Minutes for the Inaugural Meeting of the Sovereign Grace Baptist Fellowship
September 11, 2001
The steering committee that labored to produce a Confession of Faith and
Constitution and By-Laws for a Fellowship of sovereign grace churches and
pastors, meeting in Nashville, Tennessee on March 6, 2001, set Tuesday,
September 11, 2001, as the day of the official beginning of the Sovereign Grace
Baptist Fellowship (SGBF). Moderator pro-tem, Holmes Moore, pastor of the Bible
Baptist Church, St. Louis, Missouri, volunteered to be the host for the meeting.
At 9AM, the assembly of representatives from the churches for the formation
of the Sovereign Grace Baptist Fellowship began with a devotion from God's Word
and a prayer meeting, led by George McGuinness, pastor of the Reformed Baptist
Church, Memphis, Tennessee. The church messengers gathered with heavy hearts,
hearing only minutes before the beginning of this first session of the day,
about the shocking events taking place in New York City, Washington, D.C. and
Pennsylvania. Ours was a solemn assembly throughout the day. Much prayer was
made for our nation, our president, and the families of the victims in the
tragic loss of life at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Pastor McGuinness began by reading Acts 4:18-30, and then emphasized the
importance of prayer in all we do as servants of Christ. As the early
Christians, in the midst of their spreading the gospel and being persecuted for
it, "lifted up their voice to God with one accord," so we too assemble today to
cry out to God in harmony together for the furtherance of the gospel in our day.
After this exhortation, various pastors called upon the Lord for wisdom and
guidance in the affairs of the day.
At 10 AM, moderator pro-tem welcomed the church representatives and others
who had gathered on this day. He remarked that September 11, 2001, will live in
infamy, much like December 7, 1941, due to the terrorists atrocities committed
in our nation. But we had assembled for worship and to discuss how our churches
might toil together in the work of Christ, so the meeting would proceed as
scheduled.
Steve Long, pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Ozark, Missouri, led the
congregation in singing "Holy, Holy, Holy," followed by "Immortal, Invisible,
God Only Wise." Approximately 100 were in attendance for the morning services.
Tom Henry, assistant pastor of the Bible Baptist Church, brought a brief
devotion from Mark 2:1-5. Mr. Henry brought spoke about the four men who brought
the paralytic to Christ. Jesus saw "their faith" and healed the man. These men
persisted in their efforts to bring their friend to Christ, overcoming great
obstacles. They combined their efforts to do what they could not do in
isolation. So we must combine our efforts to do together what we cannot do
alone. This is the purpose for establishing a Fellowship of sovereign grace
churches.
After the devotion by Tom Henry, Steve Long led the congregation in singing,
"Faith of our Fathers." Sharon Bagley then sang, "When I Read My Title Clear."
Terry Worthan, pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church, Winston, Georgia, had
been asked by the moderator to preach the first message of the day. Mr. Worthan
has been involved in promoting unity and fellowship among sovereign grace
churches for over 30 years. How appropriate that a man with roots deep in the
sovereign grace movement in our country be asked to preach the first message of
the day. And how appropriate for him to take as his text, Matthew 1:21, "And she
shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save
his people from their sins," and preach the glorious message of the sovereign
grace of God. Mr. Worthan declared that sovereign grace was the issue of the
day. There are disagreements among us over other doctrines, like eschatology,
but there must not be any disagreement among us over the preeminence of the
gospel of God's sovereign grace.
Pastor Worthan gave three reasons why we must preach sovereign grace. (1) It
is the gospel. Grace, in the Bible, is free and sovereign. A freewill gospel is
another gospel. (2) It is in the text. Matthew 1:21 sets forth total depravity,
unconditional election, particular redemption, irresistible grace, and
perseverance/preservation of the saints. (3) It gives greater glory to God. God
directed Moses (Exodus 33:19) to behold, not creation or providence, but His
sovereign disposition to do as He pleases. The freewill of God in salvation, not
the freewill of man, brings glory to God. Necessity is laid upon us to preach
this gospel.
After a ten-minute break, another service of worship was conducted. Steve
Long led us in singing, "I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord" and "Atlas and Did My Savior
Bleed."
Dean Olive, pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Madison, Alabama, brought the
second message of the day. Mr. Olive preached from Titus 3:8, "This is
a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that
they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These
things are good and profitable unto men." The message was about the importance
of believers maintaining good works. As believers in sovereign grace, we must
not be mired in the quicksand of legalism, but neither must we be cast upon the
rocks of antinomianism. Those who preach the free and sovereign grace of God
must not despise holy living. A faith that does not work is not genuine faith.
Some sovereign grace people are antinomian but that is not true of the
Sovereign Grace Baptist Fellowship. We believe, as Hebrews 11:14 declares,
without holiness, no man shall see the Lord. No works, no heaven, not because
works are the cause of salvation but because they are the sure and certain
fruit.
After lunch, the afternoon business session started at 2 P.M. More than 20
churches had representatives for the business meeting. Moderator pro-tem,
Holmes Moore, began the session by updating us on the tragic events taking place
in our country and expressing our concern, but pointing out that our main burden
was for the gospel. He then asked several of the church representatives to lead
us in prayer. After a time of prayer, copies of the Confession of Faith and
Constitution and By-Laws, previously mailed out, were made available. A hearty
thank you was expressed to George McGuinness and Larry Dean for their work in
preparing and printing this document. Mr. Moore then shared with the church
representatives all that had preceded the events of the day. He chronicled how
a group of pastors concerned about establishing a fellowship of sovereign grace
churches met in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, to
discuss the possibility of forming a Fellowship. Two meetings were held by this
group of men: February 22, 2000, and March 6, 2001. Out of these meetings, a
Confession of Faith and a Constitution and By-Laws was formulated. This
unofficial steering committee appointed temporary officers: Holmes Moore,
moderator; Dean Olive, secretary; and Larry Dean, treasurer.
Mr. Moore emphasized that it was determined to establish a Fellowship, not a
Convention or Association. The reason for this was in order that the autonomy
of each local church could be maintained. The purpose of the Fellowship, as
stated in the By-Laws, was read and explained by the moderator pro-tem.
Dean Olive, Secretary
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