The BGCT and the world of Tomorrow

Although an obscure blog, the invitation to receive any information about outstanding fiscal improprieties has not been taken. So, I will move on. But how shall we trust a convention that has so blatantly betrayed the trust of the people it was created to serve and channel important gifts to entities congregations and pastors support?

For pastors and churches, I would say, "Go slowly and cautiously!" The problem with corruption and incompetence is that it takes root quickly and is rooted out slowly. I have no doubt the BGCT has some distance to go before it is completely trustworthy again. Years of fiscal responsibility have been wrecked by a "Middle Ages" of dark misuse of God's money. Slowly proceed, and slowly trust.

For the administrative employees of the BGCT, this fiasco is not of your making but you knew about it when you came to the position. No whining about mistrust! What the churches and pastors of Texas have experienced is a supreme betrayal by the least likely entity--their own convention. There are those of us who risked much to keep Texas from the grip of fundamentalism. It was a joint effort. Now those who were trusted and elected and paid to served betrayed the leadership of churches and the churches themselves. If you do your job well, live transparently, tirelessly work at building relationships damaged or destroyed by the last administration, then you will see fruit. I am afraid I remain skeptical of the new emphasis because I don't think there has been repentance.

I believe the leadership(paid and elected)should release an apology that runs something like this: "We recognize that we have all come through a difficult time that has brought division within the camp. We also recognize that some of that division was our fault for allowing monies entrusted to us to be diverted and perverted for other causes. We stand before you to ask your forgiveness. We stand before you to pledge that on our watch such things will not happen again. As much as is humanly possible, we will vigilantly guard each gift as a sacred trust and it will go where it was intended for the purposes for which it was intended. With your forgiveness, we will move forward. With your forgiveness, we will do our part to rebuild trust and unity. With your forgiveness, we will pray together to ask God to once again bless our efforts and endeavors."

To the elected leadership and the Executive Board, I would say, "Lead and govern!!" It is sad that you were elected to govern during an administration that could not be trusted, but you were elected and you accepted. So, on your watch, you allowed corruption and perhaps even graft and surely incompetence to continue unabated. That is not good enough. You are the ones that carry fiduciary responsibility for all the monies entrusted to the BGCT. You must make the paid staff account for every penny. And, no excuses. Be deliberate and skeptical and meticulous of everything until this administration has shown themselves worthy of trust and confidence. Let your guide be transparency. Let no question be unanswered or squelched. You are elected to govern, then govern!!"

To Texas Baptist Committed, I would say that your inaction because of your wide influence has cost Texas Baptists millions. You knew early on a bad choice had been made and yet TBC Board continued to prop up a mediocre (at best) regime. All the time they were burning though money faster than a contractor in Iraq. The only problem was this was not tax dollars, this was God's money. You allowed an administration to lie to pastors, to churches, to elected leadership, to its own employees, to its Executive Board, and I guess ultimately to God. You cannot escape some of the responsibility for what happened during the Dark ages of this convention. You must decide that incompetence and corruption are as large an influence for evil as is fundamentalism. So, if we are going to move forward, TBC needs to regain some trust throughout the state that has been lost through inaction and cronyism.

If I sound harsh, it is because I have watched a convention that started my ministry become something I neither recognized, trusted, or looked at with pride. All my pleas and all my efforts to get answers were rebuffed, redirected, or passed off as just an old sore head. Now, we are about $30,000,000.00 down and counting. This was God's money and at this point we have no idea where $27,000,000.00 went.

I have a single, pensioned, childless widow in our church who walked with pain and a cane. She is faithful in Sunday School and church. She lives in a modest home yet is always faithful to give. When I think of how she struggles to live during these days, I am furious at how our gifts and tithes to God were wasted.

So, Dr. Everett, you want to reach Texas for Christ by 2010? You would be wise to have us all with you because we trust you and our churches trust you. For me, I am not there yet!

So, from one Texas Baptist, that is the shape of the BGCT and world of today. What is done now, for me, will shape my relationship with the BGCT and the world of tomorrow