True, just two years ago I wrote a piece on my apathy toward resolutions. And while I still feel that, as a whole, resolutions don’t “do much” in terms of reforming the SBC, I do think they can at least be a tool of assessing where we already are as an association of churches and perhaps for a small catalyst toward change.
As of now, I am submitting two resolutions to the Resolutions Committee for our 2020 meeting in Orlando. The first is on “Beholding the Majesty of God.” You can read it here.
Here is the second:
2020 SBC Resolution on A Reformation of Corporate Worship Practices
Allen Nelson, Perryville Second Baptist Church, Perryville, AR
WHEREAS, from all eternity God has purposed to have a holy people in Christ to praise of His glorious grace (Eph. 1:3–14), and
WHEREAS, God alone is worthy to be worshiped with all our being in spirit and in truth (Exod. 20:3; John 4:23), and
WHEREAS, God has appointed the local church as the pillar and ground of the truth and to regularly assemble for means of reading and preaching the Scriptures, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord, and to administer the two ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, while never neglecting prayer and thanksgiving, (1 Tim. 3:15, 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:2; Col. 3:16; 1 Thess. 5:16–18), and
WHEREAS, the first day of the week is the Lord’s Day and a Christian institution for regular observance and commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of public worship and spiritual devotion, (Rev. 1:10; Luke 24:1–3; Acts 20:7), and
WHEREAS, God does not accept all forms of worship, even those done in His name (Gen. 4:5; Lev. 10:1–2), but only accepts worship in conformity to His instruction as revealed in His Word, and
WHEREAS, events in 2020 have revealed that Southern Baptist churches have incorporated inappropriate and wicked aspects into their corporate gatherings such as platforming politicians, participating in sexualized dancing and singing, and making a mockery of God’s Word both by disobeying its clear instructions for worship and by belittling its gospel, and
WHEREAS, even the best of churches ought to hear what the Spirit has to say to the churches in His Word and periodically assess their worship practices (Rev. 3:22), and
WHEREAS, Christ, the Head of the Church, has both the right to order His church as He sees fit and to remove a church’s lampstand for disobedience to His Word (Rev. 2:5), and has given His local churches sufficient instruction for what He, the Head, desires, therefore, now be it
RESOLVED, that the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Orlando, Florida, June 9–10, 2020, recognize our culpability in associating with churches that do not take the worship of the Lord as seriously as they ought, whether unintentionally or intentionally, and some of whom profane God’s name by carnal practices and be it further,
RESOLVED, that we call upon all churches in the Southern Baptist Convention to repent of any practices in their worship services that have been disobedient to the Head of the Church or that have minimized the power of the gospel or that have attempted ignorantly or willfully to besmirch the glory of Christ, and be it further
RESOLVED, we plead with all Southern Baptists to examine themselves and their local churches and to reform their worship practices to be in conformity to God’s Word and be it finally
RESOLVED, that we remind churches of Christ’s worthiness to be worshiped rightly according to the sufficient Scriptures He has given to us for this great endeavor.