Tom Messer: Is the Independent Baptist Movement at a Crossroad?

The following statement intrigued me:

The historic, unifying leadership of the independent Baptist movement has passed off the scene, leaving a leadership vacuum that has led to a more fractured and divisive movement.

It seems to me that he is talking about the absence of leaders (personalities) that have been preeminent in IFB circles in the past. Personally, those personalities were part of the problem. IMO, we need to hear less of great men and more of our great Savior.

[Ron Bean]

It seems to me that he is talking about the absence of leaders (personalities) that have been preeminent in IFB circles in the past. Personally, those personalities were part of the problem. IMO, we need to hear less of great men and more of our great Savior.

AMEN!

I personally believe our issues are bigger than independent baptists and bigger than just managerial - type issues. The reality is that in most places in the world, Christians are paying heavy prices to identify themselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. Just read “The Persecuted Church Global Report 2010” recently released by the Voice of the Martyrs ministry.

All Bible-believing Christians in America, whether they be independent baptists or something else, are living in times where it is more than likely going to cost more to identify themselves as disciples of the Lord Jeus Christ. Staying faithful to God and carrying out the Great Commission in this context is going to be the great need if things continue in their current direction.

How does a church, like Trinity, prepare itself to minister in these last days when it is plagued with one of the worst sexual abuse scandals in all of fundamentalism?

I’m thinking of responding to some of his thoughts in my blog just to get a dialogue going. (I haven’t started a row lately.) I’m going to wait and see what he says when he starts posting the content. Frankly, I think Independent Baptists of the kind to which he’s referring are not at a crossroads. I believe they are well past the crossroads and when they were at the crossroads, they took the wrong turn.

Joe and Jim’s bringing up of the sexual abuse scandal that has hung over that ministry is a sad, but unavoidable, credibility destroyer for Tom and the ministry of TBC. There are some very wonderful people in that church who had no part in the church during that period of time, but who worship and minister under the stigma of what was done, permitted and covered. I’d be interested in what some on this board would recommend to remove the cloud there. I have some thoughts, but I’m not prepared to share them just now.

But I would suggest some of what was ‘standard operating procedure’ in the days of the Independent Baptist movement (including pastoral exaltation, poor church polity and governance and icon worship) made such a scandal possible and prolonged.

But I would suggest some of what was ‘standard operating procedure’ in the days of the Independent Baptist movement (including pastoral exaltation, poor church polity and governance and icon worship) made such a scandal possible and prolonged.

This is a great point, Dan. I grew up in an IFB church in a small town and never saw any of this until I “went to the big city”. When I saw the shameless exaltation of pastors who exuded pride and arrogance as they ruled their churches, I distanced myself from them. (Sound familiar, YFs?)

[Ron Bean]

This is a great point, Dan. I grew up in an IFB church in a small town and never saw any of this until I “went to the big city”. When I saw the shameless exaltation of pastors who exuded pride and arrogance as they ruled their churches, I distanced myself from them. (Sound familiar, YFs?)

You aren’t the only one. That kind of pastor never appealed to my parents either, so I didn’t grow up in that kind of church…ever. I’m too old to be a YF.

But what happens is that each group of friends tends to make their own “de facto” leaders and tends to exalt them too much. Every group.

[Dan Burrell] Joe and Jim’s bringing up of the sexual abuse scandal that has hung over that ministry is a sad, but unavoidable, credibility destroyer for Tom and the ministry of TBC. There are some very wonderful people in that church who had no part in the church during that period of time, but who worship and minister under the stigma of what was done, permitted and covered. I’d be interested in what some on this board would recommend to remove the cloud there. I have some thoughts, but I’m not prepared to share them just now.

At Trinity, you have something that goes way beyond a “he said/shesaid” issue. You have one of the worst known instances of sexual abuse in professing Christianity in America. So, the congregation needs to have the leadership honestly address how they dealt with Dr. Gray when all of this was discovered. After questions have been answered honestly, and biblical discipline has been applied anywhere it may be needed, the church needs to change the name. Have a burial service for the name “Trinity Baptist Church” in that city. Let the vicitims, congregation, community, and world know that the chuch will not spend one more day under a name that reflects betrayal and pain instead of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let the victims know that the place of horrors no longer exists.

