A Simple Proposal

Last updated on: March 4, 2021 at 12:13 am by Layne Wallace

A Simple Proposal 2021-03-04T00:13:48-05:00 Layne Wallace

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

A Simple Proposal

In the wake of the sexual abuse scandal involving Baptist ministers and churches, a logical conundrum emerges: how can Baptist clergy be monitored by a source outside of a local congregation without violating church autonomy? For those who are not familiar with the idiosyncrasies of Baptist life, every Baptist congregation is an autonomous entity. To put is more strongly, each church is completely autonomous. No person or entity outside of the local congregation has any say on who a Baptist congregation ordains, who the congregation calls to be a pastor, or how the congregation oversees a clergy member. For that matter, no person or entity outside a local congregation has any say over what another local congregation might do over any issue whatsoever.

In many other traditions there are denominational structure that oversee local congregations and clergy. In Baptist life, no such structure exists and there is no power to create such a structure. The principle of church autonomy is a core principle of Baptist life, and any process that would violate church autonomy is moribund from the start. So, any process to solve the problem of clergy sexual abuse must protect congregational autonomy as a practical matter and as a theological matter.

As thorny as the issue is, it can be addressed, however. What if there were a group of Baptist ministers who voluntarily created an association? Call it something like the American Association of Baptist Ministers, the name is not important. In order to be a member of such an association, one would have to submit to regular background checks, undergo a comprehensive theological examination to ensure the candidate’s convictions were both orthodox and in keeping with Baptist theology, undergo a psychological examination to prevent those with personality disorders like narcissism from becoming members, and be willing to undergo oversight by the association should a problem emerge.

At first, all of this sounds onerous for the minister. An association, however, could bring many benefits. On top of giving peace of mind to a search committee and opening up job prospects for ministers with membership, such an association could also: advocate for better benefits and wages for the many clergy who are underpaid, assist in calling attention to quality-of-life issues for clergy and clergy families, provide mentoring and counseling for clergy in crisis, speak to Baptist groups on behalf of clergy, and represent Baptist clergy in areas of public discourse.

An association would also be able clear up some of the other weaknesses of the ordination process. Having sat on many ordination councils, I have been struck by how little Biblical and theological knowledge is required for ordination. If a person can present a call narrative in a compelling way, then ordination is most likely going to happen even if the candidate has limited Biblical knowledge and theological depth. Councils tend to value compelling personal narrative and clear vocational calling over most other issues. An interview with other clergy in an association could require more depth than is typically evident in Baptist ordination interviews.

An association would not violate church autonomy as no minister would be compelled to be a member of the association and no congregation would be forced to have an association member on staff. Eventually, though, an association could have weight, and many, if not most, clergy would want to participate. Many, if not most, congregations could eventually want someone with that kind of membership.

I imagine a proposal like this one will have significant detractors. Some will fear creeping authoritarianism of an association like the one I am suggesting. Those fears may be well founded. If this proposal has no merit, however, then what proposal would have merit? Which Baptist leader should be making such proposals? Why have they not yet?

It is most striking to me that despite systematic abuse of church members, particularly young women, there has been a dearth of proposals to prevent abuse. We are simply willing to assume that those seeking ordination are good and the ones who commit sexual abuse become corrupted over time. We assume that the fear of legal punishment will keep clergy from becoming abusers. We assume that disfellowshipping congregations with known sexual abusers on staff is a sufficient response to the issue of sexual abuse. Let’s be honest. Can any of these assumptions survive critical thought? Are any of the responses we have seen so far from Baptist leaders up to the gravity of the issue?

Remember, there are 700 victims of sexual abuse in the SBC that we know of. Isn’t it likely there are more? It would do well for all Baptist leaders to re-read the Chronicle report, examine their conscience, and ask if they have done enough. Our people, our congregations, the reputation of ministers, and the reputation of the Gospel itself is on the line.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

February 25, 2021

The Bible in the News

Next Post

March 16, 2021 When Preaching Goes Wrong

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Biblical Studies Mental Health and Religion News Philosophy of Religion Uncategorized

Select a Month August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 February 2025 January 2025 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 February 2024 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 April 2022 March 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 January 2018

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: The book of Lamentations contains seven chapters.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE