Wade Burleson has a post up talking about the now public IMB minutes from January’s meeting. You will recall that there has been much speculation about what went on there.
This post gives you Wade’s version of it.
The minutes can be found at Scott Birdwell’s blog. Thanks to Scott for making them available to us all.
Several have asked why Wade is not restored to full responsibilities and others (most vocal of whom is Kevin Bussey) as why there was no apology made to Wade.
Here are a few of my thoughts as to why.
1 No Apology
No apology because that opens the door to criticism by admitting they were wrong. That is, criticism and possible consequences. If they hold to the story that it was just a misunderstanding, then they stand a good chance of not being held to account for the damage done to Wade Burleson’s reputation.
Well, the attempt to damage Wade’s reputation. By calling the blog to light, they basically invited everyone to read it for themselves. Most of my readers know I am a firm believer in letting the facts speak for themselves, and Wade’s own words are his best defense. Most who have read his blog have determined that he had not gossiped nor had he slandered there. I think Wade looks better because of it all.
Wade asserts, by the way, a fair reading of the minutes will reveal that the issue was the blog all along, and not, as some have asserted after the fact, separate issues of gossip or slander not related to the blog. As always, I invite you to read it for yourself.
2 Unanimous vote to rescind
The motion to remove Wade was rescinded unanimously for many reasons. Wade said not everyone was at the meeting where the original motion was made, nor did everyone vote and of those voting, not everyone voted in affirmation of the motion to remove him. This tells us that the Trustees were divided over the situation and that now all of them felt their particular loyalties were best served by rescinding of the motion to remove.
3 Keeping Wade in the penalty box
Then why keep Wade off the committees? By removing Wade from the committees, the BOT leadership has come close to doing what it set out to do in January – remove Wade from serious impact on the Board. It is not the whole enchilada, but it is close and the SBC is not guaranteed a discussion and a vote on it. This makes holding them accountable a little more slippery.
Will you let them get away with it?
Coming soon…
A Young SBC Leader’s Primer on the Convention in Greensboro
& more investigation of various sorts.
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Jeff Richard Young
on Apr 6th, 2006
@ 12:30 pm:
Dear Art,
Thanks for your continued work on this issue.
The IMB BOT leadership are slippery. They’ve been at this stuff a long time, and most of us are rank novices. The moves they pulled at the Tampa meeting were tactical victories. They derailed the Greensboro trainwreck for which they were headed. They curtailed discussion of their actions. They kept Wade out of the loop. Hopefully they did not win a strategic victory, however. Their actions in Tampa may have been enough to convince people who had been neutral that the IMB BOT is a stacked deck, and is up to no good.
A convention primer is exactly what many of us need. I have never been before, and I don’t know the first thing about how to get anything passed, or even considered. I know we’re playing catch-up, but we’re learning quickly!
Love in Christ,
Jeff
Kevin Bussey
on Apr 6th, 2006
@ 12:42 pm:
Great job as always Art!
They remind me of the FONZ!! Remember how hard it was for him to admit he was wrong.
I was wroooonnng….. Ayeee…………
steve w
on Apr 6th, 2006
@ 12:48 pm:
Jeff,
I’m not sure to whom you refer when you say “we’re playing catch-up”, but trust me, there are some “old-timers” that are able to tear down and rebuild the SBC engine, that are on board with us.
Much like the US government, we voters don’t have to know how to write resolutions and make motions, we just have to show up and vote our conscience. Those in the know will tell us what’s going to be on the ballot, so to speak.
Art,
Thanks bro for all you are doing!! I saw somewhere in some blog comments, that someone said he would stand up on the floor and demand an apology if no one else does. I’m not SBC politically savvy, but I’ve been watching half-a-million people march in the streets out here in L.A. If business as usual doesn’t get it done, I’ll consider organizing a march in the Greensboro Convention Center…let ‘em try to rule that out of order! (Relax all you that don’t recognize a tongue-in-cheek remark that makes a point.)
Some trying to keep Wade in the penalty box may just find themselves impeached in Greensboro!
Jeff Richard Young
on Apr 6th, 2006
@ 2:20 pm:
Dear Steve,
I had to LOL when I read “let them try to rule that out of order!”
