Below you will find a video in which certain allegations are made about church plants initiated by the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board (NAMB). Among the representations:
- The pastors and/or leaders are not always well qualified;
- The new “churches” are not always real churches;
- The new churches are not always biblically based; and
- The money sought by these entities might be in excess of what is justified.
I had discussed here a couple of years ago a book written by Charles S. Kelley Jr. that argued the NAMB model was failing; and that we needed to return to church plants being initiated by local churches in conjunction with the respective state convention.
The video below echoes and presents a bit differently the concerns raised by Charles Kelley in his book. Start at the 5:00 mark to skip the preliminaries:
Kelly’s book examines in detail the 18 doctrines outlined in the Baptist Faith and Message statement. Combining biblical insight with historical and contemporary illustrations, the it can help you understand essential Baptist beliefs, identify the biblical foundation for these beliefs, and apply the beliefs to your Christian walk.
I see no major discernible differences between the video and Kelly’s message.
I think the issue with the North American Mission Board, Fred, is that many Southern Baptists are unaware their tithes and offerings are not being used effectively. But it is difficult for large organizations to engage in self-examination and correction when there is little accountability.