Our convention is statistically beginning a decline, especially looking at our declining baptisms over the past several years.
(See Ed Stetzer’s recent blog article of April 23, 2008 by Clicking HERE or his follow up article HERE). It is time to do something about the condition of our convention. Here is a discussion of a scenario that, I believe, has great potential for turning around a floundering giant and generating massive kingdom building results.
I perceive four levels of dysfunctional activity that must be addressed within the Southern Baptist Convention. I will take each level, one at a time, and attempt to clearly make my case.
I. Relationships Between SBC Entities Must Change 
The above diagram greatly simplifies, but generally depicts the current operational strategy of the convention. Strategy development is from a top down strategy, with national leaders attempting to generate “programs” that the state and associations will promote in an attempt to encourage churches to adopt. Resource allocation takes Cooperative Program receipts and distributes them down to the states. Some states may allocate some of those resources into associations and churches, but from my observation, it seems that activity is extremely limited, with support for church planting being the main exception. Almost no funds go to associations and churches for church strengthening.
The diagram below indicates the preferred cooperative workings between SBC entities.
In this model, strategy development starts with the needs of churches and a church strategy to meet those needs. The association takes the collective needs and strategy of its churches and develops a strategy to partner with the churches by bringing value to the churches in the form of needed resources tailor-made to facilitate the local church strategy. In turn, the state develops its strategy based upon the strategy of the associations, and NAMB and other entities, develop a strategy based upon the strategies of the state conventions. It is a “grass roots”, bottom up strategy development process.
Based upon the strategies of the various entities, the available resources are deployed, first to state conventions, then to associations, then finally to churches, where the front line of Kingdom work takes place.
It is my firm belief that if church strengthening and church planting can be developed through this kind of model, the local church will be strengthened and be in a much stronger position to bring about the Kingdom impact within communities. Consequently, I would not be surprised at all to see a resurgence of giving to the Cooperative Program as a result of healthier, vibrant churches if this model were instituted. By the way, I believe that NAMB is in a unique situation to lead in the rebirth of our denomination as we move to greater effectiveness.
II. Dysfunctional Life at the Association Level Must Be Resolved I am not sure how it all started, but at some point in the past and for various reasons, the role of DOM changed. That change necessitated a different skill set for operating effectively as a DOM. Consequently, some DOM’s found themselves in a situation of confusion and frustration as they dealt with a rapidly changing society. Some found themselves becoming less effective than before. When that realization became apparent at the state convention level, the state conventions began trying to cover responsibilities formerly assigned to associations. Duplication of effort began.
To resolve this situation, this still exists in many parts of the convention, DOM’s need to be taught a new series of skill sets. A massive leadership training effort across the country needs to be deployed toward the development of core competencies for DOM’s. NAMB association staff, in conjunction with a group of DOM’s, has identified four core competencies that are needed for a DOM to be successful in his role today: Entrepreneurial Leadership, Establishing Strategic Direction, Achieving Kingdom Results, and Facilitative Leadership. Each of those categories contains several skill subsets that would be useful to DOM’s.
This training emphasis needs to be on a national level. NoBA (Network of Baptist Associations), in cooperation with NAMB, is in the process of developing a leadership diploma program for all new, in-service and prospective DOM’s.
Apart from the training aspect for DOM’s it appears that many associations are too small to generate enough strength to sustain an aggressive effort to resource their own churches. Regional mergers would be a likely scenario to consider developing larger and stronger associations.
III. State Convention Activities Are Not Producing Desired Results
Despite all the good intentions from state staff everywhere, it is obvious that all the money we are putting into state convention activity is not working. Graph your state’s baptism records, Bible Study attendance, worship attendance, and cooperative program receipts over the last 30 years. Don’t be surprised to find that most everything is plateaued, if not worse.
