This week, the Texas Baptists Executive Board met in Dallas to hear reports and make decisions related to the work of the BGCT and the Executive Board staff. You can read more about what took place here.

On Monday night, I presented my executive director report to the board. In it, I highlighted the 140th anniversary of Texas Baptists. On June 29 of this year, we will celebrate 140 years since the establishment of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

The history of the BGCT is a legacy of cooperation for missions. When the BGCT was established in 1886, there were five different statewide bodies of Baptists in Texas. These five state Baptist groups limited their cooperation with one another because of disagreements, controversies and differences.

The founders of the BGCT had a bigger vision. The vision was one of cooperation for the sake of God’s mission. Together, Baptists in Texas could undertake evangelism and missions initiatives, educational enterprises and benevolence ministries.

It is noteworthy that while Baptist distinctives, including sound Christian doctrine, have always been important to Texas Baptists, the BGCT did not organize around doctrinal conformity.

Our legacy as Texas Baptists is one of voluntary cooperation for the sake of God’s kingdom! It recognizes the centrality and autonomy of the local church, the importance of local associations and the role of the convention in regard to cooperation.

We don’t have to agree on everything to be on mission together. We are not called to be tribal. We are called to unity in diversity for the sake of God’s glory.

Sound doctrine is important. We must agree on orthodox Christian doctrine. We must hold on to Baptist distinctives. But we must give room for diversity in secondary and tertiary doctrines.

When it comes to salvation, we have churches that believe Christ died only for the elect and churches that believe Christ died for everyone. That’s not a test of fellowship or a deterrent to cooperation.

There are churches that believe that God is the only one who decides who is saved and who is not. Others believe that individuals can respond freely to God’s invitation. Baptists have had these differences for 400 years and have still cooperated together for God’s mission.

Some of our churches believe in dispensational premillennialism. Others have an amillennial or covenantal view of the end times. We can disagree and still cooperate together.

Some of our churches practice closed communion. Others practice open communion. Some of our churches believe women can serve as ministers or pastors. Others do not. We can still cooperate for the sake of God’s mission.

I must pause here and address the matter of biblical authority. While interpretation of some of these things may differ among our churches, what is constant is our commitment to the authority, inspiration, sufficiency, infallibility and trustworthiness of the Scriptures.

I have traveled throughout this state, visiting Texas Baptists churches and meeting with hundreds of pastors. I have not met one yet who does not believe this about the Bible.

Recently, there has been some chatter regarding the word “inerrancy.” Some have suggested that what distinguishes other conventions from the BGCT is their commitment to biblical inerrancy. The implication is that the BGCT has a low view of the authority, inspiration and trustworthiness of the Bible.

Additionally, they suggest that only those who are willing to subscribe to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 believe in inerrancy. Anyone who takes the time to read the article on the Scriptures in both the BFM 1963 and the BFM 2000 will notice at least two things in this regard.

Those who do will note first that neither statement uses the word “inerrant.” Those who suggest that conventions and churches that affirm the BFM 2000 demonstrate their commitment to inerrancy in contrast to those who affirm the BFM 1963 are unknowing, ignorant or dishonest.

Secondly, notice that both statements contain the following sentence word for word: “It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.” If we are talking about believing that the Bible is inspired, authoritative, infallible and is truth without any mixture of error, both statements affirm the same.

Texas Baptists believe the Bible. Do not let anyone deceive you otherwise. In fact, I would argue that our commitment to the authority of the Scriptures is higher because we do not elevate confessions of faith to the same level.

If your conscience is going to submit to anything, let it be to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments and not to a man-made confession of faith. That’s where we stand!

Let’s stand on our legacy of cooperation. Texas Baptists, a people of the Book, have been cooperating together for the cause of evangelism, missions, benevolence and Christian education for 140 years. Let’s move forward with the same spirit into the future.