The Fifth and Final Report of the SBC Funding Study Committee
6/11/2007
 The SBC Funding Study Committee (FSC) is an ad hoc committee of the Executive Committee, having been charged by action of the full Executive Committee in February of 2002 with the task of studying Southern Baptist Convention funding issues.  This final report represents the discussions and deliberations of the FSC during 2007. [Read More]

Stand For Marriage
5/16/2006
Most of you have seen ABC TV's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition where they tear down a house and rebuild it. Unfortunately, there has been another Extreme Makeover happening to the American home. Some are trying to tear down traditional marriage and redefine it. In fact, we are only one Supreme Court decision away from legalizing same-sex "marriage" all across America. How should Christians respond? [Read More]

Final Report of Ad Hoc Cooperative Program Committee
3/22/2006
Southern Baptists have always been a missional people. From the inception of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1845 we have always rallied around the command of Christ to carry the Gospel to the entire world. At the heart of our local churches, and of all organizations and agencies beyond the local church, is the desire to share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Cooperative Program was implemented to give each Southern Baptist a way to be a part of reaching the world for Christ through their local church. Sadly, we too often have allowed our focus to become ingrown and diverted from our evangelistic responsibility. Most of the strategies and initiatives in this report focus on telling the story of what we are currently doing through the Cooperative Program, but we must not fall into the trap of thinking we can reposition the Cooperative Program in the hearts of Southern Baptists by focusing only on what we are accomplishing. [Read More]

Final Report of Ad Hoc Cooperative Program Committee (Appendices)
3/22/2006
Appendices A, B, and C for Final Report of Ad Hoc Cooperative Program Committee [Read More]

Cooperative Program Advance Plan (a model for state conventions)
3/22/2006
The goal of the Cooperative Program Advance Plan is to aid Baptist state conventions in forwarding to the Southern Baptist Convention an increasing percentage of the total Cooperative Program gifts received from the churches. Although the original idea of Cooperative Program allocation was to divide the proceeds from the churches 50/50 between the Southern Baptist Convention and the states, that goal has never been attained. Some state conventions have reached it from time to time before readjusting. The aggregate division of Cooperative Program between the states and the Southern Baptist Convention is approximately 64/36. The aggregate percentage forwarded to the Southern Baptist Convention has been in the range of 35% to 39% for the last twenty years. Currently, three of the 41 state conventions send at least 50% of the Cooperative Program receipts to the Southern Baptist Convention (one after deducting shared, or preferred, items). [Read More]

Fourth Report of the SBC Funding Study Committee
3/21/2006
The SBC Funding Study Committee (FSC) is an ad hoc committee of the Executive Committee, having been charged by action of the full Executive Committee in February of 2002 with the task of studying Southern Baptist Convention funding issues. The study was begun against a backdrop of recognition that the SBC seminaries faced financial challenges, although funding issues relating to all our entities are within the committee’s scope of discussion and review. [Read More]

Context for Review of New Orleans Seminary’s Sole Membership Charter Amendments
2/4/2005
In the course of the discussions between the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee and the various SBC entities regarding the recommendation of sole membership amendments to their various charters, it became the practice to supply them with footnoted drafts showing the suggested, beneficial changes. In all cases, the drafts were prepared by the SBC’s lawyers and submitted to the entities, which in turn would review those drafts, ask questions, suggest changes or otherwise respond. [Read More]

Response to reservations about sole membership posed by the New Orleans seminary
1/28/2005
The General Counsel of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention and the General Counsel of the Southern Baptist Convention are of the opinion that the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (charter) of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary adopted by the seminary's board of trustees should be approved by the Southern Baptist Convention. [Read More]

Context for the Reservations Expressed by New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary
1/28/2005
At the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, June 15-16, 2004, the Convention respectfully requested the trustees of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to adopt in their October 2004 meeting an amended seminary charter that would... [Read More]

