Recent Lifeway Research data on pastor compensation decries stagnant wages and how fewer and fewer churches pay their staff’s health insurance. I sympathize with my working brethren on both of these. I haven’t gotten a regular check from a church since I retired in 2011.

If I were the senior pastor of a church the size of the one from which I retired all those years ago I would have a pay package not much more than I was making when I retired. That’s stagnation indeed. My life eased considerably once I hit Medicare age a decade ago and I appreciate my kids paying my medical bills these days by working. Medicare is great for old folks but can’t be great forever. It’s the big federal budget wrecker.

To get to a compensation package of six figures in a Southern Baptist Church you need to be at a church attendance size of 150 and above in my state. If you have 25+ years of experience and a church of 150, the median church would put you at well above $100k per year.

Get to a church of 1,000+ in attendance and you’re above a quarter million dollars a year. Go for the big church, brethren, if you want to get paid. At a church that size you don’t even have to tell the congregation what you make. None of their business. They just give online and you spend it.

All these nuggets to say that the average senior pastor guy out there, the one in an average sized church, the one who has 15 or so years of experience – that guy works hard, has little staff support and makes less than an experienced nurse does in Georgia.

We can’t all be megapastors with megapaychecks, brethren. Your treasure is in heaven, not in your automatic pay deposit receipts.

___________________

This is Lifeway Research Compensation Tool. I have always thought that the tool OVER estimates pastor compensation.

The Bible refers to “elders” in three ways—village elders, synagogue elders, and church elders. Many New Testament scholars believe the biblical office of elder evolved from the role played by the elders of synagogues.

The New Testament uses four different Greek words for church leaders. The Greek word, diakonia, is translated as “deacon” in our English Bible. The other three words are episcopos, presbuteros, and poimen. These three words are translated as bishop/overseer, elder, and pastor/shepherd. The common interpretation among Southern Baptists is that all three words refer to the office of pastor, but they reflect three different functions of that office. Dr. Herschel Hobbs in his book, What Baptists Believe, writes, “So the three words—elder, bishop, and pastor—refer to the same office, but to different functions within that office: elder (counsel, guidance); bishop (overseer or administrator); pastor (shepherd to feed, guard, and tend).” (86) Dr. Tom Schreiner, Professor of New Testament at Southern Baptist Seminary, agrees, citing Dr. Ben Merkle, Professor of New Testament at Southeastern Baptist Seminary. Dr. Schreiner in his commentary on 1 Peter in the New American Commentary, shares that Ben Merkle wrote his Southern Seminary PhD dissertation on elders and concluded that the three words refer to the same office. Schreiner affirms this interpretation. The note in the Criswell Study Bible says, “The terms are all synonymous in that they refer to the same office.”

Why do these scholars all agree? They all cite 1 Peter 5:1-4 and Acts 20:17 and 28.

See 1 Peter 5:1-4 (ESV)

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: ² shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;^[b] not for shameful gain, but eagerly; ³ not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Notice the words: “elder, shepherd,” and “oversight,” are used in the same paragraph (pericope).

Acts 20:17 (ESV)

Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.

Acts 20:28 (ESV)

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God,^[a] which he obtained with his own blood.

The truth to notice here is that the Apostle Paul referred to this group of church leaders as “elders” in verse 17 and as “overseers” in verse 28. Paul clearly used the terms interchangeably.

In my opinion, the most common type of church leadership in the New Testament church was several bi-vocational elders serving a house church (Acts 20:20; Philemon 2). A key verse in this regard is Acts 14:23.

²³ And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. (ESV)

For sure, we would like to have more information about the process that Paul and Barnabas used in “appointing” elders. Still, it is clear that they entrusted the care of the new churches to plural elders.

What were the responsibilities of the elders? John Hammett lists these in his book, Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches. First, elders should preach and teach the Bible. Ephesians 4:11 refers to “pastor/teacher,” and 1 Timothy 3:2 instructs that a church overseer should be “able to teach.” Second, elders should do pastoral ministry. Paul mentioned this in Acts 20:28 when he exhorted the Ephesian elders to “shepherd” the church. This ministry involves comforting the sick and grieving, as well as counseling believers who are struggling. Third, the elders should lead the church. This means guiding the church to more effective ministry. A fourth responsibility is administration. The elders were responsible to see to the business affairs of the church. Hammett finally mentions a responsibility that is often overlooked, and that is to be a “good example” to the congregation and community.

Now, I used “elder” in the paragraphs above, but our readers should remember that I could have used “pastor” or “overseer” and been biblically correct.

SBC Voices readers, gird up your loins! In my next post I’ll write about “elder rule” and “elder leadership” in SBC churches today. You can argue the relative merits of elder rule as opposed to congregational rule. I’m hoping to learn from you all. I’ve never been a member of an elder-led church, so you can turn the tables and inform me.

