Southern Baptist Mission Board Drops Effort to Remove Critical Member

c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) A Southern Baptist board voted unanimously Wednesday (March 22) to drop its effort to oust a fellow trustee who had defended the right of missionaries to speak in tongues and had taken his case to the Internet. The move by the International Mission Board, meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., […]

c. 2006 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) A Southern Baptist board voted unanimously Wednesday (March 22) to drop its effort to oust a fellow trustee who had defended the right of missionaries to speak in tongues and had taken his case to the Internet. The move by the International Mission Board, meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., means trustee Wade Burleson of Enid, Okla., will not be the subject of a controversial vote at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting, in Greensboro, N.C., in June.

Wednesday’s public vote, however, does not mean Burleson is out of trouble with fellow board members.


On Feb. 16, board chairman Tom Hatley released a statement saying “we have the ability to seek management of these issues through internal processes.” He did not reveal what those processes may be.

Burleson was not available for an interview, but he reported on his blog (http://www.wadeburleson.com) Wednesday that “a motion was read into the record to rescind the motion for my removal as a trustee of the International Mission Board.” He said the vote was unanimous.

Burleson remains on the board, but said in his blog that he will not be allowed to serve on any IMB committees until the president or the board rules otherwise.

“My concern from day one has been the mission work of the IMB,” Burleson said Wednesday on his blog. “It is the greatest evangelical missionary force in the world. I may choose to stay on the board simply to be a voice speaking on behalf of a wide, broad range of people in the SBC.”

And in a statement that suggests additional board action may have been taken in private Wednesday, Burleson added that “I faithfully pledge to abide by all the new policies.” He did not say what those new policies were.

Burleson, senior pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Enid, has said the board initially sought his removal because of his criticism of a policy change enacted by the IMB in November 2005. It stated that any candidate speaking in tongues, even privately, “has eliminated himself or herself from being a representative of the IMB of the SBC.”

But the International Mission Board has said the dispute was not about speaking in tongues. In a previous statement, the board said it initially wanted Burleson removed because of “broken trust and resistance to accountability.” Burleson had been writing open letters and explanations of his position on his blog _ a move fellow trustees considered inappropriate.


Tongues is described in the Bible as a spiritual language used by early Christians, enabled by the Holy Spirit. The issue of whether it is still relevant, or appropriate, for modern times has divided many denominations.

Burleson has said his most important concern is not tongues, but a Southern Baptist willingness to remove ministers who disagree with what he and others consider “non-essential doctrines.”

MO/PH RNS END

Editors: To obtain file photos of the Rev. Wade Burleson, go to the RNS Web site at https://religionnews.com. On the lower right, click on “photos,” then search by subject or slug.

http://www.wadeburleson.com is CQ

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