By Nate Adams
I’ve had a couple of months now to reflect on the only substantially divided vote I’ve seen at an IBSA Annual Meeting in the past six years. I won’t recount the specifics that led perhaps a third of the messengers to vote “no” and two thirds to vote “yes” last November, because there were multiple issues shaping people’s opinions that evening. However the center of that particular disagreement was what a church’s position should be on the use of alcohol.

Of course, that’s not the only potentially divisive issue Christians are talking about these days. Differing views on marriage and divorce, qualifications for church leadership, national and local politics, Bible translations, smoking, worship styles, the role of women in ministry, missions priorities – can all bring out some heated differences of opinion. And my, it didn’t take long to rattle off quite a list there.

We should be very careful about what we allow to potentially divide us, both within our churches and between our churches. Our primary common ground is the Great Commission of Jesus, and it would be too easy to stand apart on lesser issues, and in doing so forfeit some of our effectiveness in taking the Gospel to the world.

We don’t come together in a church, or in an association or convention of churches for that matter, because we are uniform or homogenous in all our views. We come together first as sinners saved by grace who desire to be obedient disciples and onmission Christians. And then yes, there are core Biblical doctrines that we believe are central enough to define us as Baptists in the way we practice church and work together as churches.But sometimes we allow our passion for essentials of the faith to bleed over into non-essentials.

How will Illinois Baptists navigate potentially divisive issues, either now or in the future? That’s ultimately up to each autonomous church, of course, and then to the collective voice of churches as they cooperate in a local or state association, or even at the national Southern Baptist Convention. For example, there is a national task force preparing to make a recommendation on whether or not to consider changing the name of the Southern Baptist Convention. Somehow I suspect that won’t be one of the unanimous votes at the New Orleans meeting this June.

How will Illinois Baptists navigate potentially divisive issues?

But let me offer one example of a church that I think managed at least one divisive issue very well. A church I served as interim pastor in Georgia had a policy that its church leaders agree to abstain from alcohol. As new leaders were elected, some of them began to question whether that was really necessary. After studying the issue, they came to the conclusion that both moderation and abstinence were biblically defensible positions. So they brought the issue to a vote among the leadership group, and decided that drinking in moderation could be acceptable for leaders. The vote, however, was 4-3.

What happened next was remarkable to me. One of the three leaders that voted for abstinence said he respected the process and the vote, but felt he could no longer serve as a leader there based on his own strong convictions. There was a brief discussion.Then all four of the men who had voted for moderation withdrew their votes, and unanimously they continued in support Of the church’s abstinence policy.

Now I know that example doesn’t apply to every situation or solve every problem or give an answer for every potential division. And any one of those men could have acted differently and things would have changed. But I don’t think I’ve ever been prouder of a group of Christian leaders. It was as if the Holy Spirit walked in to the room, the spirit of division left, and Christ-honoring unity prevailed. That unity in leadership became a blessing to the entire church, in more ways than I can describe here.

When friends outside Illinois occasionally ask me, “How are things going there in Illinois,” one of the first things I usually say is that we’re enjoying a spirit of remarkable unity, especially under some of the challenging circumstances we face. I’m optimistic that will continue, because like that small group of godly men in Georgia, we Illinois Baptists can decide what will not divide us.

Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association and may be reached at NateAdams@ IBSA.org. Nate Adams is executive director of the Illinois Baptist State Association and may be reached at NateAdams@IBSA.org.