Resources:

Criswell Study Bible When I want to know the traditional Southern Baptist view, I consult this study Bible.

John S. Hammett, Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches (Kregel). Dr. Hammett has taught theology at Southeastern Baptist Seminary for many years.

Herschel H. Hobbs, What Baptists Believe (Broadman). Dr. Hobbs was the pastor at First Baptist Church in Oklahoma City for many years. Beyond that, he preached on the Baptist Hour radio broadcast for 30 years, served as President of the SBC, and chaired the SBC committee that revised the 1925 Baptist Statement of Faith and Message to become the 1963 version. He earned a PhD in New Testament from Southern Baptist Seminary, and he was “Mister Southern Baptist” when I was a young minister. This book is a commentary on the 1963 Statement of Faith and Message.

Stanton Norman, The Baptist Way (Broadman & Holman). Dr. Norman taught theology at New Orleans Baptist Seminary. He currently serves as president of Williams Baptist University in Arkansas.

In seminary (50+ years ago), my professors taught me there were three basic types of church polity (governance): episcopal (rule by bishop), presbyterian (rule by elders), and congregational (congregation self-rule). Denominations that employ the episcopal form of church government include the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and Anglican Church (among others). Denominations that use the presbyterian form include the Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Traditionally, Baptist and Bible churches have employed the congregational approach. Of course, many Southern Baptist churches use some form of the elder polity today, though that varies a lot from church to church. The rise of the non-denominational evangelical churches affects this considerably. Those churches govern themselves in various ways, though they do share church autonomy as a common denominator.

What Bible passages support the three historical church polities? The Roman Catholic Church cites Matthew 16:18-19.

¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock^[a] I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed^[c] in heaven.” (ESV)

The Roman Catholics believe that by these words Jesus Christ made Peter the first bishop of Rome (pope). They further believe that Peter had the authority to ordain the bishop that followed him, and that man the next. Thus, you have apostolic succession, which means there is a line of properly ordained bishops that goes all the way back to Peter. They believe Christ entrusted the care and administration of His church to this unbroken line of bishops. To be accurate, the Catholics do cite the Matthew passage, but they also cite pronouncements from the Fathers of the Church and popes. These pronouncements form the Magisterium, which Catholics believe has as much authority as the Scriptures.

Presbyterian and Reformed denominations and churches are ruled by boards of elders. They base their practice on Acts 14:23.

²³ And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. (ESV)

“They” in the verse above refers to Paul and Barnabas. On their first missionary journey, they planted churches in southern Asia Minor. Before they returned to Antioch of Syria, they visited the new churches and “appointed” elders to lead each church. In the New Testament (or apostolic) church, I believe most churches were led by several elders, sometimes referred to as “plural elders.” They served as bi-vocational church leaders. What complicates this picture a bit is the nature of the apostolic churches. They were house churches, not churches with buildings. So, the church in Corinth, for example, was a cluster of networked house churches each led by one or more bi-vocational elders, probably several.

Since 1900, Southern Baptist churches have mainly employed the congregational form of church polity. More than one Baptist writer has described a Baptist congregation as a “spiritual democracy.” Baptists find the biblical basis for their polity in Acts 6:1-6.

Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists^[a] arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. ² And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. ³ Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. ⁴ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” ⁵ And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. ⁶ These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. (ESV)

Advocates for congregational polity point out that the twelve Apostles recommended a course of action to “the full number of the disciples.” The believers affirmed the Apostles’ recommendation and chose seven men to lead the church’s benevolence ministry. When I was beginning in ministry, almost sixty years ago, nearly all SBC churches practiced congregational polity. I surely cannot make the same declaration now. In the past thirty years, many SBC churches have switched to some form of elder leadership or rule. I attribute this shift to the influence of the 9 Marks organization and Southern Baptist Seminary. Mark Dever, founder of 9 Marks, and his associates have promoted elder leadership. The same is true for Southern Baptist Seminary. The faculty there teach the superiority of elder leadership and encourage their students to implement that in the churches they will serve.

Well, which approach to polity is better? It depends on whom you ask. I once consulted Dr. John Polhill about the main form of polity found in the New Testament. My friend, John Polhill, taught New Testament and Greek at Southern Seminary for 40 years, and he wrote the commentary on Acts in the New American Commentary. He replied that there are three forms of polity mentioned in the New Testament, and that is why we see a variety of polities today. So, back to my question. Which is best? Personally, I favor the congregational approach, probably because that is what I’m used to. I’ve never been part of a church with elders, so I don’t have any personal experience. I’m hoping some of our readers will share their experiences. Also, be aware that I plan to write my next post about church elders. So, stay tuned for that.

