Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes (at Bellevue Baptist Church)

As many of you know, the title of this blog, and this post, can be loosely translated from Latin as "Who watches the Watchmen?" It's from the satirist Juvenal. He asked a very good question, one that we take today to mean "Who will hold the powers-that-be accountable for their actions?" I now ask this question, with all due respect, to the current leadership at Bellevue.

There's much to be said about accountability in the days of Jim Baker and Enron, Watergate and Worldcom. I'm not sure that anyone truly enjoys being held accountable--it's a prickly reminder of our fallen nature, our continual desire for power, and the near-inevitability of that power corrupting us. But an ounce of painful prevention can head off a lifetime of malfeasance and misery.

Prevention, however, may be too late; and the Cure may be doubly painful. (I will address the following in more detail in the days to come.) For weeks, a small group of men and women at Bellevue have sought answers from Steve Gaines on issues ranging from church by-laws, to financial decisions, to hiring and firing practices. They have been diverted, red-taped, insulted, and are now being demonized.

All of this is regrettable because these brothers and sisters simply asked questions of their spiritual leaders. These men and women, then, find themselves in a difficult position. They do not want to work dissent among the brethren, but they do know that their leadership must be held accountable.

In the weeks ahead, I hope to thoroughly chronicle the concerns of these people, the church administration's response to their concerns, and provide what I hope will be commentary that is in some small way helpful.

I have no agenda other than finding the truth and holding individuals accountable. I want answers to questions that are swirling around the back halls, dark corners, and administrative offices of the church. Answers to legitimate questions that are whispered in secret for fear of demonization and figurative excommunication.

In closing, I've more or less spent my life at Bellevue. I grew up at the Old Church, have spent brief (though still entirely all-too-long) stints at other local churches, and have always come back Home. I love this place. We have grown by His grace and for His glory. I pray that God will provide his people wisdom to know what action to take in the days ahead. May we always be a beacon on a hill, sending out its light to our neighbors and the nations—eternally urging them to “Come to Jesus.”