Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) is a group of churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention
located in the U.S. state
of Oklahoma
. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
, the convention is made up of 43 Baptist associations and around 1,800 churches as of 2010. The stated mission of the BGCO is "to assist the local church to fulfill its Biblical mission and be a channel for cooperative ministry in Oklahoma, the nation and the world." The BCGO provides services to churches throughout Oklahoma in 32 different ministry efforts, including capitol stewardship, chaplaincy, childhood, student and collegiate ministries, disaster relief, senior and single adult ministries, the Robert Haskins School of Leadership, CrossTimbers Children's Camp and the Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center
. Oklahoma Baptist University
is owned and operated by the BGCO. The BGCO also maintains mission partnerships with Baptist churches in Armenia
, Bangladesh
, New Orleans, Utah
-Idaho
, and Guerrero
and Guanajuato
Mexico
. The current President of the BGCO is Dr. Douglas O. Melton, pastor of Southern Hills Baptist Church in Oklahoma City
and former Dean of Students at Oklahoma Baptist University
.
on November 9, 1906 (one year before Oklahoma
statehood). On the same day, the Oklahoma Baptist State Convention held its final session at the First Methodist Church of Shawnee. At a prearranged time, the two conventions then met, formed a line, marched two-by-two to the Shawnee Opera House and formed the Baptist General Convention of the State of Oklahoma, representing 882 churches and 40,617 members at that time. The convention continued dual alignment with both the Northern and Southern Baptist Convention
until 1914 when it voted "single alignment" with the Southern Baptist Convention.
Oklahoma Baptist University
The BGCO owns the OBU campus in Shawnee and elects the university's 33-member Board of Trustees Through the convention's Cooperative Program, it contributes $2.8 million per year to OBU, a subsidy representing about 7% of OBU's operating budget. Though the convention could fund as many as 70 missionaries to spread the gospel to unreached people, it continues to own, subsidize, and control OBU instead. For most of OBU's history, the BGCO tended not to intervene in the governance and administration of the university. However, after the fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention, the increasingly culturally and doctrinally conservative orientation of the convention has been at odds with prevailing norms and practices among OBU faculty and administrators. Many aging moderates have retired or been forced out, only to be replaced with fundamentalists.
In spite of the recent crackdowns, many clergy and laypeople in Oklahoma Baptist life regard OBU with some suspicion. Yet, for the moment, the BGCO seems to be succeeding in its goal of remaking OBU int its own fundamentalist image. OBU has begun to replace the division of philosophy, a core discipline in the liberal arts, with apologetics
, a quasi-field that uses scriptural reasoning to bolster fundamentalist Christian doctrines. The university recently stripped Joe L. Ingram's name off the religion department. Ingram, in whose honor the religion department had been named, served as Executive Director-Treasurer of the BGCO for more than two decades. Yet Ingram fell out of favor with BGCO elites in 1992 when he addressed a group of moderate Baptists. The next year, shortly before Ingram's death, the BGCO formally censured him for "consorting with moderates." Ironically, the trustees renamed the religion department in honor of the Rev. Herschel H. Hobbs, the legendary Baptist statesman and Oklahoma City pastor whose 1963 Baptist Faith & Message was eventually deemed insufficiently conservative for modern-day Southern Baptist elites in Oklahoma and elsewhere.
The sharp rightward direction of OBU has raised significant alarm among a group of retired faculty, as well as hundreds of alumni. For many years, OBU's relationship to the BGCO was tense, but ultimately acceptable to both sides. That consensus, however, is likely unsustainable in light of the well-documented and widely-publicized changes afoot. Some Baptist schools have become fundamentalist Bible academies while others (including Baylor University
, Wake Forest University
, Stetson University
, the University of Richmond
, Furman University
, and Mercer University
) altered the terms of their relationships to Baptist state conventions. It is unclear which direction OBU will ultimately go. The BGCO will have to decide if it would rather use its nearly $3 million annual subsidy to save lost sinners, or to continue to commit those funds in order to maintain the power and prestige it enjoys by controlling an institution. OBU could offset the BGCO's subsidy by instituting a modest $1,500 tuition increase, and it would still be a great value compared with peer institutions.
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
located in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, the convention is made up of 43 Baptist associations and around 1,800 churches as of 2010. The stated mission of the BGCO is "to assist the local church to fulfill its Biblical mission and be a channel for cooperative ministry in Oklahoma, the nation and the world." The BCGO provides services to churches throughout Oklahoma in 32 different ministry efforts, including capitol stewardship, chaplaincy, childhood, student and collegiate ministries, disaster relief, senior and single adult ministries, the Robert Haskins School of Leadership, CrossTimbers Children's Camp and the Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center
Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center
Falls Creek Baptist church camp, also known simply as "Falls Creek", is a conference center and youth camp along Falls Creek in the Arbuckle Mountains of Oklahoma. It is the state's oldest church camp and is also the largest youth encampment in the United States...
. Oklahoma Baptist University
Oklahoma Baptist University
Oklahoma Baptist University is a co-educational Christian liberal arts university located in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and owned by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. Established in 1910, OBU is ranked No.2 among baccalaureate colleges in the western region in the 2010 U.S...
is owned and operated by the BGCO. The BGCO also maintains mission partnerships with Baptist churches in Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, New Orleans, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
-Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, and Guerrero
Guerrero
Guerrero officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guerrero is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo....
and Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The current President of the BGCO is Dr. Douglas O. Melton, pastor of Southern Hills Baptist Church in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
and former Dean of Students at Oklahoma Baptist University
Oklahoma Baptist University
Oklahoma Baptist University is a co-educational Christian liberal arts university located in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and owned by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. Established in 1910, OBU is ranked No.2 among baccalaureate colleges in the western region in the 2010 U.S...
