Stealth Baptist Church
By Mark W. Clark, Freelance Writer
Irving, TX
During the Gulf War, the B-2 Stealth Bomber frequently made the front page. We marveled at this wonder-plane that could deliver all manner of destruction to an unsuspecting target without being detected by enemy radar. The advantages of operating in stealth mode in battle go back to the U-2 spy plane and even to the Revolutionary War, where militias hid in the bushes rather than fight in the open dressed in colorful military finery.
In war, camouflage is king. This tactic has not gone unnoticed by churches seeking not to change their fundamentalist strategy, but to increase the number of backsides in pews.
Many Southern Baptist churches have grown tired not so much of the fundamentalist theology of their convention, but the liability that comes with the "B" word. More than a handful of churches in our area have dropped "Baptist" from their title, or even changed their name altogether. A friend of mine introduced me to a new moniker-the "Stealth Baptist Church."
Pastors and church leaders make similar comments of justification: "The name `Baptist` does not convey a positive meaning to people;" "I`m not ashamed to be a Baptist, but a brand name can be a hindrance;" or "People now don`t have the product loyalty, or the denominational loyalty, they once had."
Mind you the churches, by and large, have stayed pretty much the same. Oh, they offer modern "ministries" like divorce recovery, singles clubs, and community activism, along with contemporary music and the latest in audio-visual production. Many even list themselves as non-denominational.
If you find the war analogy somewhat of a stretch, then you haven`t followed the SBC controversy over the last 25 years. When strong-arm military might fails to reach and reign-in the masses, simply go undercover to conquer an unsuspecting target.
Stealth churches thrive on the spiritually ignorant and denominationally misinformed. This is not a put-down, but rather a description of the people flocking to these churches. They simply don`t care about what they don`t know, at least until they grow as Christians and attempt to move into leadership roles.
Signs of a Stealth Baptist Church may be revealed by asking the following:
Where was the pastor and staff educated?
Do you have easy access to church history?
Can you freely access the church bylaws?
What type of church government is in place (CEO-style leadership, board of elders, etc.)? Are there any women in leadership positions?
Has the church recently acquired a new focus?
Has the church recently undergone a name change?
Did the leadership change along with the name?
(If yours is a new church start, ask the above of the parent church.)
Attending a Stealth Baptist Church will feel like your first date-sleek, new, fresh and innovative. It`s an old marketing ploy to make you feel good about buying the same old soap-new and improved! After joining and being a member for a year or two, many find themselves saying, "tastes great, less filling."
This change has nothing to do with contemporary music, high-tech visuals, or gifted speakers using talk-show techniques. These methods are matters of style of worship and can be used to reach the Gen-XYZ crowd. Because a church is "traditional" doesn`t automatically align it with the fundamentalists. In fact, such a church might be right on target with matters of soul competency, priesthood of the believer, servant leadership, and evangelism.
However, a post-modern façade may camouflage a very fundamentalist power structure. Because it doesn`t show up on your radar screen, doesn`t mean it`s not there.
The Stealth Baptist Church may also have a history of high turnover. Once people get involved in positions of ministry and leadership at the non-staff level, the cloak is slowly removed. You discover a church with a glass ceiling of its own. A layperson`s attempt to promote a Christlike leadership style will be "taken under advisement." If pressed, the powers that be will inform you that ours is a "staff-led" church.
My home church hid its fundamentalism quite well from this writer for at least two of the past three years. I marveled at the contemporary, casual setting. I was liberated by the music and even played in the praise band. At the member level, there was great community with budding ministries and small groups. On the surface there was nary a hint of fundamentalism. We even voted last January to sever what little denominational affiliation we had retained. Free at last, thank God almighty!
But, all great honeymoons come to an end, and a series of recent events have lifted the veil of secrecy. More than 80 % of the staff have resigned over the past year alone. Longtime church pioneers who had embraced the contemporary seeker-focus from the church`s inception have abruptly departed sighting irreconcilable "philosophical differences" with senior leadership. More than 50 families have left during our tenure at a church that now is lucky to get 200 people on Sunday. Fewer than a dozen families remain who were members the first day we walked through the door. The all-to-familiar mantra of the departing: "I`m tired of beating my head against a wall."
The final straw was the theological strong-arming from senior leadership. "I know the will of God and the direction for this church" is the polite way for a pastor to say, "sit down in your pew, shut up, and write out your tithe check. Don`t worry your pretty little head about things you`re too spiritually immature to process. After all, I`ve been to seminary!" A closer review of the church bylaws confirms a lock on all decisions by the senior pastor, save for a few financial areas.
Shock and awe . . . I BELONGED TO A STEALTH BAPTIST CHURCH!
Needless to say, I`m smack in the middle of planning an exit strategy from my church. My family and I are connected neck deep. Leaving is messy, and staying is a dead-end street. In the process, I`m quickly trying to develop new anti-stealth detection techniques. I`m sure the insidious nature of fundamentalism, like other forms of terror, will drive insurgents to new disguises and slight-of-hand. My own department of homeland security is in the making. Hopefully, I can return to ministering to the lost, connecting the disconnected, and following God`s call as a free believer in Christ.