In the past, I worked as a member of a state staff. I find that my work as a DOM is much more effective than my experience as a state staffer. Why? I think because of the proximity to the churches. State staff can become your friend. Association relationships can foster a family atmosphere. In Illinois, I was assigned to work with 1000 churches in Sunday School growth. It was impossible to have consistent contact with the same churches over time in order to help them to find the path to effectiveness. The work of the state convention is not dependent on the number of people they have on the ground working. The state convention can be most effective in looking at its operational systems and seeking a new strategy that would produce greater effectiveness.
Let me say it plainly. The systems of many state conventions are not working. It is not the fault of the convention staff members; it is the system that is being used to operate the state convention. Simply, if a wagon is broken, it will not work right. Bringing in a new horse to pull the wagon is not going to make much difference. The wagon has to be fixed.
I believe, as indicated above, that the effectiveness of the state convention can be massively improved in participating in a new and different resourcing strategy with associations and churches.
IV. Spiritually Dysfunctional Churches
I have consulted in approximately 100-200 individual churches over the past 25 years. My positions in growing churches insulated me from the reality in many other churches. I finally came to believe that many churches have lost their reason for being. They have misplaced their mission. They have lost God’s vision for their church. Many have become inward focused. According to recent research, about 90% of our churches are somewhere in the dysfunctional camp. I recently had an honest conversation with a pastor. He said, “I don’t know what to do to get my church to become more effective, and if I knew what to do, I wouldn’t know how to do it.” That comment is laced with massive leadership needs.
So, the first line of attack on this dysfunctional situation is to do substantial leadership training for pastors. The training should include, but certainly not be limited to, vision development and vision casting, strategy development, situational self-leadership, lay leader development, mentoring skill development, spiritual formation activity, and to be safe, conflict management. This training should be done best, I would think, through the state conventions that might set up regional training schools for pastors. To be more specific, I would suggest that all pastors be invited to attend, but to make a special effort to reach pastors 45 years old and younger.
There remains, however, a most serious situation. Because of the inward focus of most churches, there are spiritual issues in the life of the church. When you can’t answer the question “Where is God working in your church or community?”, you are in trouble at the heart of what it means to be a Christian. It appears that in some if not many churches we have nice, but carnal Christians in leadership positions. No wonder we are in fighting and have taken our eyes off Jesus. We have lost the concept of surrender to the Lord. We no longer know what it means to sacrifice, and we certainly do not understand what it means to die to self. In short, churches are operating out of their own agenda rather than seeking God and working from His agenda.
Well, how do you deal with spiritual issues? Confession first comes to mind. But in reality, it has to do with a person’s relationship with God. I am sure it must have to do in part with intentional transformational discipleship. I am quite sure that it must involve a much more serious approach to prayer. It is probably dependent upon an outpouring of God’s Spirit; but it must accompany an understanding that as hard as we have tried, we have failed. It is time to move off our own agenda and onto God’s. Somewhere, somehow, we need to focus on being transformed into Kingdom People. The term we use today is “missional”. Again, that requires God’s intimate interaction with each of us, but it seems to me that we need to develop some rationale that would facilitate spiritual renewal. I will leave that strategy to the more spiritually minded. I am doing my best to keep my head above water.
If churches are inward focused and plateaued or dying, asking churches to give more to the cooperative program would be futile and is not the answer to our dilemma. We need to strengthen churches and start as many new ones as possible. That activity will address the Cooperative Program issue. Will every convention, association, and church be improved by the approach I am proposing? Probably not, but many will. I believe it is time to look with new eyes at our situation, stop bickering about inconsequential issues, rally around Jesus, and launch off into a new horizon that will hopefully lead to greater partnership with the Lord in His work.
I am just one person. But, I sense God is trying to get my attention. He keeps bothering me about all this stuff. I obviously do not have all the answers and I probably raise more questions than I answer. But, I think it is time for a serious dialogue. What do you think?
Dr. Larry Richmond, DoM
Gateway Baptist Association
Illinois
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