Sole Membership - A Florida Layman’s Perspective
5/28/2004
A huge volume of information now exists to educate you on the “Sole Membership” issue that will be addressed at the Southern Baptist Convention in June 2004. So much is available that it would be easy to get confused about a relatively simple matter. Most of the information that has been provided has been from the perspective of theologians and lawyers. These are great resources but sound common sense and logical analysis is required to reach a solution that is legally sound and supports our historic Baptist polity. [Read More]

A Letter to Dr. Denton Lotz from Dr. Morris H. Chapman, SBC EC President
3/3/2004
The following letter was written by Dr. Morris H. Chapman, President of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, to Dr. Denton Lotz, General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, to protest the BWA Membership Committee’s disregard for the BWA Constitution and Bylaws in its determination to accept the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship into the membership of the alliance. [Read More]

Letter from Albert W. Wardin, Professor Emeritus of History, Belmont University
2/20/2004
As a long-time supporter of the BWA – in committee and commission participation, financial support, and writing – I have been most disturbed about the proposed separation of the SBC from the BWA. As editor and writer of the book, Baptists Around the World, I am particularly sensitive of the need for inter-Baptist cooperation worldwide. The statement of James Leo Garrett, emeritus professor of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, in a recent issue of the Biblical Recorder on the great value of the BWA echoes many of my sentiments. [Read More]

The Relation of the Southern Baptist Convention to Its Entities
12/19/2003
By Dr. David Hankins, vice-president for Cooperative Program. Dr. Charles Kelley, President of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, has recently presented a paper on Southern Baptist polity entitled The Baptist Way: A Personal Perspective. He indicates the specific purpose is to discuss “the relationship between Southern Baptists and their national entities.” (Kelley, p. 1). His interest in addressing the topic arose from a request for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to name the Southern Baptist Convention as its “sole member.” (See accompanying article on “The Southern Baptist Convention and Sole Membership”). Dr. Kelley’s paper argues against such an action contending it would be a threat to Southern Baptist polity. This is a crucial and timely topic, especially in view of recent events regarding Baptists and their institutions. [Read More]

Report of the SBC Funding Study Committee to the SBC Executive Committee
10/23/2003
This is the third report of the SBC Funding Study Committee to the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. This report was unanimously adopted by the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention in September, 2003. [Read More]

Why are some Southern Baptists currently talking about Sole Membership, and what is it?
10/14/2003
By D. August Boto, Vice President for Convention Policy, and James P. Guenther, General Counsel to the Southern Baptist Convention. The "Sole Membership" issue has to do with an orderly adoption by the Southern Baptist entities of certain amendments to their governing documents (specifically, their articles of incorporation) over the past several years. These amendments restate the traditional relationships historically enjoyed between the entities and the Southern Baptist Convention. These amendments use more modern corporate law language, which is better understood by courts than the language that formerly existed. [Read More]

Response to Inquiries from the Trustees of NOBTS regarding Sole Membership
10/13/2003
By D. August Boto, Vice President for Convention Policy, and James P. Guenther, General Counsel to the Southern Baptist Convention. This paper is an attempt to adequately address questions posed in a letter dated April 8, 2003 from T.C. French, Jr., Chairman of the NOBTS Board of Trustees, to Morris H. Chapman, President of the Executive Committee. [Read More]

The State of Giving in the Southern Baptist Convention
9/23/2003
Since its appointment in the spring of 2002, the SBC Funding Study Committee has met eleven times and, in addition, has conducted numerous interviews and conference calls.  The Committee has gathered and analyzed large amounts of data.  It has divided its research into two related areas: (1) the financial status and needs of the Southern Baptist Convention in general and (2) the financial status and needs of the seminaries in particular. [Read More]

SBC Funding Study Committee Interim Report 2
2/18/2003
The SBC Funding Study Committee has continued to evaluate data concerning the financial condition of the entities of the Southern Baptist Convention. The committee has been seeking to analyze current and potential revenue sources, understand the implications of various models of allocation, enunciate SBC priorities in funding, and explore opportunities for efficiencies in spending. [Read More]

