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. Wicker said that during the meeting, the men confronted him with an anonymous letter that accused Wicker of financial impropriety, such as not tracking his miles on a church-leased vehicle. The search for a senior pastor continues, with Dorrill leading the search committee. Get directions, reviews and information for First Baptist Church - Naples in Naples, FL. The biggest reason most did not vote yes, had to do with the fact that people didnt think it was fair to ask Marcus to uproot his family and relocate to a church that was in COMPLETE turmoil and had a leadership that was REFUSING to acknowledge it. Takeaway: One could reject the concerns of the church members and not label them racist. ", 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.". "And, as a result of that, there have been groups who honestly feel a little disenfranchised. That is a perfect summary of every Christians duty in the war for the truth. So we are ambassador-soldiers, reaching out to sinners with the truth even as we make every effort to destroy the lies and other forms of evil that hold them in deadly bondage. 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, Stop making everything about race. The experience with the church was so unnerving for the Wickers that in September, the extended familyincluding two adult children, their spouses, and six grandchildrenpulled up stakes from Naples and moved several states away. The process offers no protections for those suspected worthy of dismissal, so it invites rampant abuse. Sandra received her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from our local college, Florida Gulfcoast University in 2001. No church creed has ever taught the nonsense that had become so pervasive in evangelicalism. this approach to transition can become a helpful model for other churches.. So very sorry, but not everything is about race and not everyone is a racist. 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. Dwight McKissic, a prominent African American SBC pastor in Arlington, Texas. In 2016, under the leadership of its former pastor, the church changed its bylaws to adopt the85%approval rule, instead of a simple or super-majority, Stearns continued. God used their faithfulness and devotion to create a mighty ministry through FBCN. To that point, no group had met with Hayes or the committee privately, Dorrill continued, before adding to applause from those gathered at the Q&A session: "This will continue to be a transparent search. The refusal to release specific documents to any donating member, also a violation of not only the by-laws (which was the same verbiage as the state law) but also the state of Florida Not-for-profit Compliance Act and the IRS which governs their 501(c)(3) status. And guess what? Jonathan Head November 26, 2011. The Asbury Revival Is Over. I actually want you to see me as a black woman, because that has shaped my experiences in life how people have reacted to me, treated me, etc. Instead, the group alleges that the racism charge was a ruse by men who had recently seized control of the church, expelled and maligned a beloved pastor of 27 years, and then fabricated a basis for excommunicating those who had objected. Click on the link below to see how you can use your gifts and talents for the Kingdom, from Naples to the nations! The message at FBCN is clear: get along or get out. It is time for the SBC to do what they should have done first, before concluding who was right: Shine the light, Brothers, shine the light in here. Only love. In the email, the group warned that Hayes had endorsed Woke Church, a book that the email claimed was promoting cultural Marxism., The email also objected to Hayes reportedly saying that he rejects the concept that a person can look at a person of color and see no color. The authors wrote, Paul is clear to us in Philippians 3:2-10 that we are to have no confidence in the flesh of our ethnicity.. 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. and make way for younger leadership to carry the ministry forward. Find Best Western Hotels & Resorts nearby Sponsored. 3000 Orange Blossom Drive, Naples, FL 34109, U.S. To those who are part of the Group of Concerned FBNC Members, the church's allegations of racism have no standing. I do not intend to allow blackmail to prevail at this point and would hope that you would support me. Isnt that how we should judge any one persons claims, by how it squares with Scripture on a case-by-case basis? The Marcus Hayes vote was used to cry wolf. If all things had been equal and fair, our story would not have reached as far and wide, and stoked the emotions that it has. 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. "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. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? Takeaway: So much for a democracy. I can tell you unequivocally racist did NOT play any part in the actions of decision of the excommunicated members of FBC. Dwight McKissic for comment, but none responded. 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. Thats why its so harmful to the church; its born of and encourages the myopic tendencies of American evangelicalism. It stinks to me of Greed. Marcus Hayes, an African-American who is on staff at Biltmore Church in the Asheville, North Carolina area, was the candidate. Christianity Today (CT) reported in November that Neil Dorrill had claimed at a Q&A session that inappropriate emails had been sent to Hayess church in North Carolina, Biltmore Church. Sadly, that did not come to fruition. Other parts of the email laid out concerns the group had with Hayes' tweets about books that deal with race and religion and questioned whether he had the necessary experience to take the post as senior pastor. However, Mancini added that the situation at FBC Naples was not typical but did not want to comment on the unique circumstances at the church. I certainly agree with you wholeheartedly, Grant. {I realize, Im using the word black rather than African American. I personally do not care for the term African American, and there are black people who dislike it more than I do.