Elder Proposals

by T. C. Pinckney                                                                                                Vol. VI, No. 5, June 1993

On 8 May Lloyd Elder, former president of the Sunday School Board and outspoken opponent of the conservative resurgence, sent a report titled "Calling the Family Back Together" to some "6,300 representative missions leaders in the churches, associations, state conventions, and SBC." Elder and ex-SBC president Herschel Hobbs held a meeting on the evening of Monday, 14 June, to discuss his initiatives. (The SBC convention began the next morning.)

Proposals and Critique:

Elder's 20 proposals reflect his "own vision for our Southern Baptist family," a proposed way to solve the SBC controversy:

1. "Reaffirm and reunite ourselves around missions, our essential business. Let every ongoing activity contrary to that purpose be put aside from our midst." Note the dual implications that somehow we are not now emphasizing missions (in spite of the fact that baptisms have risen in four of the last five years, the first time that has happened since the 1950s) and that the issue of biblical inerrancy is unimportant, indeed is harmful.

2. "Recommit ourselves to the faithful and sacrificial support of our denomination's mission causes; let such support be a primary basis for participation in the offices and governing bodies of our Convention." This lays the groundwork for numbers 4-6.

3. "Respect the autonomy of all Baptist bodies by consistently practicing the SBC constitution's statement on authority." Assumes that this principle is being violated; uses WMU and the Executive Committee resolution re the WMU (see WMU article in April 93 Banner) as the example. Ignores fact that the SBC is autonomous also.

4-6. "Continue to appoint one messenger [Note: Incorrect terminology. Messengers are elected by their churches, not appointed by anyone. Elder may have intended to say "authorize."] for every mission-supporting, Southern Baptist church – regardless of size that gives at least 2% of its undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program. Elect all other messengers, based on one additional messenger for each additional 1% of church budget gifts through the Cooperative Program. Increase the maximum number of messengers from each church to 20 messengers, or up to 2% of the church membership."

These recommendations would change the basis for authorizing messengers from a dollar amount, presently $250 per messenger up to a maximum of 10, to a percentage amount.

Such suggestions have been made previously and are feasible. However, in the past they have not evoked much enthusiasm because they were obviously directed at certain conservative leaders.

7. "Require that all church messengers to the SBC be at least 18 years of age – the same as the legal voting age of U.S. citizenship." This is the one Elder proposal with which your editor strongly agrees. In Houston a family of six sat in front of my wife and myself: mother, father, two teen age girls, and two boys whose ages I estimate at seven and nine. All six were messengers as evidenced by the fact that all six held books of ballots! I cannot believe that children that young are sufficiently informed to arrive at reasoned judgments on the often complicated matters before the SBC.

8-10. "Change the business of the SBC from annual meetings to biennial meetings. Establish a national network of 36 to 72 'regional voting conventions' for registered messengers, meeting simultaneously with the national Convention session. Provide for pre-convention registration of messengers, issuing as many as 200,000 to 300,000 'Baptist voter registration cards."'

Whereas Elder bills his proposals as a way to put control of the SBC into the hands of faithful Baptists, these suggestions would seem to be counterproductive. Biennial meetings would clearly give more power and leeway to committees and boards and conversely reduce oversight by elected messengers. Some matters require quick action, impossible for a biennial convention. Although 36 to 72 different sites scattered geographically are perhaps electronically possible, practically the complexities are overwhelming. There would be even less time available to each messenger to try to have his voice heard. The almost inevitable result would be that the convention would become even more politicized than at present.

11-12. "Select the SBC president, other SBC officers, and all members of the SBC boards, commissions, and committees from churches that contribute through the Cooperative Program at least the Convention-wide average percent of church budget gifts. Include members and churches of the family in participation/representation in Southern Baptist governance based on their support of Southern Baptist causes, not excluded because of their support of other mission causes."

The first sentence would exclude large numbers of SBC churches from having any member eligible to serve; it could even be more than half our 38,000 churches that would be excluded. Moreover, no consideration would be given to unusual circumstances; for example the churches destroyed in Florida during the recent disastrous hurricane which must now, probably for several years, devote most of their resources to rebuilding and perhaps local relief, could have no one selected to serve, regardless of the individual's qualifications. The second sentence seems strange because that is exactly what the present SBC constitution provides; cooperating churches are defined simply by making any donation to the SBC cooperative program or missions offerings; they are not excluded because of any outside contributions they may make.

13. "Require that the offices of SBC president and first vice president alternate between laypersons and ordained ministers; and that these officers be elected for one 2-year term." The lay-ordained alternation may be helpful to involve more laymen and to dispel the all-too-prevalent view of both laymen and pastors that laymen should just let the clergy do it. We are all to be ministers, and possibly alternation may be helpful ... at any rate it is probably worth study. The 2-year term is, of course, simply a function of Elder's proposed biennial meetings.

14-19. Authorize each of the 34 eligible state conventions, through its elective process, [14] to appoint one or two nominees to serve on the Committee on Committees (change Bylaw 21). The SBC president would appoint the other 34 members; [15] to nominate one of the two nominees to serve on the Committee on Nominations (change Bylaw 16). The SBC Committee on Committees would nominate the other 34 members; [16] to nominate the first eligible member to the SBC Executive Committee and each eligible 3rd and 5th, etc. (change Bylaw 16). The Committee on Nominations would nominate the other members; [18] to nominate the first eligible trustee and each additional 3rd, 5th, etc. [for the FMB, HMB, SSB, & Annuity Board] (change Bylaw 16). The committee on Nominations would nominate the other trustees – 2nd, 4th, 6th, etc.; [19] to nominate the 1 st eligible state member to each [seminary, commission, & foundation] (change Bylaw 16). The SBC Committee on Nominations would nominate all other members."

The effect of these proposals would be a massive violation of the Baptist principle of autonomy of each level of our polity. The state conventions would then be able to control the SBC, although the SBC would have no more influence than now over the state conventions. Similar suggestions have been made repeatedly in the past with an absolute absence of success. Clearly the only reason for such proposals is Dr. Elder's dislike of the turn the SBC is making back toward its historical adherence to the complete authority of the Bible. Should such changes occur, the SBC would become a connectional polity with the state conventions in the driver's seat. Imagine the chaos as 34 (or more as new states become fully qualified) state conventions vie for control. Talk about politics! Southern Baptists are not a connectional people from the top down OR from the bottom up.

20. "Follow the SBC Constitution and Bylaw requirements for amendments to accomplish these proposed revisions for restoring our focus on missions, giving, and governance." This is not substantive and does not require comment.

Elder-Hobbs Meeting:

As noted, Drs. Elder and Hobbs invited all state executive directors, presidents, and chairmen of state general boards to a meeting at the Four Seasons Hotel in Houston on Monday evening, 14 June. By headcount there were 82 present. Some 20 of these were conservatives who had heard of the meeting and went out of curiosity but took no part. Another 10 or 12 were media representatives. Thus there were only about 50 potential participants.

The session began with a presentation by Elder and some words by Dr. Hobbs after which Elder asked for comments. Observers reported that it took him a good five to ten minutes to elicit any response at all and that most who did speak were decidedly unenthusiastic. After some time Elder called for a smaller meeting to decide upon a course of action. Thirty stayed for that meeting including ten conservatives, whether any media remained is unknown. The final decision was that no motions would be offered at this SBC convention but that instead they would form a study group to continue examining the proposals.

On Tuesday a state executive director was asked whether he had attended and replied in the negative. When asked why, he said, "Oh, that's just a group of malcontents trying to cause trouble." Probably an accurate assessment. It seems that Dr. Elder is being borne along by a tidal wave of indifference.