The group Southern Baptist Conservatives of Alabama (SBCOA) held its annual luncheon meeting Nov. 13 between sessions of the Pastors Conference at Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church in Montgomery.
SBCOA steering committee member Roger Willmore welcomed an estimated 220 persons to the luncheon. He said the meeting was planned to be “a time of encouragement” for pastors.
Willmore, pastor of First Baptist Church, Weaver, said the “agenda or purpose” of the SBCOA is to protect the doctrinal integrity of the Alabama Baptist State Convention. He called attention to developments in the past few months.
“A Trojan horse has entered the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC),” Willmore said. “We have seen its effects in Texas. The name of the Trojan horse is ‘mainstream.’ We have seen their divisive effects in one state convention.”
Recently messengers to the Baptist General Convention of Texas cited increasingly conservative developments in the SBC as they voted to delete or reduce funds going through the Cooperative Program to several SBC agencies.
Willmore said such “mainstream” activities can have the same effect in other states, including Alabama.
One of the concerns cited in Texas was the revised Baptist Faith and Message statement adopted by messengers to the 2000 SBC annual meeting in June. Expressing support for the statement, Willmore presented an award recognizing Alabama pastor Steve Gaines’ role in serving on the committee that produced the statement.
The SBCOA’s J.L. Dagg Award, named in honor of an influential Baptist theologian who died in Ala-
bama in 1884, was presented in absentia to Gaines, pastor of First Baptist Church, Gardendale.
The award was accepted on Gaines’ behalf by Steve Loggins, director of missions for North Jefferson Association and former moderator of SBCOA.
Willmore said, “Tomorrow during the time or resolutions (at the annual meeting of the state convention), there will be at least one to confirm The Baptist Faith and Message. Our organization is asking the convention to adhere to The Baptist Faith and Message and acknowledge it as our statement.”
Guest speaker at the SBCOA luncheon was Doug Sager, former Alabama pastor and a featured speaker at the Pastors Conference.
Sager said the Baptist General Convention of Texas could become a rival to the Southern Baptist Convention.
“This is not a few guys who love Jesus and want to see things changed. They are well financed,” he said.
Sager called for support of the new Baptist Faith and Message statement, noting that all of the SBC’s International Mission Board personnel have to sign the statement.
“I don’t think that’s creedal or asking too much,” Sager said.
He asked his hearers to do two things: “First, stand firm. Don’t budge.”
His second request was to “stay in the meetings” to elect sympathetic officers to state positions.
Following Sager’s address, SBCOA moderator John Killian said, “These are the greatest days ever to be involved in the Southern Baptist Convention. I beg you, for the sake of doctrinal integrity, stay through Wednesday morning,” the time set for election of convention officers.
Although there was no contest expected for the state convention’s presidential spot, Killian urged the election of Joe Godfrey, pastor of Taylor Road Baptist Church in Montgomery, as first vice president and Larry Felkins, director of missions for Chilton Association, as second vice president.
Killian warned that a “mainstream Baptist” organization has already been set up in Alabama. “The Texans are coming!” he said. “We better get ready!”
Special music for the meeting was provided by Tommy Fountain, pastor of Golden Acres Baptist Church in Phenix City and vice moderator of the SBCOA, who sang several selections for the group.
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