Recently, someone asked me about the crowns mentioned in the New Testament. That is, my friend wanted to learn about the crowns a believer might receive. His question prompted me to do some research, and I thought I would share my findings with you.

“Crown” in the New Testament (stephanos in Greek) can refer to a king’s golden crown or to the woven leaf crown an athlete received for winning a competition. Of course, we all recall that the Roman soldiers crowned Jesus Christ with a crown of thorns. The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary states that the crowns mentioned in the New Testament have a “figurative significance,” which means the crowns are symbolic, not physical crowns.

What crowns might a Christian receive? There are five different crowns listed in the New Testament:

The Imperishable Crown (1 Corinthians 9:25-27, NKJV)

²⁵ And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. ²⁶ Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus, I fight: not as one who beats the air. ²⁷ But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

The Lord awards this crown to believers who live the Christian life with discipline and perseverance. Like champion athletes they train diligently and discipline themselves in order to win the prize—not a leafy crown that will wither, but a crown that will never fade. These believers avoid any activity that would compromise their Christian walk.

The Crown of Rejoicing (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, NKJV)

¹⁹ For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? ²⁰ For you are our glory and joy.

Philippians 4:1

Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.

Paul evangelized in both Philippi and Thessalonica on his second missionary journey. In these verses he describes the fruit of his evangelistic ministry as his glory and joy. Thus, this crown will be awarded to believers who have won people to Christ. You might call it the “soul winner’s crown.”

The Crown of Righteousness (2 Timothy 4:7–8, NKJV)

⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Paul often used athletic metaphors in his epistles, and so it is here. He compares himself to an athlete who has finished and won his race. Now, he’s waiting for the award ceremony. The crown he’ll receive honors him for finishing his life of service and doing so in “good” fashion. Thankfully, he adds that any Christian can receive this crown by faithfully serving the Lord and longing for the Lord’s appearing.

The Crown of Life (James 1:12, NKJV)

¹² Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Revelation 2:10, NKJV

¹⁰ Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

The Lord will award this crown to believers who resist temptation (James 1:12) and those who endure persecution, even unto death. Some commentators call this “the martyr’s crown.” Those who die for the Lord will receive this crown.

If you find yourself in Richmond, Virginia, I would encourage you to visit the International Mission Board’s International Learning Center (ILC). This is where the IMB trains new missionaries. The ILC is located in Rockville, about 10 miles outside of Richmond. In the ILC is a long gallery that features many brass plaques on the wall. On each plaque is engraved the name of an IMB missionary who died, serving the Lord overseas. You can find Lottie Moon’s plaque and you can find the plaques of missionaries I served with, like Randy and Kathy Arnett. Those who were “faithful until death” will receive this special crown, the “crown of life.”

The Unfading Crown of Glory (1 Peter 5:1–4, NJKV)

The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: ² Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but ^[a]willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; ³ nor as being ^[b]lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; ⁴ and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

This passage applies to elders/pastors who shepherd God’s flock willingly and faithfully rather than for financial rewards. If they serve their congregations faithfully and set a good example, they will receive the “crown of glory” that does not wither like an athletic crown.

When and where will believers receive these crowns? The New Testament does not specify the time and place, but I believe these crowns will be presented at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Second Corinthians 5:10 states, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. That each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (NKJV) Again, this is my opinion, not an explicit biblical teaching.

It is important to understand these crowns are not like merit badges that Boy Scouts earn. I was a Boy Scout, and I remember meeting a boy at a Boy Scout Jamboree who had a sash covered with merit badges. No, you shouldn’t think you can receive all five.

What shall believers do with their crowns? A common idea is that Christians will cast (or lay) their crowns at Jesus’ feet. This comes from Revelation 4:10—“The twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne.” (NKJV) This verse speaks of the twenty-four elders doing the casting, but it does not mention the saints. It’s not hard to imagine faithful Christians following their example in casting their crowns at the feet of Jesus, but that’s reading into the text. Nevertheless, the focus in heaven will not be on Christians comparing crowns but rather on praising Jesus Christ, giving Him the honor and glory.

Let me begin with a personal thank you and a personal note. I owe Dave Miller a big thank you for posting my essays. Most of the Voices writers post their own, but I’m technologically impaired. So, Dave does it for me. Thanks, Dave. I mentioned that my dear wife was recovering from a broken shoulder, suffered in a fall at our home. I’m glad to report that her bones have healed, and she’s doing well. She’s still receiving physical therapy to regain strength and range of motion.

In my recent post on Baptist Distinctives, I listed local church autonomy. I thought it would be helpful to expand on that topic. This is especially true because most of those opposed to Dr. Al Mohler’s “Unifying Amendment” mentioned local church autonomy.

