Second Missouri convention slated to launch in April  

by Bill Webb                                                                                                                    Vol. XV, No. 2, February 2002

About 350 Missouri Baptists representing more than 100 churches met Jan. 17 in Sedalia to lay groundwork for a new state convention. They agreed to formally launch what is tentatively being called the Baptist Convention of Missouri either April 18-19 or 19-20 at Fee Fee Baptist Church in suburban St. Louis. Saying they had grown weary of factional strife in the Missouri Baptist Convention, speakers said the time had come to consider something new.

Plans call for the new convention to relate to the Southern Baptist Convention and commit to the welfare of all nine Missouri Baptist agencies, with particular attention to support of five entities defunded by messengers to the MBC annual meeting last October. Those five include The Baptist Home, Missouri Baptist College, Windermere Baptist Conference Center, the Missouri Baptist Foundation, and Word and Way, whose decisions to elect their own trustees drew the ire of a strong majority of messengers last fall.

A second state convention in Missouri would bring to three the number of states with separate organizations relating to the SBC. Conservatives formed breakaway conventions in Virginia and Texas, both moderate strongholds. The alternative Missouri convention would be the first for moderates in a state controlled by conservatives.

Speakers described what they view as a growing exclusiveness in MBC life and criticized recent actions to seek legal opinions in an effort that could result in lawsuits against one or more of the five institutions. Other grievances include the state convention's decision to escrow Cooperative Program and missions offering funds budgeted for those agencies in 2002 and the unseating of messengers from Second Baptist Church in Liberty, both during the annual meeting.

The Sedalia meeting, which included five breakout discussion sessions, featured presentations by host pastor Drew Hill and his brother, Jim Hill. Jim Hill resigned as MBC executive director last year, saying he opposed defunding the institutions and would not be a part of proposed legal action against them.

Hill said the 104 churches represented at the Jan. 17 meeting gave more than $4 million to the Cooperative Program in 2000. Should all those churches follow through and become part of a new convention, their aggregate membership would be 109,927. A convention that size would be larger than 21 of the 41 existing Baptist state conventions, Hill said.

Hill said he had been in touch with Morris Chapman, chief executive officer of the Southern Baptist Convention, and that Chapman would advise the new convention on setting up appropriately to send funds to the SBC. But Hill cautioned, "The only reason Baptists should form a new convention in Missouri is if they believe it is the will of God."

H. K. Neely, vice president for denominational relations at Southwest Baptist University, said he was not representing the college but spoke as a product of Southern Baptist life and a long-term Missouri Baptist. Neely called for a convention (1) "that is willing to represent all Missouri Baptists;" (2) "that understands the nature of Baptist cooperation;" (3) "that recognizes the nature of Baptist confessions of faith;" (4) "that understands the relationship between conventions and agencies;" and (5) "just to do the work."

Questions surfaced regarding the new convention's proposed relationship with the SBC and whether Cooperative Baptist Fellowship churches would be included. "As far as cooperating with the SBC, we're not all on the same page," Drew Hill acknowledged. Citing a respect for local church autonomy, he said, "There are many, many Missouri Baptist churches that are committed deeply to the SBC."

"In order for a new convention to really honor our heritage and history, two kinds of people in our churches are going to have to be willing to come together," he said. "Churches who have gone through the process of pulling from the SBC would have to be respectful of the others" and vice-versa.

Jim Hill predicted some churches that relate to CBF would be interested in the new convention and others would not. He and others said they did not necessarily feel that churches should be excluded from participation in a new convention on the basis of where they send their money. [ABP]