Letter from Dr. Bob Curtis
8/13/2002
from Dr. Bob Curtis, President, Missouri Baptist Convention August 13, 2002 [Read More]

Questions and Answers
8/13/2002
from Dr. Bob Curtis, President, Missouri Baptist Convention [Read More]

Behind the Scenes at the SBC
An Editorial by Dr. Jerry Falwell
6/13/2002
This week's annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention was met with some unexpected fireworks after my friend Dr. Jerry Vines, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Fla., declared that Muhammad was a "demon-possessed pedophile" and that Islam teaches the destruction of all non-Muslims. [Read More]

Response by Morris H. Chapman to the BGCT Executive Board Resolution of February 26, 2002
3/1/2002
During its February 26, 2002, meeting, the BGCT Executive Board passed a resolution urging Southern Baptist Convention leaders to "cease and desist from seeking to undermine the mission endeavors of state conventions in general and the Baptist General Convention of Texas in particular." It expressed "dismay and offense," and further stated that I had attempted to "persuade Baptist churches in Texas to redirect Cooperative Program giving away from the BGCT budget." Though I certainly wish to speak fraternally, I am compelled to speak frankly as well. I believe you have misconstrued both my statements and my intent in the matter addressed. We are all aware that the letter I sent was not written in a vacuum - it was a direct response to actions of the BGCT we strongly believe to be adverse to the interests of the SBC. [Read More]

Does It Matter What Missionaries Believe?
2/14/2002
an editorial by Jerry Rankin, President, International Mission Board Sent to Baptist state papers Feb. 14, 2002 Does it matter what missionaries believe? Should missionaries sent out by a denominational agency have any accountability to the churches that support them? Since the New Hampshire Baptist Confession of 1833, Baptists have drafted documents of belief that distinguish them from other Christians. The Baptist Faith and Message, like other confessions of faith, imposes no theological creed on individuals and churches. It does represent the common faith shared by Southern Baptists who choose to affiliate in associations and conventions. [Read More]

Letter from Gordon Fort to the Baptist Standard
2/14/2002
I have read with surprise and disappointment the misinformation being circulated about the request that IMB missionaries affirm the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message. [Read More]

On Facts and Fallacies
2/6/2002
by David E. Hankins, Vice-President for Cooperative Program Executive Committee, SBC February 5, 2002 Marv Knox, editor of the Baptist Standard, has accused Morris H Chapman, president of the SBC Executive Committee, of "over stepping his bounds." Where did this overstepping occur? It was, supposedly, in a letter Chapman sent to leaders of Southern Baptist churches in Texas in which, according to Knox, he misled his readers, didn't tell the whole story, took sides, and generally distorted the record of the BGCT. Certainly, opines Mr. Knox, Baptists deserve to have facts, not fallacies. Yes, Mr. Knox, they do, but let's see just who is getting their facts straight, and who is not. [Read More]

Letter by SBC Executive Committee President & CEO Morris H. Chapman to Dr. James L. Hill
1/25/2002
A letter to Dr. James Hill regarding the request for affiliation with the SBC from the newly-formed "Baptist Convention of Missouri." [Read More]

A View from the Other Side: Observations on the Work of the 'Rhodes Consultation on the Future of Church Related Colleges
11/16/2001
A View from the Other Side: Observations on the Work of the 'Rhodes Consultation on the Future of Church Related Colleges. A paper presented at the 53rd annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, Colorado Springs, Colorado. By Andy Chambers, Dean of Students/Assistant Professor of Bible Missouri Baptist College, St. Louis, MO November 16, 2001 - Revised April 24, 2002. [Read More]

Carter's rift with SBC not a new development, former president's views far from denomination's
10/29/2000
Dr. Mohler discusses former President Jimmy Carter's "resignation" from the Southern Baptist Convention, and its intended purpose of drawing public attention to the cause of the liberal wing of the Southern Baptist Convention. [Read More]