What does “autonomy” mean, anyway? It’s not a word we use regularly in conversation. My American Heritage Dictionary defines “autonomy” as “self-government.” It defines “autonomous” as “self-governing.”  You won’t find the word “autonomous” in the Bible. I know; I checked an exhaustive concordance, and I did not find the word used in the Bible. It is mentioned in the Southern Baptist Statement of Faith and Message. In the article on The Church, we read: “A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers….” In my post on Baptist Distinctives, I explained autonomy thus—“each local congregation is autonomous. That means the church governs itself under the headship of Jesus Christ. In other words, Jesus Christ is head of the church. Neither the SBC nor a state convention nor a local association can order a church to do anything. The church calls its own pastor, determines its own statement of faith, and voluntarily associates/cooperates with whichever entity it chooses.”

What does this mean in practice? First, each Baptist church chooses it own pastor, staff, and lay leaders. Second, each church determines its own statement of faith, covenant, and constitution and by-laws. The majority of SBC churches have adopted the Baptist Statement of Faith and Message (2000) as their statement of faith, but not all. I know churches that use the 1963 Statement of Faith, and others have written their own statement of faith. Third, each church decides for itself about joining the local Baptist association, the state Baptist convention, and the national Southern Baptist Convention. A church could be a member of the local association but not the state or national convention. I knew a church once that was disfellowshipped by its local association, but the church continued as a member of the state convention and SBC.

Fourth, each church determines for itself whether to support financially the ministries of the association, state convention, and SBC. Those entities cannot require a church to give a certain amount or percentage. The churches give voluntarily and in the amounts they choose. Further, churches decide for themselves whether to participate in projects undertaken by a Baptist entity. For example, a local association might decide to sponsor simultaneous revivals in its member churches. Nevertheless, each church would decide whether to hold a revival or not.

The principle of autonomy applies to all levels of Southern Baptist life. An association cannot dictate to a church, and the state convention cannot dictate to an association. The SBC might urge the state conventions to all join in a national effort, but the SBC cannot require them to do so. The principle here is voluntary cooperation. The SBC system depends on voluntary cooperation. Of course, the venerable Cooperative Program provides the funds necessary for state conventions and the national convention.

What would happen if a church went “rogue”? I’ve used this example in my seminary classes. Under its autonomy, a Southern Baptist church could call a Mormon to serve as its pastor. What could the local association do? The associational leaders could and would urge the church to reconsider. If the church rejected that plea, the association could disfellowship (expel) the church from the association, but that’s about all it could do. The same holds true for the state and national convention.

My wife and I attended the SBC Annual Meeting in St. Louis in 1980. During a business session, a messenger moved that the SBC ban the election of denominational entity staff members to serve as messengers to the convention meeting. That would mean that a professor at Southern Baptist Seminary could not be chosen as a messenger from his local church in Louisville. Herschel H. Hobbs (Mr. Southern Baptist in those days) went to a microphone and asked to be recognized. He declared, “I object to this motion. It infringes upon the autonomy of the local church.” I turned to my wife and said, “That motion is dead as a doornail.” Sure enough, it was soundly defeated upon voting.

The one messenger who was allowed to speak against the “Unity Amendment” at this year’s SBC meeting mentioned local church autonomy. However, the messengers seemed not to agree because they passed Dr. Mohler’s amendment decisively.

What are your thoughts and questions on church autonomy?

This fall I’ll teach a class on Bible doctrines at our church in Fort Worth. So, I’ve been studying doctrine and preparing PowerPoint slides. I’m 76 years old, and I’ve only heard one sermon on the doctrine of adoption, and I preached that. Now, don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying no one else has preached on adoption, I’m just saying in my experience I’ve not heard a sermon on adoption. That’s a shame, I believe. Adoption is a precious doctrine that bears preaching and teaching and learning. The doctrine means a lot to me because our two children are adopted. So, here’s my sermon on adoption. I hope you’ll comment with a few amens, and I hope you’ll pray and thank God for making you His own dear child.

 I. God’s Plan for Our Adoption

⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, (Eph 1:4-5, ESV))

A. God planned to redeem the world before He created the universe.
B. God planned to make us His children before He created the world.

II. God’s Provision for Our Adoption

⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. (Gal 4:4-5, ESV)

A. Jesus came into the world to save us and make us God’s children
B. Jesus’ coming to earth was planned by God.
C. God prepared the world for the birth of Christ.

1. The “Pax Romana,” the peace provided by the Roman Empire made missionary travel possible.
2. Good Roman roads made travel easier.
3. The common use of the Greek language facilitated communicating the gospel.
4. The spread of Jewish synagogues provided teaching from the Old Testament throughout the Roman Empire.

