Peace Committee starts to identify issues

By Allen Palmeri
Associate Editor

JEFFERSON CITY—The Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Peace Committee met for the first time face-to-face June 17 in a seventh-floor conference room of the Baptist Building, outlining issues that have divided them politically the last couple of years.

The hope of the six men on the committee as well as the Convention at large is that a measure of agreement can be achieved in time for the 174th annual meeting of the MBC set for Oct. 27-29 in St. Louis.

Jeff Purvis, pastor, First Baptist Church, Herculaneum-Peveley, and chairman of the Peace Committee, said the meeting went well. Others on the committee are: Bruce McCoy, pastor, Canaan Baptist Church, St. Louis; Jay Scribner, retired pastor, First Baptist Church, Branson; Roger Moran, laity, First Baptist Church, Troy; John Marshall, pastor, Second Baptist Church, Springfield; and Wesley Hammond, pastor, First Baptist Church, Paris.

Purvis released a joint statement June 18 in which all of the committee members expressed their feelings about the process thus far.

“After the Peace Committee’s first face-to-face meeting, we are happy to announce that there is a great sense of unity, hope, and expectancy for the future of our beloved Missouri Baptist Convention,” the six committee members said. “We ask that each of you continue to pray that these things will truly manifest themselves as we strive for God’s peace to become a reality in our Convention.

“Pray that the Lord would give each of us wisdom, discernment and humility as we continue to move forward in this process. Pray for those that we, as a committee, will need to talk with, so that they too will desire and embrace peace, unity, hope and expectancy not only for our Convention, but most importantly for God’s kingdom. It is with great joy that we report this to our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout Missouri, and to those around the world who are praying for us. We most definitely sensed God’s presence, power and peace in our all-day meeting on Tuesday, June 17. Let’s keep praying and looking upward!”

McCoy is first vice president of the MBC, Marshall is second vice president, Scribner is a past MBC president and current member of the MBC Executive Board, Hammond is an MBC Executive Board member and Moran is research director of the Missouri Baptist Laymen’s Association (MBLA). Purvis serves on the MBC Executive Board as Administrative Committee chairman.

Marshall and Hammond were two of 11 founding leaders of Save Our Convention (SOC), which opposed MBLA politically at the 2007 annual meeting of the MBC at Tan-Tar-A. McCoy ran on the SOC slate against Scribner after previously running on an MBLA slate. In another clash of conservative leaders, Marshall defeated Moran for second vice president.

A seventh member of the committee, Jeff White, pastor of South Creek Church in Springfield, was forced to resign from the Peace Committee May 16 due to health concerns. Purvis indicated that there are no plans to replace White.

The Peace Committee came into being April 15 after the Executive Board overwhelmingly approved a motion by MBC Executive Board member Jody Shelenhamer, laity, First Baptist Church, Bolivar.

“We’ve got a Peace Committee working, and God bless them, I want them to keep working, I’m praying for them, and I think that there’s a lot of hope in what they’re doing,” said MBC Interim Executive Director David Tolliver. “But the bottom line, if we want to have genuine, lasting peace in the Convention, then as individuals, we all (need to) get right with God.”

The summer is a busy time with various mission trips and vacations. Weighing those factors, Purvis said the next meeting of the committee will be scheduled for the latter part of July.