Report to the Deacons
From
The Denominational Relations Study Committee
September 24, 2007

 Summary of Key Recommendations

Based on research and after prayerful consideration, the denominational relations study committee has formed five basic recommendations for the to consider. 

1. The church should continue its affiliation with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC) as long as the actions of the BSCNC do not infringe on the autonomy of the local congregation.

2. The church should broaden its missions reach by affiliating with other like-minded Baptist groups.  Specifically, the church should immediately begin a relationship with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF).

3. The church needs to formalize its long held beliefs by incorporating basic Baptist principles into official church documents.  These beliefs include the autonomy of the local church, priesthood of the believer, and the authority of the Bible. 

4. The church should continue to educate its membership on Baptist beliefs and the mission of FBC.  The education process should include a renewed focus on the church’s Mission Statement and the Church Covenant.

5. The church should develop a contingency plan for withdrawal from the BSCNC if future conditions warrant such action.  The contingency plan must consider the impact on the church staff’s benefit and retirement plans, and how the church will continue to provide suitable training and mission programs.

Charge to the Committee

In January 2007 the chairman of the deacons, Millie Brooks, formed a denominational relations study committee.  The committee members are Dr. Ed Beam, chairman; Bud Fisher; Joyce Lawing; Lee Layton; Paul McCurry; Mike Ramsey; Gene Sutton; Seth Stilwell; Dr. Jim Walton; and Dan Wortman.  Millie Brooks and Dr. David Smith are ex-officio members of the committee.

The committee was formed due to concerns that other organizations may attempt to infringe upon the autonomy of this local congregation.  The charge given to the committee by the chairman of the deacons and pastor was to “identify who we are, how we present ourselves to other Baptist groups and then present the findings, and recommend any changes that may be needed.”

Process

The committee has met numerous times as a group and in sub-committees to research and discuss the issues facing Baptists today.  The committee asked Dr. Smith to bring in relevant speakers to educate the church on the issues facing Baptists, and Dr. Smith invited Dr. Hugh Burlington to speak in March and Tony Cartledge in July.

The committee has studied the history of First Baptist Church and has researched its bylaws, policies, and use of programs and products of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC).

The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as well as previous versions, BF&M 1925, BF&M 1963, and BF&M 1998, were studied and discussed.

The committee reviewed the purpose and current status of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and other Baptist organizations including the Caldwell Baptist Association, American Baptist Churches USA, Alliance of Baptists, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), and the North American Baptist Covenant.

Interviews and information were gathered from other North Carolina Baptist churches including Hickory First, Gastonia First, Morganton First, White Rock Baptist Church, Kinetic Church of Charlotte, Park Road Baptist Church, Henderson First, and Masonboro Baptist Church.

The committee also reviewed several books on Baptist history and monitored articles in publications such as the Biblical Recorder.

Historical Background

Organized in 1889 as an outreach mission of the Lower Creek Baptist Church, First Baptist Church Lenoir (initially known as Lenoir Baptist Church) has always had as its purpose to advance and promote the worship of God through reading and study of the Bible as the revealed word of God. 

Since its inception, First Baptist has maintained an affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, and the Caldwell Baptist Association.  Participation in each of these organizations is specifically mentioned in the bylaws of the church.

Although not formally adopted, the church has held dear the principle Baptist beliefs of the priesthood of the believer, the authority of the Scriptures, and the autonomy of the local church.  In addition, the church follows the traditional Baptist ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and Believer’s Baptism.

From the recent history of the church, we found the following key events:

1978 - Women were added to the deaconate.

1994 - The church adopted a covenant principle of membership known as “My Commitment to Christ.”

2001 - The church adopted a mission statement that defined the church’s mission as a Great Commission church.

The church has continued to give to missions and the Cooperative Program by designating funds directly to the International Mission Board through the BSCNC.  This giving method is outside of the established BSCNC giving plans.

Current Situation

The following is a synopsis of organizations with which FBC has a current affiliation or might consider some type of affiliation in the future.

Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)
The SBC is a national association that was formed in 1845 after splitting from the American Baptist Convention over the issue of slavery.  The purpose of the SBC is to educate ministers, provide a mechanism for local churches to engage in global missions, and provide educational materials to local churches. 

Since the early 1980s, the leadership of the SBC has become increasingly conservative and has attempted to remove individuals from leadership positions who do not share their conservative views.  As a result, the Baptist statement of faith, which was originally developed in 1925, has become a controversial issue within the SBC.   The Baptist Faith and Message (BF&M) is a powerful statement of Baptist beliefs.  The BF&M was refined in 1963, and the BF&M 1963 is probably the most well-known version of the BF&M.  The 1998 and 2000 versions of the BF&M were attempts to redefine what Baptists believe and to redefine the role of women in ministry.  Some theologians believe that the BF&M 2000 places a greater emphasis on the Bible than on Jesus.  The 2000 version omitted a key statement that read, “Baptists emphasize the soul’s competency before God, freedom in religion, and the priesthood of the believer.”  Despite the fact that the BF&M is not a creed, faculty at SBC-owned seminaries and missionaries who apply to serve through the various SBC missionary agencies must affirm that their practices, doctrine, and preaching are consistent with the BF&M 2000.

