Bossier City, Louisiana – Amid growing concern about where the Southern Baptist Convention is drifting, a new network has formed to emphasize evangelism and the sufficiency of Scripture within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).
According to their website, the Conservative Baptist Network is “a partnership of Southern Baptists where all generations are encouraged, equipped, and empowered to bring positive, biblical solutions that strengthen the SBC in an effort to fulfill the Great Commission and influence culture.”
According to a news release from the Network, “A significant number of pastors and laymen, motivated by a passionate desire to keep the Southern Baptist Convention anchored to the inerrancy and sufficiency of God’s Word, have formed the Conservative Baptist Network.”
“The network is the product of a grassroots movement that developed organically in the hearts and minds of devoted Southern Baptists who have become concerned about the current direction and perceived future of the convention.”
Brad Jurkovich, pastor of First Baptist Church in Bossier City, La., and spokesman for the Conservative Baptist Network, explained, “We are concerned about the current road our Southern Baptist family is traveling. It is a road that is twisting what God’s Word is saying about things like human sexuality, biblical racial reconciliation and socialistic justice.”
The news release also noted that a number of Southern Baptists “are concerned about the apparent emphasis on social justice, Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality and the redefining of biblical gender roles.”
The news release also states that “pastors and laity from across the nation have been captivated by the fresh breath of this grassroots movement and believe Southern Baptists can work together to cultivate the momentum needed for a course correction of their beloved convention. Male and female members of the network represent varied ethnicities, generation, geographic locations, vocations and soteriological persuasions, celebrating biblical unity in Christ around the inerrant, sufficient and authoritative Word of God.”
Since the launch of the Conservative Baptist Network on February 14th, it has garnered over 1,200 Facebook followers, almost 3,000 Twitter followers, and over 2,500 churches, pastors, and laymen registered on their website. The Network has also received much support and attention from SBC leaders and Florida Baptist pastors.
Ronnie Floyd, president of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, issued a statement in response to the news of the formation of the Conservative Baptist Network.
“The Southern Baptist Convention is at her best when churches are partnering together for mission and standing on the inerrant, infallible, sufficient Word of God,” said Floyd. “Regardless of our secondary affiliations or networks, we must continue to uphold the Baptist Faith and Message, cooperating with one another for the purpose of seeing every person reached for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state and every nation.”
Tom Ascol, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral, Fl., and president of Founders Ministry, shared on Twitter that he is “glad to see this new network roll out. A growing number of Southern Baptists are determined to resist godless ideologies that undermine the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.”
Rod Martin, who serves on the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention and on the state board of missions for the Florida Baptist Convention, explained that we have an incredible and weighty responsibility that is hanging in the balance.
“The Convention was built one widow’s mite at a time. We are the largest Protestant denomination on the continent, the largest Evangelical missionary force in history, and we’ve been handed a stewardship unlike any other. If we can’t stand for this, what can we stand for? I’m not willing to stand in front of Jesus and explain why our generation dropped the ball.”
The Conservative Baptist Network will be hosting their first event on June 8th at the Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando. For more information on the Conservative Baptist Network, visit www.ConservativeBaptistNetwork.com.