Growing up in a Southern Baptist Church, attending a Baptist College, and finally a Baptist Seminary, I learned a valuable lesson about the words – Messenger to a Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). I can remember sitting in Dr. From’s Baptist History class as a Junior in college and hearing for the first time about being a messenger. I can remember thinking the term made sense for a denomination that believed in the soul competency and responsibility of everyone.
We must understand that there is a reason the SBC chose to use the term messenger instead of delegate like they had in the past. Leon McBeth, a distinguished professor of Church History at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, writes in his book The Baptist Heritage,
“Early Southern Baptists had no hesitation in using the word delegate to designate voting members of the convention. Preference for the term messenger came as a reaction to the Landmarkism. It was intended to make the point that the member of the SBC votes his convictions and does not come with “delegated” authority from the church, nor does he carry back to the church any official or authoritative instructions from the convention.” 1
This change would have been suggested in the early 1900’s. The parts that stick out to me are threefold. First, the messenger is to vote on his (her) convictions. This implies that the individual has prayed and sought the Holy Spirit’s direction on how they should vote on the business presented at the convention. Second, the messenger does not have any special authority from that church. They do not control what that church decides
about their future connection to the convention. Third, this implies that the individual’s decisions should not be predetermined, like a delegate at a state or national convention where those chosen are to present formally who their state chose as their respective candidate.
While Southern Baptists are not perfect, in my opinion, messenger is the best term under which a Christian cooperative convention could operate. I look forward to attending the Southern Baptist Convention June 9 -11. Cathy and I have been elected by our home church, Calvary Baptist, Pilot Point, to vote our convictions during the business sessions.
You still have time if you have not signed up to be a messenger. For more information, click on Southern Baptist Convention
https://register.sbcannualmeeting.net/
1 McBeth, Leon, The Baptist Heritage Four Centuries of Baptist Witness. Broadman
Press, 1987.