First Baptist Church is a downtown church that runs 500 in worship. The church is affluent, which is reflected in their beautiful building. The worship service is traditional. There are lots of programs & committees. FBC is known for its generous Cooperative Program giving. 1/
— Nathan A. Finn (@nathanafinn) July 9, 2021
How many times have you read a story that said something like, “Southern Baptists are expected to do so-and-so or such-and such”?
I’m not talking about coverage of the actual annual meeting when “messengers” from autonomous SBC churches actually get together and vote on this-and-that and make statements and changes in the mechanisms that affect their common work. I am referring to news stories that seem to assume that Southern Baptists can be summed up with one set of cultural or political images or a set of data points.
You know: I’m talking about news coverage of Southern Baptists that assumes that Sunbelt suburban megachurches are the only reality. It’s so easy, when trying to write news reports of 666 words or so, to settle into language that attempts to make the blurry real world snap into super-sharp focus.
The same is true of all big religious movements, of course. We all know that the singular “Catholic vote” doesn’t exist, now or ever. We know that rural United Methodists are not the same folks as blue zip-code urbanites (and there are complexities inside those two groups). We know that many Episcopalians in north Texas are not the same as those in northern California. But there’s only so much space (even in today’s online world) and editors always want snappy phrases and punchy conclusions, usually with a political hook or two.
Anyway, Nathan A. Finn — provost at North Greenville University, a campus in South Carolina with strong Southern Baptist ties — recently rolled out a tweetstorm in the wake of all the news coverage of the SBC annual meeting in Nashville.
This is not a news story. It isn’t even a conventional “think piece,” although Finn could have turned it into one quite easily. It’s “just” a long chain of tweets. Nevertheless, there is much to learn here. Let us attend.
The chain opened with the tweet at the top of this post. Here’s the rest of the “storm” (sorry about the repeats, but it’s the best way to keep the URLs clear).
CrossWay Church is a suburban church that runs 1400 in two services. The “feel” of each service is laid back & contemporary. CrossWay has excellent recreational facilities, so their Upward leagues are a major outreach. They are considering launching a second campus. 2/
— Nathan A. Finn (@nathanafinn) July 9, 2021
Here is a relevant tweet, in this day and age.
Solid Rock Baptist Church is an African American church that runs 300 in worship. The service lasts almost 2 hours. The pastor is a beloved figure in the community, both for his strong preaching & for his church’s mentoring program at the neighborhood elementary school. 3/
— Nathan A. Finn (@nathanafinn) July 9, 2021
Here’s another reality that is frequently overlooked — small-town life.
Stoney Creek Baptist Church is a rural church that runs 75 in worship. The church dates to 1850, and many families in the church go back three or more generations. The pastor is active in the local association and the church gets excited about Operation Christmas Child. 4/
— Nathan A. Finn (@nathanafinn) July 9, 2021
Ekklesia is a church plant that runs 250 in worship and meets in a storefront near downtown. The church is led by three elders, all of whom were close friends in seminary. The church places a premium on multi-ethnicity, hospitality, and their small group ministry. 5/
— Nathan A. Finn (@nathanafinn) July 9, 2021
Riverbend Community Church is a multi-site megachurch that runs 6000 in worship across four campuses. The pastor is a dynamic preacher, the worship team releases a new album each spring, and the church sends out over 30 short-term mission teams per year. 6/
— Nathan A. Finn (@nathanafinn) July 9, 2021
Here is another wrinkle in the familiar stereotypes, one linked to quite a few stories these days. Think Texas, Florida and lots of other places.
Iglesia Bautista Berea is a Hispanic congregation that runs 150 in worship. About half of the regular attenders are longtime members, but the other half are migrants who attend seasonally. Some of them may be undocumented. Worship is exuberant and the church is a big family. 7/
— Nathan A. Finn (@nathanafinn) July 9, 2021
Northside Baptist Church runs about 40 people worship. Their neighborhood used to be residential, but now is industrial. The youngest active member is 59. The pastor is bivocational. He and the 3 deacons have reached out to the association for advice about revitalization. 8/
— Nathan A. Finn (@nathanafinn) July 9, 2021
Grace Church runs 350 in worship. The church is known for its commitment to expository preaching and the five points of Calvinism. Four of the elders are paid, but five are unpaid laymen. The church has adopted an unreached people group and has a strong adoption ministry. 9/
— Nathan A. Finn (@nathanafinn) July 9, 2021
Rolling Hills Cowboy Church runs about 200 in worship. Everything about the church’s ethos says two things: we love Jesus and the open plains He created. When Rolling Hills has a baptism service, they set up a horse trough outside the building and host a huge celebration. 10/
— Nathan A. Finn (@nathanafinn) July 9, 2021
College Hills Baptist Church runs about 700 in two services. The second service meets at 2:00pm and is attended by about 150 students, since the church is a block from the university campus. They also host a free coffee house for the college students on Thursday nights. 11/
— Nathan A. Finn (@nathanafinn) July 9, 2021
SonRise Baptist Church runs about 125 in worship. Most of the members are part of the Chocktaw Nation. The church was started as a mission out of Second Baptist Church in 1965, but has been an autonomous church for 30 years. Jobs for Life is a major outreach initiative. 12/
— Nathan A. Finn (@nathanafinn) July 9, 2021
We are almost done.
This next one is the “typical” high-steeple church in a Southern town or city — the “Baptist church” that so many of us are familiar with.
Faith Baptist Church runs about 800 in worship. It’s by far the largest church in town. The pastor is a leader in the state convention & their Living Christmas Tree presentation each December is a big hit. The church always leads the association in baptisms & giving. 13/
— Nathan A. Finn (@nathanafinn) July 9, 2021
This is just a glimpse of what the SBC really looks like. Our churches come in many shapes and sizes, but most all of them share a commitment to our confessional consensus and our cooperative mission. I’m grateful to God for our Great Commission Baptists family. 14/
— Nathan A. Finn (@nathanafinn) July 9, 2021
That’s the end, sort of. You could add the Koreans in there, somewhere, although that’s a bigger trend in Presbyterian life. I would have added a tweet about churches that used to be SBC and have now gone independent. That’s a wrinkle that often gets lost or that causes confusion. There are, after all, thousands of Baptists in the South who are not Southern Baptists.
Spot any local stories and realities? What did you learn?
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