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary's Response to the Baptist General Convention of Texas Seminary Study Committee Report
10/24/2000
Dr. Mohler stresses the importance of a study of theological education being serious in intent and responsible in approach. He points out the shortcomings of the report of the BGCT Seminary Study Committee report, and explains why their report cannot be taken as a serious study of theological education. [Read More]

Response to BGCT Seminary Study Committee Report
10/12/2000
In this paper, BGCT Seminary Study Committee concerns are addressed and countered with data, including faculty listings, demographic breakdowns of the student body, and other relevant details. [Read More]

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary's Response to the Baptist General Convention of Texas Seminary Study Committee
10/10/2000
In this paper by SEBTS President Paige Patterson, the BGCT Seminary Study Committee report is analyzed briefly and found to contain numerous flawed assumptions, biases, and misstatements. [Read More]

Executive Committee Interacts with BGCT Funding Proposal
10/9/2000
A recounting of the cooperative funding issues facing Southern Baptists in Texas, and the SBC's attempts to address the problem and help the churches. [Read More]

The Pastor's Point of View on the Baptist General Convention of Texas
9/17/2000
by Randy White, Pastor, First Baptist Church of Pampa, Texas This paper, written by the pastor of a nearly 100-year-old, Texas panhandle church to the members of his congregation, explains to the church why he feels it has been forced to take a stand against recent shifts in direction taken by BGCT leadership. It discusses the historical partnership between the state convention (BGCT) and the SBC, and radical BGCT departures from that course. It also identifies bureaucratic inefficiencies at the state convention level, and itemizes instances of deliberate misrepresentation of SBC leaders and beliefs. This paper well exemplifies the predicament of a local church reluctantly deciding to depart from what had formerly been a mutually beneficial partnership with its state convention if state support of CP and the SBC does not quickly return to normal. [Read More]

Motion to Conduct Feasibility Study for Name Change of Southern Baptist Convention
2/22/1999
Motion to Conduct Feasibility Study for Name Change of Southern Baptist Convention [Read More]

Report of the Southern Baptist Convention Peace Committee
6/16/1987
This special Peace Committee was created to determine the sources of discord then present in the Southern Baptist Convention and to make recommendations to resolve it. The report identifies key theological differences between competing factions within the Southern Baptist Convention and is a foundational document for anyone seeking to understand the current controversy. [Read More]

Doctrine, Cooperation, and Association
by the Deacon ad hoc BGCT and Denominational Study Committee, First Baptist Church, Dallas The committee was directed to study the current status of the BGCT and other entities which affect that church, to review certain by-laws, and finally to prepare a report with appropriate recommendations to the church. Of great interest to the First Baptist Church of Dallas, as well as to other Texas Southern Baptist churches, are the committee's three points of conclusion and eight points of recommendation. [Read More]

Report to the Fellowship of Deacons
by the Committee of Denominational Relationships, Prestonwood Baptist Church, P lano, Texas, June, 2000 The Committee expressed "grave concerns" over changes of direction taken by the BGCT, and especially its distancing itself from the SBC. Three key principles are presented for the church to use in reconsidering its relationship with the BGCT. Also, eight specific BGCT actions or omissions are identified as requiring redress, with each being fully documented. [Read More]

Too High a View of Scripture?
In recent days the charge of 'bibliolatry' has often been hurled at the drafters and supporters of the revised BF&M. The falsity of the claim that the formulation here exalts Scripture over Christ has been handily exposed elsewhere. My concern here is with this general charge which comes up from time to time: that inerrantists in general have too high a view of Scripture, i.e. that we are guilty of bibliolatry. [Read More]

The Truth about the SBC and Texas - A Message of Concern for Southern Baptists in Texas
In this personal message to Texas Baptists, designed as an introduction to a pamphlet on the Texas issue recently made available by the Executive Committee, Dr. Chapman counters recent charges against the SBC, exhorting mission-minded believers to adhere to the traditional, productive CP partnership model that continues to yield record-breaking returns for the cause of Christ. [Read More]