III. God’s Procedure for Our Adoption

¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, (John 1:12, ESV)

A. God convicts us of our sin.
B. God calls us to salvation by believing on His name.
C. God changes us, making us new creatures in Christ. (2 Cor 5:17)

IV. Our Privileges as God’s Adopted Children

 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (Gal 4:5-7, ESV)

A. We receive the Holy Spirit.
B. We have an intimate relationship with God, calling Him “Abba.”
C. We become fellow heirs of the Kingdom of God with Jesus.
D. We become part of God’s forever family.
E. We were once slaves, but now we are God’s children.

Hymn—“A Child of the King”

I once was an outcast, stranger on earth,
A sinner by choice, and an alien by birth;
But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down,
An heir to a mansion, a robe, and a crown.
I’m a child of the King, a child of the King;
With Jesus my Savior, I’m a child of the King.

(Harriet E. Buell)

Teacher Debbie Moon’s first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had hair a different color from the other family members. One child suggested that he was adopted. A little girl said, “I know about adoption because I was adopted.” “What does it mean to be adopted?” asked another child. “It means,” said the girl, “that you grew in your mommy’s heart instead of her tummy.”

Oh, friends! We grew in God’s heart.

Back in the olden days, when I was young, one often saw articles and books on Baptist distinctives. By Baptist distinctives, I mean doctrines and convictions that characterize Southern Baptists. I don’t see such writing much anymore. I’m not sure why, but I suspect that the cultural trend of decreasing “brand loyalty” has affected us. When I was a boy in Arkansas, families were Ford families or Chevrolet families. Some clans were Baptist, and some were Methodist. Folks were loyal to brands, denominations, and political parties. Those days are long gone. Still, I’m loyal to the Southern Baptist Convention, and there are doctrines and convictions that are distinctive to us. I’m not saying that other evangelicals do not hold to some of the following. I am saying that the combination of these is distinctive to Baptists. What are Baptist distinctives?

I found this acrostic on the internet, and it seems like a handy teaching tool to me. Indeed, it seems Duane Brown, a Regular Baptist pastor in New York state, developed the acrostic for a class at his church. The main points are his (with one exception), but the explanations are mine.

B   Biblical Authority—We believe the Bible is the authority for teaching and practice in the church. We strive to be “people of the Book.” All Baptists believe in biblical authority. We differ, though, in regard to the inerrancy of Scripture. Those who believe in inerrancy hold that there are no mistakes in the Bible. This was a key issue in the Conservative Resurgence in the SBC. The inerrantists won in the end, and those who disagreed left. I believe I speak for the vast majority of Southern Baptists when I declare the Bible is inspired, inerrant, infallible, and irresistible.

A   Autonomy of the Local Church—We believe that each local congregation is autonomous. That means the church governs itself under the headship of Jesus Christ. In other words, Jesus Christ is head of the church. Neither the SBC nor a state convention nor a local association can order a church to do anything. The church calls its own pastor, determines its own statement of faith, and voluntarily associates/cooperates with whichever entity it chooses.

P   Priesthood of the Believer—This was a key doctrine in the Protestant Reformation. So, we share this doctrine with many other Protestants. We believe that at the moment of salvation the Holy Spirit indwells the believer. The Holy Spirit gives the new Christian the ability to read and comprehend the spiritual truth in the Bible. The believer can also pray directly to God and commune with Him. No human priest is needed to serve as a mediator.

T   Two Ordinances—We believe that Jesus Christ ordained (commanded) two ordinances for local churches to practice—baptism and the Lord’s Supper. In regard to baptism, we believe baptism should be restricted to believers and administered by the church by means of immersion. About the Lord’s Supper, we believe the Lord’s Supper is a memorial ritual that reminds believers of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross.

I   Individual Soul Liberty—Sometimes this is called “soul competency.” It is mentioned in the Preamble to the Baptist Statement of Faith and Message. It relates closely to the priesthood of the believer. Dr. Stan Norman, formerly professor of theology at New Orleans Baptist Seminary, defines soul liberty/competency in this way. “Soul competency, therefore, refers to the ability of an individual to approach God directly without any human intermediary. The concept of soul competency assumes that human beings are created in God’s image and that God is a person who is able to reveal himself to man. God can thus communicate with a person directly and personally.” (The Baptist Way, 162).

S   Security of the Believer (Note: Duane Brown listed Saved Church Membership)

Southern Baptists believe strongly in “once saved, always saved.” The Southern Baptist Statement of Faith and Message (2000) states, “All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ and sanctified by His Spirit will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end.”

T   Two Officers—We believe the two officers of a local church are pastors and deacons. Of course, many SBC churches have elders now. “Elder” is certainly a biblical word. In the New Testament it seems to have been used interchangeably with the word, “pastor.”

S   Separation of Church and State—Baptists hold to the concept of separation of church and state. We reject the concept of a state church, a government-controlled church. Baptists in England and colonial Virginia suffered persecution by the Church of England. Both John Bunyan, author of “Pilgrim’s Progress,” and Jamie Ireland were imprisoned for preaching without a license from the Church of England. Our Baptist ideal is a free church in a free state. That means the government does not interfere in church worship or administration.

