What's the Difference?

I have been thinking about my good fortunate this week. About fourteen months ago I came to an end of an era in my life. I had been the bi-vocational pastor of a Southern Baptist church for about six years or so (and had been the pastor of three other Southern Baptist churches for about a total of sixteen+ more years). During that time at the last church I was a manager at Walmart (and that era ended also in December). Believe me, that is quite a combination and it’s one that I never want to experience again.

My wife and I decided it was time to leave the church and the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). We had attempted this switch about 21 years ago (that number is staggering to me!). As I have said many times, at that time my head was ready but my heart wasn’t. I knew it was the right thing to do but I couldn’t shake the old familiar things about the denomination from which I sprang.

After a while it became clear to me that the SBC was becoming more entrenched in fundamentalism and conservative partisan politics and that it was time for me to go and for good. I won’t enumerate all the things with which I was in disagreement. I won’t tell you the dissonance I felt attempting to work in that kind of atmosphere that was contrary to my mind and soul. It was time for us to leave…and we did…thank God.

Someone recently asked me what the difference was between a Baptist church and a Congregational church. They meant, "What was the difference in the governance or polity of the two?" Interestingly, they have a common heritage. They both come out of the need to form churches that were not part of a hierarchical system (The Church of England) in 16^th Century England.

However, the question was framed around my experience between the two since I was once a Baptist pastor and I am now a Congregational pastor. I have attended an Annual meeting and a Church Council meeting. I’m not sure that is much of a qualification, but here goes.

In a Southern Baptist church there are committees and ministries. They have an annual budget. The pastor and the members of the church work together. The stereotypical image of a Southern Baptist pastor is that he is the ruler and that he tells everyone how it’s going to be and that is that. There are certainly Southern Baptist pastors like that, but there are pastors like that in every denomination.

The biggest difference between a Congregational church and a Southern Baptist church is the monthly business meeting. In the Southern Baptist monthly business meeting every member can speak, present a motion, appeal to start a ministry and perhaps get money to support that ministry…at EVERY MONTHLY business meeting. That was a mess. Oh, and on top of that, it is the pastor who conducts the monthly business meeting, which can present a host of problems.

That’s the biggest difference I’ve seen in the Congregational way so far. At Spring Creek UCC we have a monthly council meeting where leaders of their respective ministries discuss ongoing plans and programs of the church. There is an annual meeting where the church members listen to the proposal of the budget and the plans of the difference ministries discuss and debate them, and then vote. For the rest of the year the congregation trusts the moderator and other officers and ministry leaders to conduct the business of the church.

Paul said: “…but all things should be done decently and in order” (I Corinthians 14:40).  Paul was talking about the use of spiritual gifts in the church, not necessarily about conducting business but I believe the principle applies. I see more order. I see more direction. I see more commitment in the Congregational way. For which I am grateful.