Baptist State Convention of North Carolina (BSCNC)
The BSCNC is the state association of the SBC and is the facilitator for SBC activities in the state as well as a resource for member churches.  Membership in the BSCNC is a prerequisite for participation in the programs of the SBC.  The BSCNC has passed resolutions to investigate churches that do not conform to the policies of the state convention.  The BSCNC is threatening to withhold local church funds from certain Baptist organizations, such as the Baptist Retirement Homes, until these organizations submit to the will of the BSCNC.  The state convention has several giving plans for mission contributions from local churches.  FBC gives to the missions of the BSCNC outside of any of the defined plans.  The committee believes that recent trends within the BSCNC will ultimately infringe upon the autonomy of FBC. 

Caldwell Baptist Association (CBA)
The CBA is a regional assembly of Baptist churches in Caldwell County and functions as a coordinating agent between the BSCNC and the local churches within the association.  The CBA, under the guidance of the Director of Missions, seeks to help coordinate and facilitate the resources, services and programs of the BSCNC with the local churches in Caldwell County. 

Women’s Missionary Union (WMU)
The WMU is an auxiliary agency within Southern Baptist life that has been developed through the leadership of women for the primary purpose of focusing on missions with the adult women and young girls in the local church.  There is an authority crisis in the relationship between the BSCNC leadership and the leadership of the WMU.

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF)
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and Baptist churches that began to organize in 1991 in the wake of the SBC moving in a much more conservative direction and away from what many believed to be traditional Baptist principles of faith and practice.  The CBF identifies itself as follows:  “We are a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission of Jesus Christ and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice.” 

CBF is a growing movement nationally, especially in North Carolina.  More than 5,000 churches nationwide have contributed to the CBF since it was founded, and there are approximately 50 Baptist churches in North Carolina that are aligned with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina (CBF-NC).  The CBF-NC is not a denomination, and any church or individual contributing to the support of the CBF-NC may participate. 

American Baptist Convention (ABC)
The ABC is a coalition of Baptist churches primarily in the Middle Atlantic States and in the Northeast that constitute a convention similar to the SBC in administration and polity.  The ABC was the original Baptist organization in America.  The SBC is a splinter group of the ABC.  Many believe that the ABC has maintained a stronger sense of integrity with regard to traditional Baptist principles of faith and practice than the SBC.  The ABC has a strong emphasis on social ministry.  There are a few North Carolina Baptist churches that have dropped their SBC affiliation and aligned solely with the ABC, and a few maintain a dual alignment with the ABC and SBC.

Alliance of Baptists (AOB)
The AOB is a network of Baptist churches that have joined together to experience growth through dialog, through worship, and through enlightenment concerning significant social issues in our culture.  It seems to be more of an interest group for learning and growth than a convention of churches.  There is a strong emphasis on worship and women in ministry.  Several North Carolina Baptist churches have some relationship with the AOB. 

Recommended Actions

As presented in the key summary of recommendations, the committee is recommending five actions by the church.  The first recommendation is to continue to maintain a relationship with the BSCNC and to participate in their programs to the extent that the programs advance the mission of FBC.  However, the church must be prepared to protect its autonomy and not let the actions of the BSCNC interfere with the mission of the church.

The second recommendation is to consider affiliations with other like-minded groups.  At this time, our recommendation is to begin a relationship with the CBF-NC.  This should include a monetary contribution to the support of the CBF-NC, sending representatives to the CBF-NC general assembly, and participating in missions giving programs within the CBF-NC.

The third recommendation is to add key Baptist beliefs to the church bylaws.  Attached is a copy of the church bylaws with the suggested changes.  The committee recommends that the bylaws be amended to include the church’s mission statement along with the basic Baptist principles. 

The fourth recommendation is for the church to continue to educate its membership on Baptist beliefs and the mission of FBC.  The education process should include a renewed focus on the church’s Mission Statement and the Church Covenant.  The committee recommends that the denomination relations study committee lead this process with assistance from other appropriate church committees.

Finally, the church should make a contingency plan for withdrawal from the BSCNC if future conditions warrant such action.  We recommend that the denominational relations study committee, in cooperation with other church committees, lead the process of developing a contingency plan.  For example, withdrawing from the BSCNC would have an immediate impact on our ministerial staff’s retirement and medical benefit plans, and we would need to select an alternative benefit package.  Withdrawal would also limit our use of Caswell for youth programs, choir competitions and workshops, seminary scholarships, mission projects and access to other BSCNC resources.  The contingency plan must consider the impact on the church staff’s benefit and retirement plans, as well as how the church will continue to provide suitable training and mission projects for the membership. 

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