It's true that there are a lot of faithful people in the SBC who love Jesus & just want to love their neighbors well. It's also true that corrupt leaders can scuttle their efforts. If you love the people in the pew, you'll stand against those who use them for their own power.
It doesn't matter whether or not the people in the pew know the names of the top leaders in the SBC. There's a whole swath of mid-level leaders who do, who stand between the most powerful & grass roots. What they choose to do makes all the difference to people in the pew.
As a baptist pastor's wife for most of my adult life, I've lived through multiple microcosms of what's playing out right now in the SBC. No, it was never a struggle over millions of $ & millions of congregants, but the dynamics were the same.
If those experiences taught me anything, it's that the work of good, faithful people in the pew can be destroyed by a small minority. The witness of a church can be irrevocably damaged in the community. And faithful leaders cut off at the knees.
Of course, as a leader, you're welcome to keep your position if you are ineffective & paralyzed in it. You're welcome to stand behind the pulpit if you don't say or do anything meaningful. You're welcome to stay as long as you play along. And heaven help those who won't.
But the thing I'll never get over is the very real harm few self-interested leaders can ravage on the souls of the congregation. They are wolves in the flock & they'll terrorize God's people to maintain control.
I have far more stories than I wish I did. I've seen far more sinister things than I ever wanted to. But what breaks my heart are the unexpected casualities--people who just wanted Jesus but who became prey for wolves inside the church.
If you know anything about predatory behavior in nature, it only takes a small pack of predators to terrorize a large flock. Only a few of the sheep will be killed with each attack, but all will be terrorized & scattered.
The call to shepherd God's flock is a call to stand against those people who will happily destroy it for their own interests. It's not about standing behind a pulpit (or laptop) & pontificating. It's includes giving your life to protect the flock.
All that to say, go or stay. Follow God as he calls. But staying in a place means being a faithful presence there. It means standing against those who abuse God's people. You cannot stay & ignore the problems. If you do, you'll end up harming the very people you claim to love.
By the same token, God may call you away, relieving you of responsibility for a particular part of his flock. He may direct your work toward another space. This is not something you choose for yourself or in your own time. But if you leave, it does not mean you've failed.
Corruption in the church is not new. History & the Scripture teach us this much. But what each generation, what each person, must decide is what we will do in the face of such corruption. Will we turn a blind eye to preserve ourselves? Or will we resist it?
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