To Dr. John Yeats and the MBC Executive Board,
As you no doubt know, the messengers to the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee overwhelmingly directed the SBC Executive Committee to fully cooperate with a third-party investigation into a range of the SBC Executive Committee’s handling of sexual abuse issues. A key directive from the messengers of the SBC was that the SBC Executive Committee shall waive attorney client privilege in order to help facilitate the investigation.
At this point, the SBC Executive Committee has refused to obey the express will of the SBC. Instead, the Executive Committee has sought to control the narrative, to hide in executive session, and to flout the will of the SBC messengers. This is unacceptable and is an affront to the thousands of messengers who spoke clearly at the SBC Annual Meeting and turns Baptist polity on its head.
Because of the unprecedented actions of the SBC Executive Committee in refusing the express directive of the SBC messengers, many SBC entity heads, ministry leaders, and state conventions have likewise taken the unprecedented step of speaking out against the actions of the SBC Executive Committee.
Missouri Baptists have always been leaders in our great Southern Baptist convention of churches, so we ask that the MBC Executive Director and the MBC Executive Board to publicly repudiate the recent actions of the SBC Executive Committee and to call on the SBC Executive Committee to, immediately and without reservation, vote to waive attorney client privilege.
Much is at stake in these difficult times, and we pray and trust that the MBC Executive Board will stand on the side of the SBC messengers, that is to say, on the side of truth and transparency.
Signed,
Mike Leake, Lead Pastor, Calvary of Neosho
Scott Gordon, Pastor, Claycomo Baptist Church, Kansas City
Mike Bergman Pastor, First Baptist – Adrian
Dan Born, Pastor, Believers Church, Hannibal, MO
Dustin Lair pastor at Community Southern Baptist Church (CSBC) Fair Grove, MO
Jamie Cartledge, Worship Pastor, Claycomo Baptist Church
Brian Baker, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Marceline
Wood Marshall, youth pastor, First Baptist Church of Gallatin
Rev. Sam Byers Primary Teaching Pastor Elsberry First Baptist Church
Darin Smith, Pastor, Tower View Baptist Church, Kansas City
Tony Jones Pastor First Baptist, Rich Hill
Chris Baker, Centralia First Baptist Church
Rich Starnes, Member, Visio Dei Church, Jefferson City
Pastor Nick Drake, Richland Baptist Church, Kingdom City, MO
Robert Hudson, Pastor, Littleby Baptist Church, Rush Hill, MO
Joshua Meranda – Associate Pastor of Worship, Open Door Church, Columbia, MO
L. P. Cook, Lead Pastor, Union Hill Baptist Church, Holts Summit
Ryan Nix MBTS Student, Pastoral Intern, The Master’s Community Church Kansas City, Mo
Tim Fenton, Deacon, Believers Church, Hannibal, MO
Dr. Mike Hubbard, Pastor, Genesis Church, Eureka, MO
Chris Creech, Worship and Children’s Pastor, Genesis Church, Mexico MO.
Bryce Kristofferson, Pastor, Centennial Baptist Church Mexico, MO
Aaron Campbell, pastor, Mercy Hill Church, Jackson, MO
Mike Shupert, Pastor, Illmo Baptist Church, Scott City, MO
Keith Sisney, Pastor, Norfleet Baptist Church, Kansas City, MO
Kurtis W. Estes Pastor, First Baptist Church Salisbury
Ben Schnipper, Associate Pastor of Youth & Discipleship, Union Hill Baptist Church
Kevin Larson, Lead Pastor Karis Church, Columbia, MO
Brian Simmons, Family Pastor, FBC Carl Junction, MO
Ryan West, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Steele, MO
Shannon Cobb, Lead Pastor, Splitlog Baptist Church, Goodman, MO
Joe Voga, Pastor, New Harvest SBC Church, Agency, MO
Justin Francis, pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church in Doniphan
Scott Conover, youth pastor, First Baptist Marshall, MO.
Andrew William Steinbeck, pastor, Foley Baptist Church, Foley, MO
Ronni Kurtz, Emmaus Church, Kansas City, MO
Rocky Lindley, Pastor, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Salem, MO.
Ryan West Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Steele, Missouri
Joel Booth, Middle-Row Congregant, Calvary Baptist, Hannibal, MO
Kenneth James McCune. Member of Spring Creek Baptist Church, Rolla, Missouri (Former IMB missionary)
Shyre McCune, Spring Creek Baptist Church, Rolla, Mo. Retired NAMB.
If you are a Missouri Baptist and would like to be included in this letter, please comment below with your name and title/church (if applicable) and we will add your name. Or, copy, sign, and send this letter as an individual to information@mobaptist.org and jyeats@mobaptist.org.