I am a little uncomfortable with the sentiment that there are those who are “in the know” and then there are the rest of us who will (hopefully) be told (sometime) what we’re going to be voting for.
Love in Christ,
Jeff
Phillips Lynn
on Apr 6th, 2006
@ 2:25 pm:
Pastor Art
I believe this report proves what some of us have been saying for months. We need to gather in Greensboro to address this and other problems that are in our convention.
There must be an outcry for the accountability of the IMB BoTs for their actions in this situation with Pastor Wade and we should also demand that they issue a public apology to him, his family and his church for the way they have handled this situation.
steve w
on Apr 6th, 2006
@ 3:40 pm:
Jeff,
I very much understand your discomfort with the “in the know” phrase. There’s probably a better way to say it. It’s just that the SBC procedures can seem very convoluted to those that don’t fully understand them. Often people will try to stand up on the floor and call for this or that, only to be ruled out of order. Those who know what they are doing can get some things done seemingly “last minute” from the floor. But most of what gets done is accomplished by means of established procedures that start well in advance of the meeting (i.e., through committee channels).
If you and I show up in Greensboro with hopes of accomplishing anything outside of proper channels, we will only leave more frustrated — perhaps hopeless. Whether one feels this is sad or not, you can’t show your cards too soon, and that’s just the way it is. There’s a reason things were done the way they were done during the resurgence — mainly because our Constitution and Bylaws prescribe how the convention must operate.
What I’m hearing is that those calling for change now are saying, “We don’t want to play dirty politics, but there is power in numbers in the SBC. Your vote counts. Come and vote for change.”
And believe me when I say there are many SoBap’s like Pastor Joe that commented on Villa Rica’s blog that are older than us who have been praying for this day to come. They really mean it when they say this YL movement is what they have longed to see, and they too will vote for change. We can’t change everything this year, but we can change some things.
Note also that Art has already promised a preview of coming attractions. You will hear from others on other blogs, and even in Greensboro too. Stay tuned!
Kevin Bussey
on Apr 6th, 2006
@ 3:50 pm:
Jeff,
You will know soon what is up… Stay tuned…….
Jeff Richard Young
on Apr 6th, 2006
@ 4:04 pm:
Dear Steve and Kevin,
I understand the idea about not showing your cards too soon. That’s fine with me. But why shouldn’t every last one of us learn the ins and outs of the convention proceedings before we get there? I dont’ mean that whoever is going to propose some dynamite stuff has to tip off the other guys. I just mean let’s learn the by-laws, and whatever else will help us get this stuff passed.
Love in Christ,
Jeff
art rogers
on Apr 6th, 2006
@ 4:15 pm:
Jeff, and everyone else,
You should learn the ins and outs. The Primer will get you well on your way. Still editing it, probably will post it over several posts next week.
Marty is releasing the details of the Young Leader’s conference on Monday.
steve w
on Apr 6th, 2006
@ 4:26 pm:
Sorry if I implied we can’t learn it. I just don’t think there is time to become a skilled craftsman before Greensboro, however. And I’m pretty sure it’s too late to submit certain matters of business for this year — not too late for all things, but too late for some things (which is why I’m grateful some other people have been busy).
If we’re serious about being involved in change in the future, we better learn the ropes.
art rogers
on Apr 6th, 2006
@ 4:45 pm:
Steve,
I didn’t mean you couldn’t learn, but I think we all should learn. it’s vital.
Moreover, it is not too late for anything. It may be too late to get things on the schedule set by the two committees – Order of Business & Resolutions, but anything, motion or resolution can come from the floor and will be referred to the appropriate committee, but if it is valid the committee will have to recommend something to do with it – it WILL come to the floor for a vote. if the committee recommends we do away with the motion, we can move to ignore the committee’s recommendation and bring it to the floor.
If it is worded correctly it will come back to us and we will take action on it.
steve w
on Apr 6th, 2006
@ 5:18 pm:
Good to know, Art. Thanks. Can nominations for various positions be done that way as well? And Gene makes a comment under your The Once Proud Flagship post about the timing issue. Do you have any knowledge about what he is referring to?
art rogers
on Apr 6th, 2006
@ 7:22 pm:
Steve,
Nominations can come from the floor at the time of the election for a specific post.