So, let me pose some questions to our Voices readers. Why do you think we discuss Baptist Distinctives less frequently now than in the past? Do you agree with this list? Would you add or subtract a point? Do you agree with my explanations?

The article that attributes this acrostic to Dwayne Brown was published in the Baptist Bulletin (January/February, 2011).

Let me begin with a personal note. You probably noticed that while I was posting frequently for a time, in recent weeks I have not. The reason is that my dear wife fell and broke her shoulder. So, the time I previously devoted to writing, I have been giving to driving her to medical appointments and providing unskilled nursing care (poor woman!). I’m happy to report that Miss Barbara (as she is known in all the Starbucks nearby) is on the mend. I know this because she has begun asking me to take her to Starbucks.

Southern Baptists talk a better game of evangelism than we play. The last couple of years our baptismal statistics were somewhat higher, though half of what they were 60 years ago. Of course, we’re grateful for any increase, but another baptismal statistic concerns me. Lifeway Research reported that 26 percent of Southern Baptist Church reported zero baptisms in 2023 (2024 not yet available). Why are so many churches ineffective in evangelism?

I’m convinced that many pastors have become passive evangelists. That is, they would certainly share the gospel with someone who asked, but they are not actively witnessing personally and leading their church in evangelistic activities. Dr. Church Lawless is Vice President and Professor of Evangelism at Southeastern Baptist Seminary. He shared this:

“In almost 30 years of studying the church in North America, I have never seen a strongly evangelistic church without a strongly evangelistic pastor who leads them.”

So, I believe a first step is for our pastors to recommit themselves to evangelism. Now, I’m sure some readers are thinking—surely most of these churches are small churches, pastored by bi-vocational pastors. I’m sure that’s true. Still, even a small rural church can baptize a few people each year. I’ve heard church members in rural areas say, “Everyone in this area already goes to church.” Not so. Church growth researchers report that more than 50 percent of rural residents are unchurched.

What can a small church, wherever it’s located, do? I’m a trained church doctor, and this is my recommended treatment. First, begin by praying for lost people by name. Ask your members to share the names of family, friends, and coworkers who are lost. Then, begin praying for them by name. Second, hold a vacation Bible school. That is a great way to win older children to Christ. I realize it is hard for a small church to sponsor a VBS, but it is possible. A larger church in your association might agree to help you, if asked. A second possibility is for several small churches to combine their resources to hold a VBS. The venue could rotate from church to church each year. Another possibility is to make your VBS a mission trip for a large church elsewhere. Your associational Director of Missions can help arrange for assistance.

Even bi-vocational pastors can follow the example of Paul Powell. He was for many years the pastor of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas. He grew that church and made it a shining example of church evangelism. In his book on church evangelism, Paul Powell explained how he began at Green Acres. He stated that he began going door-to-door in the neighborhood around the church, starting with the closest homes. He would knock on the door and say, “I’m Paul Powell, the pastor of Green Acres Church, I want to ask you about the condition of your soul.” Similarly, Danny Sanchez, long-time professor of missions at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, told about his experience as a young pastor. A Hispanic mission in Palestine, Texas, called him as their pastor. He began visiting the houses near the church. At each house, he would knock on the door and say, “I’m Danny Sanchez from the church down the street. Our church prays for people. How can we pray for you?” Dr. Sanchez reported that no one ever rejected him, and he discovered many evangelistic prospects. I have been a bi-vocational pastor, so I understand the time demands and limitations. Still, even an overburdened pastor could make one stop on the way home from work or one visit on Saturday morning. Just one visit per week would add up to fifty a year. As Dr. Lawless says, the pastor must set an example.

Dave Miller and I want to make you an offer. Broadman & Holman Publishers was kind enough to give me the copyright to my book, “Church Evangelism.” That means I can do with it what I choose. I choose to offer an e-copy to you for free. If you want a copy, just state that in a comment on this post, and Dave Miller will send you a copy of the book.

I led a breakout session on prayer at a church planting event a few years ago. Each of us gave a short explanation of our topic. After I shared why someone would want to come to a session on prayer, the church planter after me said, “I will show how you can grow your church without praying more or preaching better. I will show you a system that I used to grow my church.” Two people came to my session after that. I overheard one church planter tell an intern from his church, “I don’t need to learn to pray. I need to learn that system.” That same planter came to a meeting a couple of years later and confessed to all sorts of burnout, anger, anxiety and discouragement. If you could grow your church without prayer and a vibrant spiritual life, would you do it?

