Local church autonomy still stands in Alabama, according to State Board of Missions (SBOM) officials, so the North American Mission Board’s (NAMB) new guidelines for church planting will fall in line behind the state strategy of letting the local church lead.
NAMB’s guidelines, written by Stan Norman, associate professor of theology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, address such issues as the authority of a Baptist church, classic marks of a true church, congregational polity and autonomy, as well as the offices, ordinances and mission of a New Testament church.
Adopted by NAMB trustees Oct. 6, the 34-page document also includes a commitment to the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message (BF&M), affirms inerrancy of Scripture and suggests that women not serve as ordained deacons. The BF&M does not use the term inerrancy nor address women’s ordination as deacons.
Norman stated that if a church ordains its deacons, then a woman cannot serve as a deacon because “ordination (in SBC life) carries with it implications of authority and oversight, and I believe the Bible relegates authority and oversight to men.” But, he said, if deacons are not ordained, then any member, including a woman, could serve in the role.
The term inerrancy is found only once in the document, on page 13, and, according to Martin King, NAMB spokesman, the word is not the vital issue — but the concept is.
“Churches don’t have to use the word inerrancy but they do have to have a high view of Scripture,” he said.
NAMB President Bob Reccord said, “It is important that the North American Mission Board have a very clear statement of what we see to be a Baptist church.
“We are not planting ‘baptistic’ churches. We are not planting churches that resemble what Baptists are. We are planting Southern Baptist churches that reflect what a biblical New Testament church is.”
Norman wrote that “the covenant of a Baptist church must minimally affirm three things: the Lordship of Jesus Christ over the church and its members; the divine inspiration, inerrancy and authority of the Bible; and the membership of the church consisting only of regenerate persons who have professed their faith in believer’s baptism by immersion.”
The guidelines were reviewed and affirmed by the Council of Southern Baptist Seminary Deans, as well as SBC seminary presidents Paige Patterson and Phil Roberts, but state officials were not consulted.
“It was not possible to solicit feedback about the document from our mission partners prior to submitting it to our trustees,” King explained. “However, we circulated it to them within hours of the trustees’ action and will work with them to implement it.”
Gary Swafford, acting director of associational and cooperative missions for the SBOM, said he will make NAMB’s “Ecclesiological Guidelines to Inform Southern Baptist Church Planters” available to associations, churches, church planters and others in the state who are interested.
But, Swafford pointed out, “Alabama has a state strategy for church planting. Our church planters follow guidelines by the sponsoring churches.
“Even the state convention guidelines are not prepared with direction for church planting,” he explained. “We are facilitators and are responsible for highlighting an overall strategy for church planting. But as far as carrying out church planting, that goes back to the local church in the context of the local association.”
While the guidelines do not apply to existing congregations, they will be applied to the 1,500 new churches planted by NAMB each year, King said.
NAMB typically works in conjunction with Baptist state conventions and local associations to plant new churches. The guidelines could be part of the negotiations about which new congregations receive NAMB funding, King said. Agency officials will work to be sure its materials, training, strategies and initiatives aren’t outside the bounds of the document, he said.
Swafford said about 30 churches in Alabama currently receive some type of financial assistance through Alabama’s cooperative agreement with NAMB. But “we have over 200 places where we need new churches.”
Alabama has 11 positions — some full-time, some part-time — focused on church planting. Ten of those positions are currently filled, and the primary focus is ethnic, language and multihousing groups.
(NAMB, ABP contributed)
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