Christ, The Bible, and Human Experience. What Order?
In this paper Dr. Patterson squarely faces recent objections and questions raised against the most recently adopted Baptist Faith and Message . The paper is extremely detailed but clearly presented, and concludes with an appendix under the title of "The Meaning of Neo-Orthodox" suggesting that the term is a more accurate theological description than the term 'moderate.' [Read More]

Bibliolatry — A Fraudulent Accusation
In this paper, originally written for the October, 2000 issue of SBC Life, Dr. Bill Merrell soundly refutes the recent claim by some that the Bible has been made an "object of worship." Using historical and Biblical quotes, he exposes those who would cast off parts of Scripture, and challenges critics to produce one example of conservative Baptists worshipping the Bible or placing the Bible over God. [Read More]

The Baptist Faith and Message - Still Thoroughly Baptist!
In support of the Baptist Faith and Message, this article counters criticisms that the SBC has become "creedal," and that certain teachings might have been abandoned. It both confirms and explains the stand on autonomy of the local church. [Read More]

Texas First, Texas Only - Not the Spirit of Southern Baptists in Texas
In this paper, Dr. David Hankins lays out clearly how gifts given from Texas to the Cooperative Program are apportioned, showing that 97% of those gifts already are applied in Texas. Other than providing a study of Texas church giving, he also looks carefully at the ratio of Southern Baptists in Texas to the general population, Texas needs versus world needs, and the need to support theological education in Texas and in SBC seminaries. [Read More]

Anti-SBC Leaders Threaten Cooperative Program
This paper offers a brief history of the Cooperative Program, and explains how recent actions of the Baptist General Convention of Texas have eroded support for Cooperative Program endeavors. It offers five steps Southern Baptists may take to remain a vital part of the mission efforts of the Cooperative Program. [Read More]

Southern Baptists and Women Pastors
While critics level charges that Baptists are behind the times or have been influenced by a "patriarchal society", the SBC believes that most Baptist churches have male pastors because they are so instructed by the New Testament. This paper states again that 'all men and women are of equal value', and cites several Biblical examples of women in ministry, but confirms that since Scripture speaks specifically to the role of pastor, churches should be morally bound to the teaching that the pastorate is limited to men. [Read More]

The Root of the SBC Controversy
In this paper, Dr. Chapman asserts that the controversy in the SBC was about theology, not politics. He tells of the growth within the SBC of forces that diminished the view of Scripture, undermining confidence in the Bible as the accurate and trustworthy Word of God. He describes how this low view of scripture took its toll in colleges and seminaries. Exhorting us to remember that the central issue is doctrine rather than a struggle for leadership, he concludes with thanks that "Baptists, in Texas and elsewhere, can be counted on to stand for Christ's truth whatever the cost." [Read More]

Your Church Reaching the World for Christ
This piece is a brief overview of the Cooperative Program distribution, describing percentages allocated and ministries performed. [Read More]

Together We're Carrying Out the Great Commission
A brief listing of sources of information for concerned Baptists everywhere. [Read More]

President's Journal - Doctrinal integrity paramount for Southern Seminary
Dr. Mohler discusses the importance of doctrinal integrity within Southern Baptist seminaries. He points out the threat to evangelical churches if the seminaries drift from theological accountability. This article from the November issue of the The Southern Seminary Magazine is reproduced here by permission. [Read More]

For the Bible tells me so - Have Baptists replaced Jesus with a book?
A discussion of the divinity of Christ and the authority of the Bible as God's revelation of Himself to man. This paper clarifies the confusion over the recent misstatements regarding Southern Baptist's concept of the Bible that have arisen in the wake of the overwhelming adoption of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. This article from the November issue of the The Southern Seminary Magazine is reproduced here by permission. [Read More]

