“When the Foundation Shakes: Why the SBC Must Reclaim Its First Love”

“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” Revelation 2:4

The founders created the Southern Baptist Convention with the following purpose: “The Convention’s purpose is to provide a means for churches to cooperate in promoting missions and other important objects connected with the Redeemer’s kingdom.”

The Drift Is Real

There was a time when the Southern Baptist Convention stood as a beacon of biblical conviction and missionary passion. We weren’t perfect, no convention of churches ever is, however together we were focused. A common commitment united us to the inerrancy of Scripture, the urgency of the gospel, and the sacred responsibility to carry the message of Christ to the ends of the earth. And we did it together.

But today, I write with a heavy heart. I am a pastor who has walked with this Convention for decades and I feel as though I’m watching the lighthouse grow dim. The Southern Baptist Convention is no longer known first for its theological fidelity or evangelistic zeal. Instead, our core values seem to be eroding, internal disputes concerning the organization or lack thereof, the continued lack of transparency, and our failure to manage our affairs is defining us. Headlines include, “Sexual Abuse scandals and mishandled reforms” are being revealed to the world. Declining membership and financial struggles receive more media coverage than baptisms and church plants. Leadership failures and financia misconduct are front page news.

The Southern Baptist Convention is drifting and not slightly. As we debate fringe concepts instead of focusing on the core tenets of the Convention, we are losing influence in our churches as well as the world. The headlines are louder than our prayers. Our politics have begun to shape our theology, rather than our theology shaping our engagement with the world. Our mission boards are being called into question because of assumed shady practices. Our missionaries are fewer, and our baptisms continue to plummet. The result is that our own convention is in chaos and conflict. The entities are on their own path, not heeding the direction of the Convention. This is seen as we continue to fight each other as if the only enemy is inside our own walls.

We were formed as a cooperative mission effort. That word, cooperative, used to mean something. It meant that churches, great and small, urban and rural, would lock arms and advance the Kingdom of God. But now, cooperation is conditional, and unity is rare.

My heart hurts to say this, but I am reminded of the church of Ephesus. “We’ve lost our first love,” and you can tell.

Gospel-Centered or Convention-Centered?

At the heart of the matter is this: Have we become more concerned with protecting the name of the SBC than proclaiming the name of Jesus? That’s a sobering question, but one we must ask.

In Revelation 2, Jesus praises the church at Ephesus for their doctrinal vigilance. They tested false teachers. They worked hard. They endured. But He had this one thing against them—they had left their first love. They were right, but they were not close to Christ. They were busy, but not broken. They had truth, but no tenderness.

That feels unsettlingly familiar to me.

When did we trade revival for reputation? When did the machinery of denominational life become more important than the movement of the Holy Spirit? When did bylaws start speaking louder than the Bible?

Of course, I believe the Lord is still walking among the lampstands, still inspecting His churches, still calling us back to Himself. However, if we do not listen, will our lampstand be removed? Will we, as a convention, go the way of other denominations?

The Call to Return

As a local church pastor, I cannot fix the Convention. I don’t sit in the executive offices in Nashville. I don’t serve on a national committee. But I can do what I’ve always done. I can shepherd the flock of God that He has entrusted me with faithfulness. I can preach the Word in season and out. I can call my church to prayer and repentance. And I can speak up when I see the ship heading toward the rocks.

This is a call, not criticism. This is a plea for the SBC to do what the Lord said to that first-century church in Ephesus:

“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works...” (Rev. 2:5)

We must remember what made us strong: our doctrinal clarity, our evangelistic urgency, our cooperative missions, and our commitment to the local church.

We must repent for what we have allowed: divisiveness, pride, institutional idolatry, and misplaced priorities.

And we must return to the first works: preaching the gospel, making disciples, and sending laborers into the harvest.

A Final Word

I do not write this as an outsider throwing stones. I write it as a brother whose heart aches. I still believe in what the SBC can be, because I know what it was, I know what the gospel is. But if we do not course correct soon, we may find ourselves as another Ephesus, known not for our fire, but for our fall.

Let us rekindle the flame. Let us remember the mission. Let us reclaim our first love.

Christ must be at the center again: of our churches, our convention, and our hearts.