MULGA, Ala. (ABP) — Alabama Baptist Conservatives, a network of pastors organized in 1997, officially disbanded Sept. 29, saying they accomplished their goal of steering the state's Baptist convention in “a conservative direction.”
“The state convention has taken a stand of being loyal Southern Baptists, theological conservatives and evangelism-oriented,” said the former group's moderator, John Killian, pastor of Maytown Baptist Church in Mulga, Ala. “That's what we wanted and we are there.”
“Why keep a reform group going when we are happy?” Killian asked. “I don't think conservatives are a side group of the state convention but are in the mainstream of our state convention.”
But in 1997, Killian said, there were rumblings of what he called potential “liberal” shifts that spurred a group of laymen and pastors into action. The group — originally known as Southern Baptist Conservatives of Alabama — formed out of concern about Cooperative Baptist Fellowship activity in the state, Killian explained.
“We did not want to go the direction of Texas and Virginia, where there was a split in the state convention and the original convention aligned with the moderate forces,” he said.
Although there is an active state CBF organization in Alabama, it is involved in ministry and not pursuing political influence within the state convention.
Killian credits Alabama Baptist Conservatives, which was unapologetically political, with helping define the “conservative direction” of the state.
“I think the group made the state [convention] reaffirm our historic roots of grass-roots Alabama Baptists, our conservative nature,” he said. “… We were concerned about CBF influence, which I think is now negligible.”
“There was a time when we wanted conservatives to have a voice in the state convention,” Killian said. “We believe now the convention voice is conservative.”
— Jennifer Davis Rash is managing editor of The Alabama Baptist.