When I returned to seminary to finish my master’s degree, Dr. Don Whitney’s Personal Spiritual Disciplines was the first class I took. Because he lectured through the topics from his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, I took my class notes in the margins of the book so that I have my own annotated and expanded copy of the book. I learned several lessons that I use everyday and every week including how to lead my kids in family worship without going crazy. The lessons he taught that are most important, though, are how to meditate on the Bible, how to pray the Bible, and the value and methods of fasting. He taught us to live out Psalm 1. That is the secret that applies to every ministry. 

We don’t say it often enough to church planters or established church pastors. I don’t say it enough to myself. Psalm 1:1-3. “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” That is the secret–rejecting, delighting, and meditating.

Most of the time, we measure the fruit. It’s the part that we can easily count. We can also measure the first part of that passage. That is the secret. Do we spend as much time measuring our rejection of the way of the wicked, our desire for the LORD, and our delight in his word as we do attendance and giving trends?

I don’t know that we will understand what flourishing and prospering look like in God’s eyes until we get to heaven. Sometimes our ministry goals sound spiritual and godly, but we realize later were selfish and self-glorifying rather than God-glorifying. Our definition of success can be messed up, but we can be sure that we are on the right track if we stop focusing on the prosper part and instead focus on the desire and meditation parts. 

I suspect that there are some pastors reading this that are discouraged. Church planting might be harder than you imagined. Growth is coming slowly. You might be nearing retirement and frustrated at the end your ministry has led you to. You might have children that have rejected the LORD, and you are weighed down. You might be discouraged at the lack of visible fruit in your ministry–there were no visitors, new members, or baptisms again this week. Please remember the secret of Psalm 1. Leave the results in God’s hands, and go all in on rejecting, desiring, and meditating.

The secret is not about the church you plant; the secret is being the man that God plants.

The following is adapted from my written report to my church concerning the 2026 SBC Annual Meeting.

One of the things I love most about the church I pastor is our generous and sacrificial giving for the sake of the gospel. Our primary channel for that giving is the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). As I teach in our new members class, the SBC is not a top-down denomination. Instead, each SBC church is fully autonomous, and we have voluntarily chosen to cooperate together for the sake of missions and theological education.

Each year our little church gives a significant amount of money to SBC causes through the Cooperative Program, mission offerings, and other direct giving. That’s why it’s important to us to send messengers from our church each year to the annual meeting of the SBC. If we’re going to invest in our cooperative work as Southern Baptists at such a high level, it’s important for us to have a say in the direction of that cooperative work. This year we had six messengers from our church.

If you’ve never attended the SBC annual meeting, I wish you could see it in person. You would see very clearly that the news reports coming out of the meeting each year do not come close to giving a full picture of what takes place. There are always a couple of things that grab the headlines, but there are many more things that give a far more accurate representation of the important gospel work we are doing together as Southern Baptists.

The highlight of the meeting is always the International Mission Board (IMB) sending celebration where new missionaries are commissioned to take the gospel to the nations. This year 63 missionaries were commissioned. Many of them are going to difficult places where it is not even legal to be a missionary. Therefore, their identity is hidden as they share where they are going and what they will be doing. Your giving to the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering makes this possible.

I also had the privilege of attending two events put on by the North American Mission Board (NAMB). I shared on Sunday about a church planter in Wyoming who is working to raise up preachers to send throughout Wyoming to preach the gospel in places where there are no gospel preaching churches. Your giving to the Cooperative Program and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering helps make that possible.

Another highlight of this year’s annual meeting was celebrating the retirement of Dr. Daniel Akin who has served as the President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary for 22 years. We had the privilege of having Dr. Akin lead a marriage conference at our church back in 2019. Dr. Akin also served as my supervisor for my doctor of ministry project. I am thankful to God for his impact in my life and ministry. In addition to Southeastern, Southern Baptists have five other seminaries that are doing the important work of training and preparing pastors, missionaries, and other church leaders for the work to which God has called them. Your giving to the Cooperative Program helps make that possible.

In addition to all the reports about all the wonderful things that are happening among Southern Baptists, I wish you could see and experience the spirit of unity and love in the gospel that exists when we get together. I have friends around the country that I typically only get to see each year at the SBC annual meeting. I am thankful for the opportunity to reconnect and celebrate what God is doing in our respective ministries and our cooperative work.

The big headline that came out of this year’s annual meeting was an amendment to the SBC constitution regarding the office and function of pastor.

Let me start by saying that Southern Baptists have always overwhelmingly believed that the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. That position was enshrined in our statement of faith, the Baptist Faith & Message, in 2000. The Baptist Faith & Message is our church’s statement of faith and accurately represents our position when it comes to the office of pastor/elder/overseer. We believe that 1 Timothy 2:8-3:7 clearly teaches that only qualified men should serve in the office of pastor/elder/overseer and preach to the gathered congregation on the Lord’s Day.

