"My heart goes out to his family," Hayes wrote. ", Two members of the counting committee, he said, have admitted to leaking confidential early voting results from Saturday night to a lay leader in the church "who then used that information, we believe, to compromise the process.". However, at some point the church leadership became hostile to the longtime pastor, according to church members. Its devastating to the proclamation of the Gospel. But more importantly, Ericksen said, members feel their voice isn't being heard by church leaders. He didnt rob a liquor store, assault some young person in his office, or do anything wrong that could be cited. Jonathan Head November 26, 2011. The search for a senior pastor continues, with Dorrill leading the search committee. We are frankly disappointed that no resolution is making it impossible as at now for all the lovely folks within Naples to move forward. Hayes Wicker was the pastor of First Baptist Church of Naples (Florida) for 27 years. The group adds that national leaders within FBC Napless denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), supported the churchs leadership and furthered the racism charge. Wicker, a former President of the Florida Baptist Convention and the SBC Pastors Conference, was such a high-profile leader and fundraiser for Baptist causes that his retirement was covered by Baptist Press, which reported the following on February 4th: In mid-January, Wicker, 68, If it can happen at FBC Naples, it can happen anywhere. It is widely known that an 85% affirmative vote is unusually high. This ban prevented him from seeing his granddaughter perform in a play being put on at the churchs school, First Baptist Academy. I am responding simply to share that theres another side the story and I wish I/we had an opportunity to share such a story without fear of legal action (thats right, the church has threatened legal action against me as well as threatened that if I say anything at all negative about the church they will trespass me prevent me from dropping off and picking up my kids at First Baptist Academy. So is my wife. Naples, FL, 34109 Customers Love Us "Great experience! Unfortunately, this did not meet the threshold. Just like there are women who are pro-Gloria Steinem feminists, and there are women who are not fans of Gloria, black people are capable of holding differing opinions too. If this were a Calvary Chapel organization, or any other offshoot of Chuck Smiths piracy, no one would be surprised. Boy oh boy. Wicker also was pastor for 20 years to evangelical author and founder of Prison Fellowship, Chuck Colson. Bonnett told the Daily News in an email Wednesday no revote has been scheduled. I guess I missed this one. Selected and edited comments from an article by Carl Trueman, Revoice, Evangelical Culture, and the Return of an Old Friend (July 31, 2018). I guess the good news is that we are all free to move to a different church whenever we like. *Please note that the preceding is my personal opinion. Notice carefully: Our task as ambassadors is to bring good news to people. This models anything but love and mocks justice. We recall the old Church too. Im too far away to comment on the specific allegations, but whatever the truth of each, its pretty clear that youve got at least two strong factions in church leadership, and possibly also the church as a whole, which need to have a come to Jesus moment in terms of this is how you do, and this is how you do not do, ministry., The utter disrespect shown previous Pastor Wicker is atrocious and unchristian to say the least. The First Naples School of Worship Arts exists to develop Christ-honoring worshipers through quality instruction for the purpose of exalting the Lord with their God-given talents and abilities. Is not the sheer stupidity of this self-evident? *I use scare quotes because the Woke phenom is only relevant in a certain context: it is very Americentric (talking like all white people are the same, for example), and not culturally or ethnically sensitive at all when on looks at the ethnic makeup of the church IN OTHER COUNTRIES. "And, as a result of that, there have been groups who honestly feel a little disenfranchised. Why abide with a corrupt individual being in a leadership position at the church? It also noted that Hayes didnt meet the criteria members had stated for the next senior pastorthat he have five years of experience as a senior pastor. Our Pastoral Search Committee, lay leadership, and the Pastoral Staff all anticipated that our vote would be nothing less than an affirmative statement from our people that God had sovereignly chosen for Marcus Hayes to be our next Pastor. Power plays, power trips and finances will have repercussions on Judgment Day.or did certain people forget about that?!. The separation was hardly amicable. But with all due respect, be careful commenting on things you dont understand or have first hand knowledge of. In June, Voices of FBCN sent an email to many in the church, criticizing the actions of church leadership. We cant wait to meet you and get you connected! It was all being done vindictively and not in a righteous, godly manner., Concerned families gravitated to the Caudills, who had served in SBC churches for over 50 years. I think there were people in the church who were afraid of having a black pastor, especially one who does not subscribe to the ridiculous and ungodly notion of colorblindness and one who holds the racial views that Hayes does. Would highly recommended." - Tabitha C "Better prices than other sites." - Diana E. Ive already been