Statement by MBC officers regarding the SBC Executive Committee and the Sexual Abuse Task Force

Dear Missouri Baptist Pastors and Churches,

First and foremost, thank you so much for your Kingdom work in our state and around the world. You are on the frontlines of ministry, the local church, the headquarters of the Convention. Without our cooperative efforts we would not be seeing the advances for the Kingdom of God.

This summer at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting an overwhelming majority of the 15,000 messengers passed a motion commissioning an investigation the handling of sexual abuse within our family—namely the Executive Committee. Rev. Dr. Ed Litton, our current SBC President, quickly appointed the Task Force (SATF) and the subsequently rehired Guidepost Solutions, formerly contracted by the Executive Committee (EC) for similar purposes.

The messengers intended the Task Force and third party agency to have unfettered access to and all information they would need to best conduct the investigation and bring any sins or correction needed to light through a report to the Convention at the 2022 Annual Meeting in Anaheim, CA next June.

Though there are very real legal implications and complications from this decision, what is not complicated is what the messengers at the annual meeting said that they wanted done. While we are thankful for each member of the EC and SATF, we are asking that you quickly sign the contract and begin the hard, difficult work of investigation.

To accomplish this we ask:

The EC agrees to waive its Attorney-Client privilege related to matters only within the scope of the Motion (items pertaining to Sexual Abuse). This is stated by the SATF’s latest “messenger model”(SATF Summary Bullet Points).
Agree to and sign the SATF negotiated contract with the commissioned third-party investigative agency and/or “umbrella” attorney chosen by the SATF.
Agree to comply fully with all of “the accepted best standards and practices recommended by the commissioned third party.” [Guidepost Solutions]

Let us be crystal clear, we abhor and renounce any form of sexual abuse and any attempt to conceal this sin. We grieve with and pray for survivors of sexual abuse and we seek to honor them as image bearers of God.

We also pray that both EC and the SATF will act justly, wisely, lovingly, and expeditiously in making Godly decisions to fulfill the will of the SBC messengers, restore the eroding cooperative trust so that we can continue to work together for the sake of God’s Kingdom.

We believe the Cooperative Program remains the most powerful tool for mobilizing resources for fulfilling the Great Commission to the world. Our joint efforts through the Cooperative Program make the SBC who we are. We stand with you in faith, that when we walk in the light as He is in the light, that our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ can handle whatever fallout may occur.

Our prayer is that God honoring decisions are made soon so that we can move forward as one for the Kingdom of God. We pray that this refining moment finds each of us ministers and churches faithful and ignites a renewed passion for gospel unity.

Signed by,

The Officers of the Missouri Baptist Convention

Pastor Jon C. Nelson – Lead Pastor of Soma Community Church – President

Pastor Chris Williams – Lead Pastor of Fellowship Church – First Vice – President

Rev. Dr. Lane Harrison – Lead Pastor of LifePoint Church – Second Vice – President

Pastor Jason Marlin – Senior Pastor at First Baptist Kirksville – Secretary

The Pastors and Messengers of the Missouri Baptist Convention

Pastor Nicholas Drake, Richland Baptist Church, Kingdom City

Pastor Scott Gordon, Claycomo Baptist Church, Kansas City

Pastor Taylor Whitmore, Southridge Baptist Church, Jefferson City

Pastor Rob Hurtgen, First Baptist Church, Chillicothe

Pastor Jamie Cartledge, Worship Pastor Claycomo Baptist Church, Kansas City

Pastor Joshua Meranda, Associate Pastor, Open Door Church, Columbia

Pastor Ryan Palmer, Senior Pastor, South Haven Baptist Church, Springfield

Pastor Chad Hodges, Director of Missions, Jefferson Baptist Association

Pastor Dale Thompson, Senior Pastor, Grant Avenue Baptist Church, Springfield

Pastor Michael Beene, Senior Pastor, Riverview Baptist Church, Osage Beach

Pastor Ryan West, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Steele

Pastor Mike Bergman, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Adrian

Pastor Tim Sperduto, Senior Pastor, Memorial Baptist Church, New Haven

Pastor Joshua Christy, Senior Pastor, Holden Baptist Church, Holden

Pastor Raymond Cabello, Senior Pastor, Redemption Christian Church, Maryland Heights

Pastor Steve Hodges, Senior Pastor, Prospect Baptist Church, Lonedell

Pastor Mike Self, Pastor of Discipleship & Administration, Canaan Baptist Church, St. Louis

Rev. Dr. Wesley Vance, Senior Pastor, Fellowship Kansas City, Kansas City

Pastor Russell Duncan, Associate Pastor of Mission’s and Education, Calvary of Neosho, Neosho