Why theology matters for the Great Commission task - Evangelism without theology is no evangelism
A frank discussion of the necessity of a firm Biblical basis for all teachings regarding Jesus. This paper deals with the vision of the Great Commission and creeping failure of churches that turn from direct Scriptural support in their message. This article from the November issue of the The Southern Seminary Magazine is reproduced here by permission. [Read More]

Contending for the Faith in the 21st Century - A survey of the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message
An article-by-article survey of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. This paper provides clear and concise explanations of the meanings of each article in the BF&M in language that is easy to understand and with support that is easy to follow. This article from the November issue of the The Southern Seminary Magazine is reproduced here by permission. [Read More]

Baptists, the Bible and confessions - The need for statements of faith
A discussion of the historical adoption of creeds by Baptists. An explanation of what a statement of faith is and the historic reasons for their adoption is included. This article from the November issue of the The Southern Seminary Magazine is reproduced here by permission. [Read More]

Don't just do something, stand there! - Southern Seminary and the Abstract of Principles
Dr. Mohler studies the history of the Abstracts of Faith of Southern Seminary, and the responsibility that Southern Baptist seminaries have to the local churches and the denomination as a whole to stand for God's truth, and do so without embarrassment. This article from the November issue of the The Southern Seminary Magazine is reproduced here by permission. [Read More]

An Open Letter to Southern Baptists
A point-by-point response to the BGCT Seminary Study Committee report concerning New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. [Read More]

A Statement About the Baptist Faith & Message
The Baptist Faith and Message (BF&M), as it was revised and overwhelmingly approved at the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000, came under fire from a few who claimed it represented a radical departure from the consensus of historic Baptist beliefs. [Read More]

An Example of the Need to Change The Baptist Faith and Message Statement on the Scriptures
A Response by Dr. Randy White, Pastor, First Baptist Church of Pampa, TX. The following answers about the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message were made in response to questions posed by a student's letter to Dr. Randy White, Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Pampa, TX [Read More]

Missouri Baptist Convention and the Incredible Vanishing Corporations
Tell the truth and trust the people. Is anyone willing to print the facts and law so Baptists can know the truth? The facts are not that complicated... [Read More]

Committee on Cooperation - Report and Findings
by the Research Committee of Lakeland Baptist Church, Lewisville, Texas The Deacon Council of Lakeland Baptist Church commissioned a seven-member committee to research issues involved in the rift between the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Southern Baptist Convention. This paper is that committee's report to the Deacon Council. [Read More]

An Open Letter from Dr. David Allen to Dr. Charles Wade
Senior Pastor, MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church, Irving, TX, W.A. Criswell Professor of Expository Preaching, The Criswell College, Director, Jerry Vines Institute of Biblical Preaching In this January, 2001 letter directed to BGCT Executive Director, Charles Wade, Dr. Allen discusses the theological errors in the disjunction of Jesus and the Bible and other un-Baptistic interpretations being espoused by moderate and liberal Baptists in Texas. Dr. Allen clearly outlines the reasoning behind the decision of his church to sever its relationship with the BGCT. [Read More]

Why Cooperate?
by Michael K. Whitehead Interim President, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Dr. Whitehead discusses the historical and Biblical basis for the Cooperative Program and provides a clear and concise explanation of how the Cooperative Program works. [Read More]

Cancel The Order For the Headstone.. The Southern Baptist Convention is Alive and Well.
In a recent Associated Press article entitled "Baptists Battling Over Beliefs," journalist Richard Ostling posed the question, "Is America's largest Protestant denomination unraveling?" Though it's not in good taste to respond to a rhetorical question, the answer is not what some might expect. [Read More]

Letter by SBC Executive Committee President & CEO Morris H. Chapman to Texas Baptist Church Leaders
by Morris H. Chapman January, 2002 A letter to church leaders in Texas offering information about Cooperative Program giving through the Baptist General Convention of Texas. [Read More]