excommunicated and humiliated. Our church voted by a percentage of 81 % to bring Marcus Hayes as our next Pastor. Now, everything I just said is my opinion. Privacy Policy I also find it interesting that Dorrills past financial misdeeds didnt seem to be a problem for the dissenters until the Hayes vetting process. Let us pray for you. What does this say about Big Eva? First Naples glorifies God by being a multigenerational, multiethnic, multiplying church. There are many more than five things you should know about this situation that obviously you either do not know, or have chosen to ignore because they dont support your rhetoric. Catholic Idolaters Claim to Find St. Peters BonesAgain. It seems rather patronizing to minorities to assert that every minority persons ideas must be legitimate because the propounder is of a certain colour. It only becomes a problem if you think my worth is different because of it. Concerned Members of FBCN says the petition received 800 signatures. In November, Caudill sent a letter to several prominent SBC leaders, including President Greear and SEBTS President Danny Akin, urging them to retract their statements supporting the racism narrative offered by FBC Naples. What would Jesus make of Wokeness intersectionality, and indeed, the movement for resegregation by some of those who are of the Prominent Woke, in light of Galatians 3:28? Yet Caudill said that instead of calling a special meeting in accordance with church bylaws, the leadership at FBC Naples excommunicated 18 of the Concerned Members, including Caudill. the group wrote. And thats ok. God created me too. However, he stated, In the 22 years I was there (FBC Naples), I never heard a racist commentever. The final vote was 81 percent in favor and 19 percent against. In the tweet, the attorney, Lee Merritt, wrote in part that investigators claim "all the shooter saw was black" and said that was "exactly the problem.". While methods may change, our commitment to Biblical doctrine is a non-negotiable. I would know. More bluntly What have we done? . However, according to a group of 30 to 40 Concerned Members of FBCN, which includes several former deacons, racism had nothing to do with why pastoral candidate Marcus Hayes was rejected as pastor. (Auxanos founder, Will Mancini, also serves as director of consulting for Lifeway, the publishing division of the SBC.). Hayes pastoral appointment of doing so out of racial prejudice and announced that "Is that what the gospel is all about?". Southern Baptist Faith & Message Explained, Woke Purges, Show Trials: What First Baptist Church Naples reveals about the future - Capstone Report, BREAKING: FBC Naples sics lawyers on dissenting church members - Capstone Report, SBC Elites defend credibly accused standard to ruin lives, Bart Barber flipflops on pledge to bring vote to ban Women Pastors in SBC, Evangelical Elites lied you to about the origins of Covid, Woke SBC Elites Delete History To Hide Their Schemes. Any copyrighted material displayed or referenced is done under the doctrine of fair use. The churchs Dorrill said at the Nov. 2 service thatdisciplinary action "towards church members who have violated our church covenant by causing dissension, disruption and spreading of misinformation have been taken and are underway. Pray for Me; Log In Read the letter from the church to the Southern Baptist Convention, question and answer session with Hayes and his wife, Read the letter from First Baptist to church members regarding voting results, fatal shooting of a black security guard by a white police officer, Police release name of cop who killed black security guard who was corralling a gunman, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Doesnt the Holy Spirit operate in us as individuals? Go. This is nothing new. At the time, Wicker seemed to be well-respected by his church and denomination. Ill never bother with a Church again, because this is always going to be an issue. Publisher Log-in At the end of the service we found the pastor in The Commons area. "It seems all cops ever see is black," the attorney continued. Read: Police release name of cop who killed black security guard who was corralling a gunman, Hayes quote-tweeted a November 2018 tweet by an attorney who represented Roberson's family after the fatal shooting. Freelance journalist Josh Shepherd writes on faith, culture, and public policy for several media outlets. Church leaders at First Baptist Church Naples have blasted a faction of their congregation, alleging "racial prejudices" contributed to a failed vote late last month to name a black man the church's new senior pastor. Sadly, friction in the pastoral transition at FBC Naples has been present from the outset. political and theological statements and his lack of experience leading a God has done great things among us and we believe that greater things are yet to come! Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church? In the spring of 1945, Reverend Joseph Engel, his wife and young son were sent by the Brookdale Baptist Church of Bloomfield, New Jersey to plant new churches in South Florida. Considering slave owners slept with slaves (even in my own ancestry), whites befriended their black help all while denying their equal rights it is possible to have friends and even spouses of other races and still have issues with bias and prejudice. Does my agreement with Dr. King and my deep concerns about intersectionality, et al, make me a racist? He said the church was hopeful that Hayes would allow his name to be reconsidered as the church's next senior pastor or interim pastor. If not please hold your comments. To find sermons, announcements, and other resources, click on the link below. He shared some examples, including one from a woman who said the church had failed to check Hayes' Twitter account and called him a "radical leftist. And second, Mr. Hayes did nothing to convince me that he would embrace me as a disgraced member of the church. "Unfortunately our church familys business has become fodder for spotlight-seeking bloggers and others who are commenting about Christians whom they do not know personally, and slandering a church that they know little about," Sonya Stearns, a member of the church, said in an email to the Daily News. Generally, at Southern Baptist churches incoming pastors are approved by a majority of the church body upon recommendation from an elected search committee and/or pastoral staff, Stearns wrote. ", When asked during the Q&A session whether he considers himself a conservative, Hayes said he is "as conservative as they come.". Even Jesus said so much when he talked a man who started building a tower without counting the cost. He didnt mentioned anything in the question and answer sessions or his sermon that gave me any indication reconciling and unifying our church was even on his radar. Stop reading things into what a person says or writes (Im sure you will do this to me) as being racist. But am I not allowed to vote based on my opinion without being called a racist? Your Connection Portal. Yet Caudill said that when he spoke up in meetings, the 79-year-old deacon was deemed divisive.. their sin. It stinks to me of Greed. Ready to start serving? And they said, Surely, you will not die. You may recall this line from his I have a dream speech: I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I believe Dr. King was right. Why did the church leadership behave in such an aggressive and dismissive manner? The views expressed in any video or live stream presented on our website may not necessarily be the views of the CWM owners and staff. Budget Crisis at FBC Naples? Just fill out this form and let us know your needs. That's not what happened at First Baptist Church of Naples, Florida. The day after excommunicating the 18 members, FBC Naples lay leadership and pastoral staff sent an open letter to the SBC, accusing some who didnt vote for Hayes, whos a member of the SBC Executive Committee, of racism. If this pastoral candidate supportes a book that divides the church along ethnic lines and stirs up divisions in the body of Christ, it is sad that he received as many votes as he did. . The GRAND OLD STANDARD, the Baptist Faith and the Message, swallowed up by an effective indoctrination of the Faithful by the Left. In his quote-tweet, Hayes said Roberson was in his student ministry while he was a youth pastor in Chicago. Member of the Evangelical Theological Society According to sources, Wicker wanted a long period of transition to the new leadership, with even an overlap to help the transition process. Our leadership has gone astray, I fear, and those who find the courage to stand up to them have targets on their backs. Click on the link below to see how you can use your gifts and talents for the Kingdom, from Naples to the nations! First Baptist Church of Naples Florida Openly Admits Congregational Racism October 30, 2019 by admin In a recent story from Religion News Source (RNS) it was revealed that First Baptist Church of Naples, Florida, failed to elect a new pastor because he was black. But a question and answer session with Hayes and his wife held by the church on Oct. 24 offers some glimpses into the opposition that built against the prospective new senior pastor and the apparent rift between church leadership and some in the congregation. The campaign, he said in an email to the Daily News, consisted of social media, texting, phone calls and a series of emails. Similarly, an article in The Grio asked, Did a Florida church not hire a pastor because he was Black? And Christianity Today stated, Black Pastor Candidate Withdraws After Controversial Vote at SBC Megachurch.. We are so glad you've chosen to join us. Wicker said several weeks later, the church emailed him, stating that Wicker had facilitated and cooperated with a rival faction in the church, which voided his exit agreement. Been here 25+ times. Dwight McKissic, a prominent African American SBC pastor in Arlington, Texas. ".for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." Isaiah 56:7 Need Prayer? With two young children at home, she dedicated her time to being a stay at home mom until 2007 when the Lord opened the door for her to be a preschool teacher at First Baptist Academy in Naples. He friended, then de-friended and blocked my wife on social media. When I look at Jesus and his disciples I do not see anything that looks as atrocious as this mess. Wicker, a former President of the Florida Baptist Convention and the SBC Pastors' Conference, was such a high-profile leader and fundraiser for Baptist causes that his retirement was covered by Baptist Press, which reported the following on February 4th: Just because no one blatantly used a racial slur or expressed overtly racist statements does not mean that racism was not expressed or used during the selection process. But what was concluded was that all things were not fair nor were they right. We live in UK now as did Naples Baptist 1st Associate Minisiter but come to Naples Baptist every Dec/Jan. How about Luke 16:11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 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