At one time or another over the years,
I have been tempted to leave my position as an Independent Baptist and
take the title of Bible or Non-Denominational pastor. I have seen what
goes on in the circle, movement, or fellowship that is known as the
Independent Baptist world and have wanted to distance myself from it as far as
possible. The attitudes and actions of some have made me sick to my
stomach and have caused me to deeply evaluate why I am an Independent
Baptist. I think many times it would be so much easier to no longer
identify myself as an Independent Baptist and just start from scratch.
But I haven't left yet; and the truth be told, I never will.
Now I am the first to admit that there are great problems in the Independent Baptist world. For those that do not know, I was born and raised at one of the flagship churches of the movement when it was at its hay day in the 1970's, the Forrest Hills Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia under Dr. Curtis Hutson. My father was a staff member there from its early days until it was recognized as the fastest growing church in Georgia and was home to one of the largest bus ministries in the nation. In 1977, we moved from Atlanta to Murfreesboro, Tennessee where we attended Franklin Road Baptist Church. At that time, the church was home to both The Sword of the Lord, which is where my father worked for the late Dr. John R. Rice, as well as the home to The Bill Rice Ranch under the leadership of Dr. Bill Rice. During those years, the Sword was the voice of the movement with no equal. I attended three Independent Baptist Colleges, Maranatha, Tennessee Temple, and Midwestern. Now for the past 17 years, I have been an assistant and pastor at three Independent Baptist Churches in Michigan, Texas, and now Florida. I have sat on boards of colleges and other ministries and have seen the inner workings of it all. So for many of my 44 years, I have been in, around, and behind the scenes of churches, colleges, and ministries of the Independent Baptist movement. I give you all of that background to simply tell you, I know things I wish I did not know. I know which famous evangelist never paid for his Bible orders. I know which pastors preached one thing in the national meeting and lived another thing at home. I know the preacher who stole a copyrighted book and made it his own by changing a few words. I know who hates who, who will not speak to who, and who is jealous of who. I know which ministries live on the verge of bankruptcy, and which pastors and leaders have red flags about their personal finances and how they use the ministry's finances for their own wants. I know about the adultery, the cult accusations, the mistreatment of members, the egos, megalomaniacs, and the preaching that is more psychology than Bible. Now many of you may know much more than I know, but the point simply is that I am not a novice when it comes to being an Independent Baptist.
Some will read all this and say that one, a few, or all of the above are the reasons why they left or are leaving an Independent Baptist Church. They will say that since I have seen all this, I too should leave the movement and join a different one. The reason I do not do that is very simple. All of the things I have listed are behavior issues not belief issues. The vast majority of Independent Baptists I know still hold the the same doctrinal position our forefathers fought and left denominations over in the birthing of the independent movement. Our forefathers did not leave the Northern and Southern Baptist Conventions over behavior, they left over belief (doctrine). Our colleges and the great majority of our churches still teach and preach the cardinal doctrines of the faith. We still practice the authority of the Scriptures, the autonomy of the local church, shepherd leadership, the winning of souls, the worship of God and so on. If I were to join a new fellowship, make new friends, or join a new denomination it would not be long before I am confronted with behavior issues not unlike the ones I would be running from. If men are involved, sin will be involved. The reason I stay is not because of behavior but because of belief. If I ever did find a group that is closer to New Testament Christianity than a solid Independent Baptist Church, I will be the first to join; and I will beg you to come with me. But if I leave because of the behavior of some, it will not be long before I would have to leave again.
In truth the great number of Independent Baptist Churches are filled with pastors and people who love God and genuinely want to help people come to Christ and live for Him. I choose not to abandon the great beliefs of the Independent Baptist Church because of the carnal and cult-like behavior of some of its pastors and members. I do choose to distance myself from those men and ministries. While I am not the enemy of those men and ministries, I will not be silent on their behavior as it affects our church or my friends. For far too long, we have sought to defend all things Independent Baptist instead of protecting those being hurt by these cult-like men and ministries.
I stay an Independent Baptist because of belief in the Bible not because of the behavior of a few of the brethren.
Now I am the first to admit that there are great problems in the Independent Baptist world. For those that do not know, I was born and raised at one of the flagship churches of the movement when it was at its hay day in the 1970's, the Forrest Hills Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia under Dr. Curtis Hutson. My father was a staff member there from its early days until it was recognized as the fastest growing church in Georgia and was home to one of the largest bus ministries in the nation. In 1977, we moved from Atlanta to Murfreesboro, Tennessee where we attended Franklin Road Baptist Church. At that time, the church was home to both The Sword of the Lord, which is where my father worked for the late Dr. John R. Rice, as well as the home to The Bill Rice Ranch under the leadership of Dr. Bill Rice. During those years, the Sword was the voice of the movement with no equal. I attended three Independent Baptist Colleges, Maranatha, Tennessee Temple, and Midwestern. Now for the past 17 years, I have been an assistant and pastor at three Independent Baptist Churches in Michigan, Texas, and now Florida. I have sat on boards of colleges and other ministries and have seen the inner workings of it all. So for many of my 44 years, I have been in, around, and behind the scenes of churches, colleges, and ministries of the Independent Baptist movement. I give you all of that background to simply tell you, I know things I wish I did not know. I know which famous evangelist never paid for his Bible orders. I know which pastors preached one thing in the national meeting and lived another thing at home. I know the preacher who stole a copyrighted book and made it his own by changing a few words. I know who hates who, who will not speak to who, and who is jealous of who. I know which ministries live on the verge of bankruptcy, and which pastors and leaders have red flags about their personal finances and how they use the ministry's finances for their own wants. I know about the adultery, the cult accusations, the mistreatment of members, the egos, megalomaniacs, and the preaching that is more psychology than Bible. Now many of you may know much more than I know, but the point simply is that I am not a novice when it comes to being an Independent Baptist.
Some will read all this and say that one, a few, or all of the above are the reasons why they left or are leaving an Independent Baptist Church. They will say that since I have seen all this, I too should leave the movement and join a different one. The reason I do not do that is very simple. All of the things I have listed are behavior issues not belief issues. The vast majority of Independent Baptists I know still hold the the same doctrinal position our forefathers fought and left denominations over in the birthing of the independent movement. Our forefathers did not leave the Northern and Southern Baptist Conventions over behavior, they left over belief (doctrine). Our colleges and the great majority of our churches still teach and preach the cardinal doctrines of the faith. We still practice the authority of the Scriptures, the autonomy of the local church, shepherd leadership, the winning of souls, the worship of God and so on. If I were to join a new fellowship, make new friends, or join a new denomination it would not be long before I am confronted with behavior issues not unlike the ones I would be running from. If men are involved, sin will be involved. The reason I stay is not because of behavior but because of belief. If I ever did find a group that is closer to New Testament Christianity than a solid Independent Baptist Church, I will be the first to join; and I will beg you to come with me. But if I leave because of the behavior of some, it will not be long before I would have to leave again.
In truth the great number of Independent Baptist Churches are filled with pastors and people who love God and genuinely want to help people come to Christ and live for Him. I choose not to abandon the great beliefs of the Independent Baptist Church because of the carnal and cult-like behavior of some of its pastors and members. I do choose to distance myself from those men and ministries. While I am not the enemy of those men and ministries, I will not be silent on their behavior as it affects our church or my friends. For far too long, we have sought to defend all things Independent Baptist instead of protecting those being hurt by these cult-like men and ministries.
I stay an Independent Baptist because of belief in the Bible not because of the behavior of a few of the brethren.
