Disciple Making, Mission and Baptists

 

     I write this post from the Dallas-Fort Worth area where I have participated in the Texas Baptists Family Gathering.  This event takes place every five years.  The official report begins as follows,

Arlington--A celebration of unity and diversity took place in Arlington July 29-31 as 2,054 messengers and visitors filled their seats at the table to worship, fellowship and conduct business at the 2018 Texas Baptists Family Gathering and Annual Meeting.  Seven fellowships and conventions were represented in the three-day gathering at the Arlington Convention Center.  Messengers elected a new slate of officers, and newly elected leaders set a course for the next year of cooperative missions and ministry work.

(You may read more of the official report here).

     What does this have to do with you as a leader and member of CBC McAllen?  Of the various Baptist Conventions and groups, who are we affiliated with?  Why should this matter to us?

     Many, if not most, of our leaders and members at Calvary know that our purpose is to make disciple-makers for the glory of God among the nations.  If you spend any amount of time with CBC McAllen you will know that we are a church on mission with God.  We love God, love people and live his mission.  We are about the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.  We want to make disciples, reach the unreached, minister to the whole person, transform communities, send and be sent, and ultimately see the world changed by the power of the Risen Lord.

     We understand that the local church is the headquarters for the Great Commission but the Lord Jesus Christ has more than one local church.  God has local churches everywhere and together they are all part of his body.  As a local church we understand we are fully responsible for the Great Commission but we also understand that we can never fulfill the Great Commission alone.  As Baptists we understand that we can do more together with other local churches than we could every do as a single church.  So we neither outsource the mission of God to the denomination nor do we isolate ourselves from cooperation in the mission of God.

     There are many in our congregation who are not really concerned with whom we affiliate denominationally.  However there are some for whom it matters much.  Whether it matters to you or not, you should know so you can answer when others might ask.  CBC McAllen affiliates and contributes financially with four different Baptist bodies.  At the local level CBC McAllen is a member church of the Rio Grande Valley Baptist Association (RGVBA).  At the state level we affiliate with Texas Baptists (BGCT) and with the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas (which provides a place for the half of our congregation that worships and ministers primarily in Spanish), and at the national level we affiliate with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).

     At the risk of being a bit technical, allow me to make some clarifications regarding the above affiliations:

1. We do not affiliate with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (state level).  (We only affiliate with SBC at the national level, which is not the same thing as the SBTC).  That doesn't mean we do not have friends there or that we have something against them.  We simply think that Texas Baptists (BGCT), our historic affiliation, is a sufficient partner for our state wide work.
2. We do not affiliate with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), either at the state or national level.  That doesn't mean we do not have friends there or they do not do good things.  We simply think that our historic affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is sufficient for a national affiliation at this time.
3. Although there is a regional affiliation (RGVBA), state affiliations (BGCT and HBCT), and a national affiliation (SBC), these are not hierarchical organizations or departments of each other.  Our church relates to each directly and each body is autonomous working in voluntary cooperation with each other.
4. We are only members of the local association (RGVBA).  The relationship with the three conventions is best described as affiliation.  We do not "belong to" the BGCT or the SBC.  We affiliate with them by participating in the mission together.  But their decisions or positions on matters are not binding on CBC McAllen.  We may agree in most thing but not in all.
5. Our primary relationship and financial partnership with the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is with the International Mission Board of the SBC (IMB) and with the North American Mission Board of the SBC (NAMB).

     These historic and strategic affiliations allow us as local church to be involved directly in the mission of God as well as cooperatively.  They provide us an opportunity to make a difference together in the cause of Christ for the sake of God's glory.

     (Two of our CBC members serve in important leadership roles for each of our two state convention affiliations.  Dr. Rolando Aguirre, pastor for CBC's Spanish language ministry and disciple team leader, was re-elected president of the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas this week.  Monica Guarneri continues to serve as a member of the Texas Baptists' Executive Board).

     So as you serve and lead through CBC McAllen be aware that we are part of something bigger.  The only head of our church is Jesus Christ but he also has other churches with whom he expects us to fellowship and partner with for the sake of His kingdom.