.
History
The BGCO is the successor of the Baptist General Convention of Indian Territory, which held its last session at the First Baptist Church of ShawneeShawnee, Oklahoma
Shawnee is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area; it is also the county seat of Pottawatomie County and the principal city of the Shawnee Micropolitan Statistical...
on November 9, 1906 (one year before Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
statehood). On the same day, the Oklahoma Baptist State Convention held its final session at the First Methodist Church of Shawnee. At a prearranged time, the two conventions then met, formed a line, marched two-by-two to the Shawnee Opera House and formed the Baptist General Convention of the State of Oklahoma, representing 882 churches and 40,617 members at that time. The convention continued dual alignment with both the Northern and Southern Baptist Convention
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
until 1914 when it voted "single alignment" with the Southern Baptist Convention.
Affiliated Organizations
- Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma
- Baptist Village CommunitiesBaptist Village CommunitiesBaptist Village Communities is a not-for-profit organization that has provided aging services in Oklahoma for more than 50 years. Established in 1958 in Hugo, Oklahoma, BVC strives to provide services people need, when they need them, in a place they call home.Services and features provided at...
- Oklahoma Baptist Homes for ChildrenOklahoma Baptist Homes for ChildrenOklahoma Baptist Homes for Children has provided hope and homes for children affected by abuse, abandonment, neglect, or poverty for over a century. Founded in 1903 as an orphan's home, the Baptist Homes for Children is a family-style residential care facility with 8 children residing in cottages...
- Falls Creek Baptist Conference CenterFalls Creek Baptist Conference CenterFalls Creek Baptist church camp, also known simply as "Falls Creek", is a conference center and youth camp along Falls Creek in the Arbuckle Mountains of Oklahoma. It is the state's oldest church camp and is also the largest youth encampment in the United States...
Oklahoma Baptist UniversityOklahoma Baptist UniversityOklahoma Baptist University is a co-educational Christian liberal arts university located in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and owned by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. Established in 1910, OBU is ranked No.2 among baccalaureate colleges in the western region in the 2010 U.S...
The BGCO owns the OBU campus in Shawnee and elects the university's 33-member Board of Trustees Through the convention's Cooperative Program, it contributes $2.8 million per year to OBU, a subsidy representing about 7% of OBU's operating budget. Though the convention could fund as many as 70 missionaries to spread the gospel to unreached people, it continues to own, subsidize, and control OBU instead. For most of OBU's history, the BGCO tended not to intervene in the governance and administration of the university. However, after the fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention, the increasingly culturally and doctrinally conservative orientation of the convention has been at odds with prevailing norms and practices among OBU faculty and administrators. Many aging moderates have retired or been forced out, only to be replaced with fundamentalists.In spite of the recent crackdowns, many clergy and laypeople in Oklahoma Baptist life regard OBU with some suspicion. Yet, for the moment, the BGCO seems to be succeeding in its goal of remaking OBU int its own fundamentalist image. OBU has begun to replace the division of philosophy, a core discipline in the liberal arts, with apologetics
Apologetics
Apologetics is the discipline of defending a position through the systematic use of reason. Early Christian writers Apologetics (from Greek ἀπολογία, "speaking in defense") is the discipline of defending a position (often religious) through the systematic use of reason. Early Christian writers...
, a quasi-field that uses scriptural reasoning to bolster fundamentalist Christian doctrines. The university recently stripped Joe L. Ingram's name off the religion department. Ingram, in whose honor the religion department had been named, served as Executive Director-Treasurer of the BGCO for more than two decades. Yet Ingram fell out of favor with BGCO elites in 1992 when he addressed a group of moderate Baptists. The next year, shortly before Ingram's death, the BGCO formally censured him for "consorting with moderates." Ironically, the trustees renamed the religion department in honor of the Rev. Herschel H. Hobbs, the legendary Baptist statesman and Oklahoma City pastor whose 1963 Baptist Faith & Message was eventually deemed insufficiently conservative for modern-day Southern Baptist elites in Oklahoma and elsewhere.
The sharp rightward direction of OBU has raised significant alarm among a group of retired faculty, as well as hundreds of alumni. For many years, OBU's relationship to the BGCO was tense, but ultimately acceptable to both sides. That consensus, however, is likely unsustainable in light of the well-documented and widely-publicized changes afoot. Some Baptist schools have become fundamentalist Bible academies while others (including Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
, Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
, Stetson University
Stetson University
Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I-4 corridor in Central Florida. The primary undergraduate campus is located in DeLand, Florida, USA. In the 2012 U.S...
, the University of Richmond
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
, Furman University
Furman University
Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
, and Mercer University
Mercer University
Mercer University is an independent, private, coeducational university with a Baptist heritage located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts, business, education, music,...
) altered the terms of their relationships to Baptist state conventions. It is unclear which direction OBU will ultimately go. The BGCO will have to decide if it would rather use its nearly $3 million annual subsidy to save lost sinners, or to continue to commit those funds in order to maintain the power and prestige it enjoys by controlling an institution. OBU could offset the BGCO's subsidy by instituting a modest $1,500 tuition increase, and it would still be a great value compared with peer institutions.