Do Not Be THAT Church

I have ministered to the churches of POBA for thirteen years. I have observed a pattern that must discontinue.  

Good intentioned church leaders, seeking someone to fill the pulpit shortly after the pastor has left, pursues what seems best at the time, pursues that which does not trouble a person for long, seeks a guy who can “be here Sunday”, turns to a "pastor" that is a friend, an acquaintance, "a guy I know", or co-worker that's a "good guy” and is invited to fill the pulpit "until we sort through the loss of our previous pastor" but is not who the church is, that is, he is not Southern Baptist. This decision to simply "fill the pulpit" without considering the great and severe consequences must not continue. 

Doctrine matters. The man that fills the pulpit and his doctrine, whether once, for a season, or is the next pastor, matters. This decision affects the church -the members- and the investment made by the current, all prior, and all future generations. 

DO NOT be that church!

EVERY TIME this has happened over the last ten years, the church is led away from biblical teaching, away from Baptist life, and results in the disfellowshipping of the church from the local Baptist Association, the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, and the Southern Baptist Convention....EVERY TIME! It happened in 2012, 2019, 2021, and 2022...EVERY TIME! The investment of disfellowshipped churches represents 247 years of investment.... invested resources, property, time, cooperation, relationships, community connection, and energy are now GONE forever because of the quick decision to bring in a guy who was not aligned with the church. 

DO NOT be that church!

The Piedmont Okefenokee Baptist Association maintains a list of pastors that have agreed to The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 to fulfill a need in a church's time of transition. There are many other godly men not on our or any other list that can assist a church in time of transition, but it is ESSENTIAL that he be doctrinally aligned with your local church. If you do not know, ask him! DO NOT allow a man in the pulpit - no matter what you have heard, what you think you know, how well you know his family, how long he has been in the community, - but rather by speaking with the candidate and being certain he is doctrinally aligned with the church.

Leaders in the church matter.  Whomever is charged with filling the pulpit when there is no pastor matters. Who a church licenses matters. Who a church ordains matters.

DO NOT be that church that responds..."It doesn't matter...", "it's just one Sunday...", "it's just for a little while..."....IT MATTERS! Do not be the church leader that leads the church you attend away from doctrinally sound preaching and fellowship and cooperation with other like-minded Bible-based Baptist churches that cooperate to help each other for the glory of God.