I have a question that is really bothering me. In our church the pastor has his attention on every aspect of the church and has been known to tell some to not come back after problems happen. I belong to an independent, bible believing, fundamental baptist church but was raised in a southern baptist. Things seem to be done different in our independent church unlike what we did in our s.b.c. church. Why the difference?
Curious Sister
Why the difference? Well lets see if I can answer that one both Biblically and Historically. Around 1920 a movement started in New England called the Baptist Fundamentalist movement. It was a so called “turnaround” from the norm of Baptist churches of the day. For a specific instance, in the 1960’s, one of the leaders of this movement in Hammond, Indiana was a man by the name of Jack Hyles. Jack believed that the Bible should be interpreted quite literally and that the church should be run like a well oiled machine with the pastor at the head as the undisputed leader of the congregation. Matter of fact I was in Hammond, Indiana when this all started. Imagine that! Not only was I there but my father and grandfather were there to help establish the first Southern Missionary Baptist Church ever in the Chicago area (Back to the Cross, Missionary Baptist Church). It is still there today under another name, I believe they call it Trinity Baptist now.
Anyway, the Missionary Baptists were from the old school that believed that the congregation, from the greatest to the least had an equal say so in church matters and that the business of the church should be handled by the congregation. 1st Corinthians 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 6:4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. They also believed that the pastor wasn’t to Lord over the congregation at all: 1st Peter 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 5:3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
Please understand that I have the utmost respect for departed Brother Hyles track record! Facts are that under his preaching there have been many souls won to the Lord but on the same token there have been many of his congregation rebel and leave the fold because of the pressure to obey his policies placed on people. The same ideology has been spread all over the United States from the graduates of Jack Hyles University and now this mentality is deeply embedded in Temple Baptist University in Chattanooga, Tennessee. All too sad that this is the reality of many of today’s Baptists. Maybe one day they will realize that it is all level at the cross and that there is no big “I’s” and little “you’s” in Gods house. That my dear lady is “Why The Difference”!