Re: Baptist Message report on SBC appointments and nominations,
May 9, 2002.
A statement made in the article is not correct. “The Committee
on Committees is comprised of a pastor and a layperson from each qualified state
convention.”
Re: Baptist Message report on SBC appointments and nominations,
May 9, 2002.
A statement made in the article is not correct. “The Committee
on Committees is comprised of a pastor and a layperson from each qualified state
convention.” This could be the case, but this is not required by the bylaws
of the SBC. Bylaw 19 only requires that, “Persons named to the Committee
on Committees shall have been resident members for at least one (1) year of
Southern Baptist churches either geographically within the states or affiliated
with the conventions of the states from which they are appointed.”
There is no layperson and pastor requirement for the Committee
on Nominations. Bylaw 15 requires that “one (1) person nominated to the
Committee on Nominations from each state shall be a person not employed full
time by a church or denominational entity.” This person could be a layperson
or a person like myself, who is not employed by a Baptist church or a denominational
entity. I have been a licensed and ordained minister of the gospel for over
50 years and not employed full time by a church or denominational entity for
over 20 years.
Too many Baptists feel you have to be the pastor of a Baptist
church to be a minister of the gospel. Many ministries are carried out by licensed
and ordained ministers that do not include being the pastor of a local church.
There are hundreds of chaplains that minister in hospitals, prisons, businesses,
corporations, on military installations and many other types of service. There
are hundreds of evangelists who are not pastors of local churches. A person
does not have to be a pastor or full-time denominational employee to be in a
cutting-edge ministry. These are just as called to ministry as pastors.
Carlton Vance
Pineville