Wade Burleson has a good report on the International Mission Board trustees meeting. It is interesting to see how much Southern Baptist Leaders are bothered by blogging. Even though Baptist polity calls for a congregational approach, and a democratic approach, Southern Baptist leaders have fallen prey to the attitude of most institutional bureaucrats: they are as interested in preserving power than they are in serving their consituents.

Most Baptist agencies and boards meet in secret and it is difficult to find out how and why they made their decisions. If you ask a trustee, they won't tell you anything. It is difficult for the average person to find any information. Actually, it is that way in many churches. The staff ususally presents a big item at the least attended meeting, then votes in the service or a big meeting with no discussion allowed.

Southern Bapstist pastors, who run the convention, would likely be shocked to find out that a huge percentage of Southern Baptists don't care a bit what these guys do in their meetings. This is not a good thing. It is a sign of distrust. That is why many of their pleas for money and support fall on deaf ears.

If convention leaders really want the rank and file to be invested in the convention activities, they will need to open up and allow people to see how and why they do what they do. If they don't, they can continue as they are doing until all the old folks that blindly follow them die off.

Then, the last one there can turn out the lights and go home by himself.