We also believe that men and women are equal in dignity and worth, need for salvation through faith in Christ, and value to God’s kingdom. Women serve the Lord in our church in many ways. In fact, the only area of ministry where women are limited in our church is the office of pastor/elder/overseer and preaching to the gathered congregation on the Lord’s Day. We have women serving as deacons, Sunday School teachers, ministry directors, office manager, treasurer, hospitality, and much more! Where would we be without our sisters? I shudder even to think about it. God gifts, equips, and calls both women and men in service to Him. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’” (1 Cor. 12:21).

The constitutional amendment that was proposed states that a cooperating SBC church does 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 amendment passed with just under 75% of the vote. It needed and received a 2/3 majority to advance. It will need to receive at least a 2/3 majority again at next year’s convention to be adopted into the constitution.

I am in full agreement with the theology of the amendment. I do, however, have concerns with the fact that we are continuing to talk about this issue year after year. It would be much more beneficial to focus our attention on all of the wonderful ways that women give of themselves in service to our Lord and His church. I also believe that our statement of faith should focus on our theology, and our constitution and bylaws should focus on governance. They are separate documents with separate purposes. We do not need to delineate certain “super doctrines” in our constitution. And even if we did, there are a lot of doctrines in our statement of faith that are far more fundamental to the Christian faith than this one.

The question of whether women can serve as a pastor is relevant to our cooperative work of missions and theological education, but Southern Baptist messengers agree on the theology of this issue. Our seminaries all teach that the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. Our mission boards both require that pastors be qualified men. There is no creeping theological liberalism in the SBC on this issue outside of perhaps a very small number of outliers. While there has been some confusion at times, that confusion has been almost completely cleared up. It’s hard to understand why a constitutional amendment is needed. I do hope that we will be able to move past this issue after next year’s convention.

One of the big things that happens at every SBC annual meeting is the election of a convention president. As I teach in our new members class, this matters because the convention president appoints the Committee on Committees who nominates the Committee on Nominations who nominates trustees for the mission boards, seminaries, and other entities. If you want to ensure that the convention stays on the right track, you have to elect trustees who will keep things moving in the right direction.

There were two candidates this year for SBC president, Willy Rice from Florida and Josh Powell from South Carolina. My preferred candidate was Josh Powell, but Willy Rice won the election with 57% of the vote. The big difference between the two candidates was really the question of whether reform is needed in the SBC. Willy Rice was the self-professed reform candidate, while Josh Powell generally believes that things have been headed in the right direction.

It remains to be seen what kind of reform will result from Willy Rice’s presidency. The SBC presidency has the authority of appointments and the opportunity to speak to issues he believes are important, but one SBC president cannot institute sweeping reform on his own.

My biggest concern with both candidates and some other SBC leaders is the way that they have spoken about the issue of sexual abuse in SBC churches. There are some who say that the issue of sexual abuse in SBC churches has been overblown and that some of the convention actions to address the issue in recent years were a mistake. Both presidential candidates would fall somewhere in that group. There are others who say that the SBC hasn’t done anything to address the issue of sexual abuse in SBC churches.

I think both of those perspectives are wrong. Sexual abuse has been an issue in SBC churches, and sadly, it will continue to be an issue until Jesus returns and makes all things right. Southern Baptists voted a few years ago to create a database of convicted and credibly accused abusers with connections to SBC churches. The database has never been created, and there does not seem to be any appetite among Southern Baptist leaders for creating such a database. While I do have questions as to how much benefit such a database would be, if the messengers vote to do something, it should be done. No one in Nashville should be deciding not to do something that the messengers voted to do.

However, while it is true that we have not done enough to address sexual abuse in SBC churches, it is not true that nothing has been done. We now have a standing Credentials Committee that is interacting with churches on a number of issues. The vast majority of reports received by the Credentials Committee have to do with the response of churches to situations of sexual abuse. Those issues are being addressed. Churches that want help are being helped, and those that continue to demonstrate apathy regarding sexual abuse are being removed. In addition, Baptist Press is proactively reporting on instances of sexual abuse by people connected to SBC churches, in effect creating an unofficial database that anyone who knows how to Google can access when hiring staff or receiving a new member or volunteer.

Our church has been doing background checks and sexual abuse awareness training for all children and youth ministry volunteers for quite a while now. The church was already doing background checks ten years ago when I arrived, and we began requiring the training in the years since. We take very seriously our responsibility to protect the children and youth that God and parents entrust to our care as a church.

There is so much more I could say about the Southern Baptist Convention and this year’s annual meeting in Orlando. But if you’ve read all the way through to this point, you already deserve a gold star. What I would really love is to have you join me in Indianapolis next June for the SBC annual meeting so you can see in person our cooperative work in action.