April 27, 2006

Balancing freedom, structure is Baptist dilemma said honoree Cecil Sherman

By John Pierce

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Historically, Baptists were reluctant to organize beyond local congregations out of fear that such structures would impinge upon their freedom said longtime Baptist leader Cecil Sherman after receiving the annual Judson-Rice Award from the independent national news journal Baptists Today.

“To get a job done, you’ve got to organize,” said Sherman during the April 21 dinner event at First Baptist Church of Asheville, N.C., where he was pastor for 21 years. “But if you organize, you might do something to limit freedom.”

Sherman said 18th century Baptists “started thinking outside the Calvinist box” and organized mission societies to spread the Gospel. Further structures were formed for education and publishing.

“Baptists are torn,” said Sherman. “There’s necessary commitment to structure, but we should lean away from structure when freedom is threatened.”

Sherman, who served as the first coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship from 1992-1996 and in retirement teaches at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, said the moderate Baptist movement that has grown over the past two decades in response to the fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention “has enough structure to hold up what needs to be done.”

Speaking specifically about moderate Baptist efforts in theological education, Sherman said the development of 13-14 theology schools affiliated with moderate Baptists — while the SBC supports six seminaries — requires some strategic planning.

The “excellence” churches desire in the training of their ministers cannot be accomplished if each school attempts to do everything well, said Sherman. He urged leaders of moderate Baptist seminaries to focus on different, specialized areas of expertise — such as music and pastoral care — in training ministers.

Admitting that he did not have all the answers, Sherman told the crowd of about 275 Baptist leaders gathered to hear him speak: “People who need to do the pondering are here; you can make things different.”

Prior to Sherman’s address, Jim Slatton shared how his longtime friend has made a difference in Baptist life through such trying times as the Civil Rights movement and the battle for control of the SBC. Slatton, pastor emeritus of River Road Church, Baptist, in Richmond, chronicled Sherman’s leadership marked by “fierce, intellectual honesty.”

“Cecil saw what was coming in Baptist life,” said Slatton, and called on moderate Baptists “to stand up, speak up and act.”

A concert choir from the Asheville church provided music. Now directed by Clark Sorrells, the group was formed as a young adult choir in 1982 during Sherman’s tenure as pastor.

The Judson-Rice Award honoring leadership with integrity was presented to Sherman by Baptists Today board chairman Jimmy Allen. Allen received the first award in 2001. Other past recipients include Tony Campolo, Russell Dilday, Alma Hunt and Walter Shurden.

(Jackie Riley contributed to this story.)

(John Pierce is executive editor of Baptists Today, an autonomous, national news journal based in Macon, Ga.)