, of attrition--nor do we have an effective specific "how to" like Anderson's Growth Spiral for helping us overcome lack of sustainability); (2) Low Quality Ministry (have the ministries--have too many of them--but don't do the wants most effective for Kingdom/church growth exceptionally well and it shows--and smells, etc.; cf. Simple Church, and what gets lost people saved and saved people on-mission with God); and, (3) Unresolved Internal Issues (the core group finally will leave for another place where it believes it will experience peace; learn to resolve, not only manage, conflict).
Biblical church growth is spiritual--in part; the other part is administrative/educational/operational. Revival and leadership--two key needs of the church in the U.S. today.
David Troublefield
Minister of Education
Lamar Baptist Church
Wichita Falls, TX
david@lbcwf.org
I'm wondering if we did an honest "scrubbing" of our membership roles, the "numbers" may be a little more realistic. So many churches have rolls packed with deceased folks, people who have not attended for years and are not associated w/other churches and those who have left the SBC without bothering to get off the roll. I know this would be a painful process and highly resisted, but our numbers may be more meaningful. But then again, we may not be the biggest protestant denomination in the USA any more. Additionally, let's start taking seriously the resolution on genuine, regenerate church membership, a concept that we should have been able to take for granted, but have sadly ignored.
Your spoonful of sugar will not help the medicine go down for most Southern Baptists. We just refuse to see it.
Of the 2200 SBC churches in MS, less than 10% can be considered healthy. If you walked into most, you would think you had stepped back into the 50's. We like it that way and after all, it's really about us.
Its not the leaders. You give the Denom leaders too much credit. They can stand on their heads and it won't change anything. Its not them.
And its not the infighting. How arrogant it is to think that blue collar America is following the antics of a bunch of preacher in St.Louis. They couldn't care less.
Its none of that. its us. Its the pastors.
Fear is eating our lunch so we refuse to change. Absolutely refuse.
I'm a third generation SBC pastor and watching this is killing me.
I am not certain why, but it is a mistake not to list seminaries as a major factor. It's not fair to always bash pastors, but it is clear there is a leadership deficit. The poor and ineffective- they were all trained in seminary. The guys splitting churches over doctrinal arguments - all trained at SBC seminaries.
Young men who do not have the leadership training to understand people well enough to help churches with healthy transition- they were unprepared and let down by seminary. Churches can be trainsitioned to a more modern approach. Creativity can be utilized without alienating a conservative or aging congregation. These are the issues many churches are facing. Seminaries have not faced these issues, much less trained pastors to do so.
I am not trying to bash education. However, it is high-time the failure of seminaries became a legitimate part of the discussion. If there is a deficit in preaching and pastoral leadership(as is often claimed), when will they be held accountable for their portion?
Church leadership will not take the major leap forward that is necessary until the philosophy of seminary education either changes or churches jettison the requirement of a seminary degree as a requirement for leadership.