Gene’s reference to timing would be a submission of a motion to its respective committee in order to get it scheduled. This may indeed be past time, but motions from the floor, if worded correctly, must come back to the floor with a recommendation from the committee. The house can then accept or reject the committee’s recommendation.
This would come in the form of a motion with a second, discussion and then call for the question – which means its time to do what you came to do: vote.
Villa Rica
on Apr 6th, 2006
@ 9:24 pm:
Brother Jeff,
Brother Steve W. is right. The reason that he is right is that this movement is not motivated by politics, but by a righteous ground swell of new men and women that are sick of playing games with God. They want to be touched by God and want to touch others for God.
I believe you are one of them.
There is no way you could know some of the people we are dealing with as long or as well as I do.
Some of them just need to repent. All of us need to make repentance a high priority in our lives. I have had to do that relating to many things.
If you want to know more take a day and search the various Baptist news papers from past years. Go into the archives of the secular papers where our institutions are located.
If you do this you will understand why I continue to stand in the middle of Blog Town and cry for repentance. We do not need another political takeover. We need a Holy Spirit infilling.( not talking about a second blessing or anything like that) We need a fresh movement of the Spirit in our Convention. In order to have that we must come before the Lord with repentant hearts no matter how we feel about baptism, baptismal agents, second blessings, or private or not so private prayer languages.
That is where the SBC is, Brother Jeff. We will live or we will die. We will live if we repent. We will die if we do not. It is just that simple.
Villa Rica
Phillips Lynn
on Apr 7th, 2006
@ 7:32 am:
Pastor Villa,
Amen!!! I, too, am praying for spiritual renewal within our convention.
art rogers
on Apr 7th, 2006
@ 9:59 am:
I stand corrected!!! Resolutions must be turned in no later than 15 days before the convention. Any resolutions made from the floor will be ruled out of order – but not because of their content. Rather it is the timeing of such. If you want a resolution brought to the floor, it must go through the committee.
The committee will bring forth a list of resolutions that it wants to see passed by the convention. If you properly submit a resolution to the committee, but the committee chooses not to recommend it, all is not lost.
A list of ALL resolutions properly submitted will be in the convention Bulletin. A vote of 2/3 of the convention will get the resolution to the floor. From there, the resolution will be discussed and then voted on.
The approval of a motion that the Committee on resolutions did not want approved has thus far been accomplished by only one man: Wiley Drake.
Again, YSBC (Young SBC – for those new to my blog), it is vital that you show up, stay and be there to vote!! Votes matter.
Keep in mind, this is a 2/3 vote of messengers registered. If you come to convention and then go to Starbucks when you are needed to vote, I will personally… never mind, you get the idea.
Be there. It matters.
Jeff Richard Young
on Apr 7th, 2006
@ 10:26 am:
Dear Art,
I’ll be there. I don’t even go to Starbucks, so I promise to be there for every vote.
Love in Christ,
Jeff
P.S. You were talking about resolutions. What about other kinds of actions?
Tim Sweatman
on Apr 8th, 2006
@ 1:29 am:
Another thing for us to keep in mind is that when the floor is open for discussion we need to be at the microphones IMMEDIATELY if we intend to speak to an issue. There is a tendency to try to cut off debate, so we need to be sure that we don’t inadvertently provide a window for this.
Dorcas
on Apr 8th, 2006
@ 8:07 pm:
How does the seating at the convention work? Is there a fight for the seats closest to the microphone? Do churches sit together as a group of messengers? Do the pastors / leaders that intend to speak a lot sit closer to the front? Is there assigned seating? So much to put in that primer of yours Art!
Tim Sweatman
on Apr 12th, 2006
@ 10:50 pm:
Dorcas,
Seating is basically first come, first serve. I don’t know what the setup will be like in Greensboro, but in Nashville you could sit in a floor seat or in the stands. There was a section on the floor marked off for media, but other than that everything was pretty much open. For a couple of the sessions my wife and I were in about the 4th or 5th row on the floor. There are several microphones set up, so most seats are pretty close to one.