I recall one of the most well-known IFB personalities (I hesitate to call him a preacher) in a speech in which he was proving the eternal humanity of Christ (try that one out) by saying that “God can’t get His work done without a man around”. The idea that God’s work needs a man may lead churches to believe that they “need” their leader to exist. I know of one church where the leadership covered up the adultery of their leader for years because they were afraid that the church would collapse without him. I suspect a similar mindset existed at Trinity.

[Dan Burrell] I’d be interested in what some on this board would recommend to remove the cloud there. I have some thoughts, but I’m not prepared to share them just now.

Tom Messer was personally chosen by Bob Gray to succeed him and he groomed him for a number of years having a significant influence in the development of Tom Messer’s leadership philosophy. To this day many elements of Gray’s philosophy and practice are prominent in Messer’s leadership (it is worth noting that Tom Messer’s father-in-law was also on staff at Trinity as an Associate Pastor and College Vice-President but appears to have had far less influence than Bob Gray).

And so in responding to what would be recommended to remove the cloud at Trinity, a person would most obviously begin with the consideration that Tom Messer resign and pastor elsewhere. But because of just what I referred to, the influence of Bob Gray whose willingness to admit personal error and misjudgment even regarding the smallest matters was not too common, I doubt that beyond any accidental or purposed concession by Tom Messer about his poor judgment or any unfavorable characterization about his role in the process of responding to the scandal, you will see him volunteering to resign, particularly since the height of the scandal has been passed, Bob Gray is dead and with the Lord and at some point people will ultimately focus on Gray as the offender and Messer as a bumbler at worse. And it might be that a certain viewpoint has it that if at this point resignations begin being offered (that is past the height of the matter) during the rebuilding process with the idea this is behind us now, it will unnecessarily resurrect the slowly dying viruses of the past and reverse any gains made since the controversy.

However, one very significant difference between Tom Messer and Bob Gray and all of those in fundamentalism that identified with the Bob Gray’s and Jack Hyles and so on, is that Bob Gray (and many like him) had a very disturbed ego and psyche. He was maladjusted psychologically so much so that the ministry was not only used for God’s work in evangelizing (the primary emphasis through his ministry as opposed to teaching for some) but as well, it was a vehicle for the means of compensating for his neurotic conflicts, hence Gray was very impressed with the necessity and benefits developing a legacy within IBF circles.

Tom Messer is psychologically and egotistically very different and probably sides on the healthy side of things regarding this part of the human development. Therefore Messer is far less concerned with his legacy within IBF‘ers and tends simply to find fellowship with whom he gets along. That means if you are on a campaign to criticize him, he won’t chase you down and try and appease you he will simply allow God to deal with it. His name need not be in lights, if it is, fine, but this is not his goal as it was Gray’s. So the likelihood that Tom Messer will feel some kind of impact from other IBF’s at this point past the controversy I doubt is great.

My guess is that those who have decided to accept him and the ministry of Trinity and those who have not are decided and Tom Messer accepts that platform.

P.S. When I state Messer was chosen by Gray, I do understand ultimately Tom Messer had to be and was, voted in by the membership. Gray chose him and made it clear Tom was his intended successor thereby campaigning for him for a number of years.

[Alex Guggenheim] P.S. When I state Messer was chosen by Gray, I do understand ultimately Tom Messer had to be and was, voted in by the membership. Gray chose him and made it clear Tom was his intended successor thereby campaigning for him for a number of years.

This type of pastoral transition is not unusual in IFB churches. The “vote” of the membership is a mere formality and is an example of the absence of congregational polity in these “kingdoms”.

I love what one man said about the corner of fundamentalism where he has labored: “There are no great men here, only a great God.”

Some of you will know what group I am referring to, but I will leave its name out so as not to appear boastful of it.

I cringe when I think how the worship of men was once promoted within a fundamentalism which I, as a young Christian, was pressured to accept. Sadly, I still see the residue of some of this nonsense floating around among people who should know better. May God deliver us.