MBC PAPERS | Is MBC really a member of the SBC?
In his now “famous” July 4, 2021 sermon David Platt clearly stated: “We are not a member of the Southern Baptist Convention.”
Although this was a recurring theme of MBC leadership, discovery in the Burke et al vs McLean Bible Church lawsuit revealed that statement to be a lie that Lead Pastor David Platt vehemently told his congregation from the pulpit on that date.
If we were not members of the SBC why were we deemed to be in “friendly cooperation” with it and invited to send 7 messengers (delegates) to the 2018 SBC Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas. Interestingly, MBC chose to send only 2 – David and Heather Platt. (See discovery documents MBC_001468, MBC_001470)
At this point you may be wondering, “What’s wrong with being in friendly cooperation with other Christians? Doesn’t God call us to do that?” To be in friendly cooperation with the SBC is way more than a warm and fuzzy phrase. It’s way more involved…and turned out to be way more costly.
Article 3 of the SBC Constitution states: The Convention shall consist of messengers who are members of Baptist churches in cooperation with the Convention. Hopefully by now you’re saying, “Wait a minute! Wouldn’t that mean we had to become a Baptist church to send messengers to the Annual Meeting?” Yes, it absolutely would.
The MBC Constitution Article 1 Section 2 states that MBC shall not be affiliated with any denomination but shall remain independent…and Article 3 Section 1 states that Article 1 cannot be changed or amended in any way. Did David Platt and the Elder Board violate the MBC Constitution when they chose to secretly affiliate with the Southern Baptist Convention? Yes, they absolutely did.
Look at the Platts’ registration cards noted above—the cards themselves tell you even more about the extent of MBC’s involvement with the SBC.
At the time of registration MBC had given over $168K in undesignated receipts to the SBC Cooperative Program and $10K to convention causes during 2017. Cooperating churches are eligible to send a minimum of 2 delegates and a maximum of 12. The total number is a function of prior year donations.
MBC affirmed it had faith and practice that closely identified with the Convention’s Adopted Statement of Faith -the Baptist Faith and Message 2000
MBC formally approved its intention to cooperate with the SBC.
MBC messengers were appointed and certified by MBC to the Annual Meeting
The MBC Convention registration form states “Our church is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia”
Questions:
Why did only 2 messengers (the Platts) register for the 2018 Annual Meeting when MBC was eligible to send 7? The complete answer may be unknown, but at this point David was already keeping the affiliation under cover. That pesky MBC Constitution got in his way.
Who paid for that trip to Dallas, Texas? We don’t know for sure. We do know that no report from the Annual Meeting was given to the congregation.
2018 was a big year for the SBC Annual Meeting. Some major resolutions were being voted on. Even the Washington Post printed an article on some of the resolutions that were up for a vote.
As outgoing president, David was scheduled to provide the International Missions Board Report and perform the IMB Commissioning Service. (source: Kentucky Baptist Convention Western Recorder).
If you have been thinking maybe the Platts just registered and never attended the Convention, there’s a very good chance you’re wrong.
There are things we don’t know. What we DO know, however is that MBC was a Southern Baptist Church despite all claims to the contrary by David Platt. Furthermore, David knew it and sold the MBC congregation the rights to the Brooklyn Bridge when he made that (now I’ll call it “infamous”) sermon on July 4, 2021.