Rev. Dr. Mike Hubbard, Lead Pastor, Genesis Church, Eureka

Pastor Gary Walton, Senior Pastor, Heritage Baptist Church, Bolivar

Pastor Charles Yates, Senior Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church, Odessa

Pastor Robert Hudson, Senior Pastor, Littleby Baptist Church, Rush Hill

Pastor Dan Updegrave, Senior Pastor, The Road Church, Clever

Pastor LP Cook, Lead Pastor, Union Hill Baptist Church, Holt’s Summit

Pastor Jayson Workman, Lead Pastor, South Gate Baptist Church, Springfield

Pastor Paul Wellinghoff, Lead Pastor, FBC Eminence, Eminence

Pastor Anthony Stephens, Lead Pastor, FBC Fulton, Fulton

Pastor Scotty Watson, Senior Pastor, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Centralia

Pastor Richard Nations, Director of Missions, Thousand Hills Baptist Association, Kirksville

Pastor Dave Becker, Missions & College Pastor, FBC Bolivar, Bolivar

Pastor Gregg Fina, Revitalization Pastor, New Hope Baptist Church, Pevely

Pastor Dan Born, Pastor, Believers Church, Hannibal

Pastor Scott Hawkins, Lead Pastor, Calvary Baptist Of Joplin

Pastor Tyler Shipley, Senior Pastor, Huntsville First Baptist Church, Huntsville

If you are a Missouri Baptist Pastor or Layperson and would like to sign to this statement, please comment below with your name and title/church (if applicable) and we will add your name.

Guidelines for Limited June Reopening

Dear Soma,

To begin with, I am so proud of you. I am constantly bragging on you and sharing story after story of God’s grace! I wanted to share with you some minor changes we are making to our gatherings starting June 21st at Soma. We have been praying and thinking for a while now about the order of our gatherings. We’ve decided upon a few changes we are going to make for the next season of life at our church. There are 2 things we need address in this post. [Read more…]

COVID-19: How To Stay Connected

We’ve been teaching for many years in Soma that the church is not a building, it’s a people, it’s our family, a household. It’s a body made up of many members. It’s a temple of His Spirit, made up of living stones. We’ve never really been about holding events or hosting services. We’ve tried to live as a gospel community on mission and we’re not going to stop now. We need each other – our city needs us – more now than ever. Below are our plans during this season in which we’ve found ourselves. [Read more…]

Maundy Thursday

Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday, falls on the Thursday before Easter. Maundy Thursday might lie a bit outside your usual Easter traditions. Easter Sunday, Good Friday, and even Ash Wednesday services are more common than Maundy Thursday services. Nevertheless, Maundy Thursday, along with other Holy Week celebrations, is an ancient tradition, practiced by Jesus’ church all the way back to the fifth century.

Maundy Thursday it commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with his disciples and the events of his passion which followed. Often, foot washing is included (John 13:3-17) and, in some churches, at the conclusion of the Service, the stripping of the church may occur in which all textiles, crosses, and images are removed or covered until Easter eve. With the setting of the sun on Holy Thursday, the Easter Triduum begins. Triduum literally means “Three Days” and stretches from sunset on Holy Thursday, through Good Friday, and to sunset on Easter.

The Christian Church continues to celebrate today to prepare us for meeting the resurrected Christ on the third day.

We usually do this by celebrating the passover together each year and breaking our Lenten fast.

By observing the Lord’s Supper together, we identify with the disciples who sat at the table with Jesus and realize together that we, like his disciples, abandoned Jesus to his death. We do this not to beat ourselves up but to recall the depth of our need for God’s mercy and the height of hope on Easter Sunday.

Activity:

Jesus Washes The Feet Of His Friends, John 13:1-17

Get a bowl of water or something big enough to wash their feet with. After the reading the passage, wash each person’s feet. Remind them that those who trust in Jesus to forgive them of their sins will be washed clean and prepared to do works for God.

Holy Week – Tuesday

Holy Tuesday is the last Tuesday prior to Easter Sunday; it is the third day of Holy Week after Palm Sunday and Holy Monday. Similar to Holy Monday, those that do observe Holy Tuesday, typically mark it with readings of particular passages of Scripture and the singing of relevant hymns. [Read more…]

A Different Kind of Holy Week

This Lent has been like no other.

On Ash Wednesday, we began with a plan for prayer and fasting, but less than three weeks into Lent, life turned upside down because of COVID-19 and the precautions we were asked to take in order to prevent its spread. As life’s normal rhythms were interrupted, so were our Lenten plans. And we entered a Lenten desert we did not expect to experience. [Read more…]

Activity:

This Lent has been like no other.

Soma Community Church

Get Connected