} Would highly recommended." - Tabitha C "Better prices than other sites." - Diana E. This remains an elephant in the room at every worship service at that church. God has to be deeply saddened by this, knowing that so much more could be done. Church leaders have alleged that race played a role in the failed vote to affirm Hayes, causing a firestorm of heated discussion on social media and spawning posts by religious websites and blogs. Wicker spent 27 years as pastor of First Baptist Church of Naples. For 27 years Hayes Wicker and his family faithfully devoted their lives to Gods calling in ministry at FBCN. I had the privilege of knowing this young man! I am Caucasian from Eastern Europe. Wicker said the church never responded to his letter. 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. Pray for Me; Log In Grocery. I am saying that, as I have countless experiences of colorblind people saying or doing insensitive, offensive things because they forgot Im black. Church leadership announced that a new senior pastor was not hired because the nominee failed to meet the 85% approval threshold. Upvote 1 Downvote. No, Again. From the reporting in this article, it seems clear that more light needs to be shed on events. Takeaway: The treatment of the retiring pastor at FBC Naples is eerily similar to the treatment of the retiring pastor at McLean Bible Church. ", When asked during the Q&A session whether he considers himself a conservative, Hayes said he is "as conservative as they come.". First Naples glorifies God by being a multigenerational, multiethnic, multiplying church, that raises up the next generation of disciple makers, church planters, missionaries, and world changers, to reach Naples to the Nations. The group adds that national leaders within FBC Napless denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), supported the churchs leadership and furthered the racism charge. Jude certainly understood this. Our church voted by a percentage of 81 % to bring Marcus Hayes as our next Pastor. It seems rather patronizing to minorities to assert that every minority persons ideas must be legitimate because the propounder is of a certain colour. The GRAND OLD STANDARD, the Baptist Faith and the Message, swallowed up by an effective indoctrination of the Faithful by the Left. The separation was hardly amicable. Hayes did not suddenly abandon his faith in the few months between his announcement that he was stepping aside, as he was being felt led to do, to make room for younger leadership and his sudden dismissal by the FBCN leadership. @Bernie Lutchman you are so correct. Submit. Bob Caudill, a former deacon and spokesman for Concerned Members of FBCN, said that a month before the vote on Marcus Hayes, the group had circulated a petition requesting a special business meeting to discuss serious concerns at FBC Naples. He didnt rob a liquor store, assault some young person in his office, or do anything wrong that could be cited. *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. (I)t seems from social media posts that, with no investigation, some convention leaders have chosen to believe this narrative, Caudill wrote. We are simultaneously soldiers, commissioned to wage war for the defense and dissemination of the truth in the face of countless onslaughts against it. Allegedly he said he was happy to see some people in SBC membership moved to the bottom as others move to the top. I saw that simply as a distraction from the devil.. Colson thought so highly of an oath of integrity that Wicker had written that Colson included the oath in his landmark book,The Body. Of course they did. Looking for past sermons? Now it certainly will as the debt load is unsustainable. God has done great things among us and we believe that greater things are yet to come! Wicker said in late October, when FBC Naples excommunicated the 18 members, it also stopped paying him his severance. Coffee. I will say this with as much humility as I can muster at this time.The letter from FBCN was a lie! I spoke at length with this individual and how no reason to doubt the veracity of the individuals accounts. Ungodly treatment of a Godly man and his entire family, not to mention those whose leadership and dedication to the Lord was well-known and long-standing. One screenshot of a tweet included in the email centers around the fatal shooting of a black security guard by a white police officer in suburban Chicago last year. Dorrill did not elaborate on how the process was compromised, and Bonnett did not answer emailed questions about the matter. ", "After reviewing a little deeper we find that "social justice" and racial inequality appear to be his priority as it pertains to the church and ministry!" At Berean Baptist Church, we have one message-the message of the Lord Jesus Christ, and one ministry-the ministry He has given us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. I have no hate here. In June, Voices of FBCN sent an email to many in the church, criticizing the actions of church leadership. Just fill out this form and let us know your needs. Theyve even released an open letter to the SBC with the same claim. But more importantly, Ericksen said, members feel their voice isn't being heard by church leaders. If those sound like difficult assignments to keep in balance and maintain in proper perspective, it is because they are. The 26-year-old guard, Jemel Roberson, was detaining a suspected gunman who opened fire at the bar where Roberson worked when the police officer fatally shot Roberson. A movement, to direct and shape the policies and testimony of the church is quite a thing. Wicker also was pastor for 20 years to evangelical author and founder of Prison Fellowship, Chuck Colson. Does my agreement with Dr. King and my deep concerns about intersectionality, et al, make me a racist? JD Greear and his woke cronies attempted a coup at FBC Naples and were thwarted on a grand level. pastoral staff has publicly accused church members who did not approve of Marcus These were ALL issues that these so-called dissenters were trying to have addressed PRIOR to the arrival of Marcus. And thats ok. God created me too. We've got a Bible & Life Group that's perfect for . According to the inside source, soon after his employment at FBC Naples ended, Wicker was banned from the church campus. "First Baptist Church Naples is doing excellent work through disaster relief," said Wayne Briant, southwest regional catalyst for the Florida Baptist Convention. The Baptist Faith and the message at FBCN is clear: get along or get out that light. 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