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SAN ANTONIO?Once again, a resolution on regenerate church membership submitted by Tom Ascol, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Fla., was refused by the SBC Resolutions Committee and by convention messengers after Ascol offered it from the floor June 13.
Titled “On Integrity in Church Membership,” Ascol argued that it is dishonorable to claim 16 million members when only about 6 million Southern Baptists attend church regularly.
The Resolutions Committee chairman, Gerald Harris of Georgia, said the committee avoided the resolution for fear it would “infringe upon the honored principle of local church autonomy,” and during floor debate several messengers expressed similar objections.
Others, however, denied that charge, with messenger Doug Ritchey of Missouri arguing that the resolution was a call to greater convention integrity. Ritchey said of the 16-million members claim, “we will then tongue-in-cheek” say that the CIA and FBI “can’t find over half of those.”
Ritchey insisted the resolution was “not telling our churches how to deal with this issue ? but rather insisting on integrity in reporting convention wide.”
Malcolm Yarnell, a Fort Worth messenger and a theology professor at Southwestern Seminary, told the convention he favors a renewed call to regenerate church membership but opposed Ascol’s resolution on grounds it didn’t mention believer’s baptism by immersion as foundational for regenerate church membership.
Needing a two-thirds majority to bring the resolution to a vote from the floor, messengers easily defeated it.
After the vote, Texas pastor Voddie Baucham of Spring told the TEXAN he was disappointed in the debate prior to the vote.
“Two things struck me about that conversation,” Baucham said. “Number one, after all those other resolutions, there were people who had a problem with this resolution because it, quote, ‘told the local church what to do.’ That was logically inconsistent.
“And secondly, we’re talking about a question of integrity here. And the fact that we’re not sufficiently concerned about our integrity as a convention really concerns me.”
Yarnell told the TEXAN afterward: “First of all, I did communicate with Tom Ascol concerning his resolution prior to the convention” and “he was not unaware that I would disagree with it.”
Yarnell emphasized that a disciplined church is a command of Christ, “but church discipline by itself is not a guarantor of regenerate church membership,” Yarnell said. “There are other, just as important factors?factors that were not reflected in Tom’s resolution. Perhaps the one that distinguishes us from others as Baptists is believer’s baptism only by immersion.”
Yarnell said he would attempt to bring together various Calvinists, such as Ascol, and non-Calvinists to support a more comprehensive statement on regenerate churches.
Yarnell admitted the Resolutions Committee’s statement that the resolution would be seen as infringing on church autonomy was unwarranted, since resolutions are non-binding consensus statements of messengers.
Southeastern Seminary President Daniel Akin, writing his reflections on the convention, did not share Yarnell’s reservations. Akin said he was “disappointed” the Ascol resolution failed.
“Some feared it was telling the local church what to do, but a resolution can never do that,” Akin wrote. “Some may think there is some political agenda in the works. However, this is a clear biblical and theological issue all Baptists should be able to affirm. Perhaps the resolution presented needs to be reworded or adjusted, but an emphasis on regenerate church membership needs to be recaptured by our churches.”
Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington and frequent advocate of regenerate church membership on his 9marks.org website, said he thought many messengers misunderstood Ascol’s resolution.
“Baptists are all about regenerate church membership,” Dever said.
