by Sandy » Wed Aug 30, 2017 9:53 am
The "lessening of denominational loyalty" that Dave mentions is visible in convention attendance. The core group that attends conventions and makes denominational decisions is down to a tenth of what it was at the peak of the controversy. Registration runs under 6,000. I don't really see a lot of interest anymore in the names on the who's who list at Ninth and Commerce in Nashville. I've worked with several of the local pastors up here, and their primary interest in the SBC is its mission support. The focus of most of the churches here is evangelism and ministry to build churches. I doubt they'd be interested in a denominational fight over doctrine. David Platt and Russell Moore would be the two denominational leaders who have the most name recognition and admiration among the SBC leaders in Pennsylvania, both Calvinists, and Mark Dever is also well known and highly respected because of his Nine Marks group and emphasis on revitalizing churches, and because he'll come here for conferences and consults and doesn't charge an arm and leg to do it.
I also see that there isn't really much of an effort to keep Calvinists out. You've got Platt and Moore, who are probably the most liked, most popular denominational leaders especially among younger pastors. And the Calvinists don't seem to be knocking the door down, demanding to be included. Dever, for example, has his own ministry group that serves the needs of a lot of SBC churches, and crosses outside denominational lines. They network with like-minded people, and meet needs that the denomination doesn't, so there's really not a need to abandon support for missions. And I really don't think the Calvinists are interested in running the SBC.