Follow the Leader?
June 9, 2006 -
Follow the Leader?
Dr. David Tolliver - June 9, 2006
Follow the Leader is a game that most children play. The oldest three of the Tolliver boys, as we grew up, were no exception. Phillip, the oldest of us, because he was the oldest and therefore the biggest, Phil was usually the leader. Of course, the object of the game was to simply do whatever Phil, the leader, did. And to the best of our ability, Steve and I, the younger and smaller brothers followed the leader. Now, Phil was just trying to win the game. He wanted to be the best. He didn’t realize that, at the same time, he was making his younger brothers better. He didn’t know that his challenge caused us to stretch ourselves physically---and we became stronger.
For more than 150 years in the Southern Baptist Convention we have followed our leaders to great heights in evangelism and missions. Through the years, great men of God have challenged us to reach farther and accomplish more together than we could possibly accomplish separately. The SBC was organized in 1845 for the specific purpose of “...eliciting, combining, and directing the energies of the denomination for the propogation of the gospel”. Southern Baptists are forever blessed to have that strong missions foundation. We are indebted to those early leaders.
Since 1979, our leaders have led us through a much needed and very effective conservative resurgence. Southern Baptists desperately needed and we deeply appreciate the leadership of many men who led us to doctrinal integrity in our SBC institutions and agencies. The leadership of those men also has been invaluable to Southern Baptists. We are eternally grateful to them.
But now a new kind of leadership is needed in the Southern Baptist Convention. The principle of Biblical inerrancy has been firmly established in our churches, agencies and institutions. The time is now for new SBC leadership to resemble the early leaders who taught us to cooperate together to reach the world for Christ. George McDaniel was the President of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1925, the year the Cooperative Program began. McDaniel urged Southern Baptists to “…join heartily in the Cooperative program for missions, it represents the combined thought and judgment of Southern Baptists, not my thought, not your thought, not that of any one man---but the combined thoughts of many.” Where are the George McDaniel’s of today in the SBC? Why is not Cooperative Program missions the primary issue in the upcoming SBC presidential election? I submit that the combined thought and judgment of the average Southern Baptist continues to be that together we can reach the world for Christ. But is that the thought and judgment of those who lead us?
Lately a different kind of leader has emerged in the Southern Baptist Convention. Dr. Ronnie Floyd, Senior Pastor of the Springdale, Arkansas First Baptist Church, and the only announced only candidate for SBC President is a very capable leader. He is, in fact, an extraordinary leader. But what kind of leader and in what direction will he lead Southern Baptists? The considered opinion is that Floyd will lead us further away from Cooperative Program missions. Under Floyd’s leadership, the Springdale FBC gives .26%---approximately 1/4 of 1% of their undesignated receipts to worldwide missions through the Cooperative Program.
Suppose that all Southern Baptists followed Floyd’s leadership in Cooperative Program giving. From October 1, 2005 through April 30, 2006 the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention received $117,595,665.30 for missions through the Cooperative Program. Sadly, the average Southern Baptist church currently gives 6.6% of their budget through the Cooperative Program. But, what if all Southern Baptist churches gave at the same rate as the Springdale FBC? If that were the case, rather than $117,595,665.30, we would have given only $4,629,956.51 to missions. $112,965,708 would be missing from the treasury of Southern Baptist missions and ministry. What ministries would we decide to cut? Which missionaries would have to cease their Gospel ministries and come home? Why are we even asking these insane questions?
A far better question is this---why not follow SBC leaders who will lead us to reinvigorate the Cooperative program? There are other SBC leaders who will encourage and challenge us to do more in missions. To be sure there are some great mission minded leaders with cooperative spirits in the SBC. Past SBC Presidents like Jimmy Draper, Jim Henry, Morris Chapman and Bobby Welch are stellar examples. May their tribe increase.
In fact, another Cooperative Program Champion has emerged. Dr. Frank Page, Senior Pastor of the Taylors, South Carolina First Baptist Church is a second announced candidate for the SBC Presidency. Page and the church he serves gives more than 12% to worldwide missions through the Cooperative. Beyond that, the Taylors First Baptist Church is involved in direct missions. Frank Page says, “Our church gives over 12% to the Cooperative Program and we have a huge missions program on top of that, so we believe that one can do both.” If all Southern Baptist church followed the leadership of Frank Page and the Taylors First Baptist Church, rather than $117,595.665.30, the Cooperative Program would have received $219,155,558.05 for worldwide missions and ministry in the designated time period. If all us follow the lead of leaders like Frank Page, we would have more than 100 millions additional dollars for missions.
The numbers mentioned above are staggering and ought to cause cooperating Southern Baptists to think about the future of the SBC and the future of Southern Baptist missions. The report of the Ad Hoc Cooperative Program Committee reveals that in the last 20 years, Cooperative Program giving has decreased by almost 5%---from 11.5% to 6.6% nationally. That same report will lay some of the responsibility for the decline on SBC leaders who do not personally, significantly support the Cooperative Program. A vital question for those who will be messengers to the 2006 SBC is this---how can we, with integrity, adopt the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Cooperative program and, in the same annual meeting, elect a President with a dismal history of giving Cooperative Program?
The Cooperative Program has been correctly defined as the glue that holds Southern Baptists together and enables them to stick to the Great Commission. Albert McClellan in “Meet Southern Baptists” wrote “…cooperation is essential, and it is clear that churches that work together are able to accomplish more than churches that work alone. An isolated independent church may take a neighborhood for Christ, but only a community of related independent churches can take a city for Christ.” Times have changed since McClellan made that statement. Today there are many churches---such as the Springdale, Arkansas FBC as well as the Taylors, South Carolina First Baptist Church that are able to take a city for Christ. But it will always be true that no one church will reach the world, even a nation, alone. The fact is, all Southern Baptists require the cooperation of every other Southern Baptist to reach the world. And the world is the assignment of all Christian churches.
Follow the leader?
