As a lifelong, multi-generation Southern Baptist, I love the family feel that comes with Baptist gatherings. Yes, at times we disagree, argue, and fight (I did say we were family), but we love each other and we love our Lord and Savior, King Jesus. As I’m sure you’re well aware, over the last decade, we’ve undoubtedly had our fair share of contentiousness. It’s been frustrating to say the least.

But I’m not giving up on my Baptist family, and if you’re a normal “Billy Baptist,” neither should you.

Frustrating Fake “Unity”

Over the last decade, we’ve heard countless calls of unity (especially during 2020 with the pandemic and racial strife in America), but they almost always seemed hollow. We were inundated with messages, chastising us regarding our normal conservative beliefs on race, sex, gender, complementarianism, pro-life values, and various other moral issues. These calls for “unity” more often sounded like demands for silence, and many of us regular Baptists felt shamed and ostracized for maintaining our faithful, biblically informed Baptist beliefs. We were being divided over previously unified issues. During the calls for unity, we were being split apart.

My point is not that Baptists shouldn’t be challenged. On the contrary, Baptists are far from perfect, and we certainly need to be poked and prodded. We need to be encouraged to mortify the flesh, evangelize the lost, serve the needy, and disciple the saints. The time is urgent, and we need to have a fire lit under us every day. We need our Baptist organizations to provide quality resources to support these endeavors. We need to be unified in our goals and spurred on to do good works.

Baptists always welcome the challenge to unite around serving the Lord Jesus Christ, but not if they’re being shamed for their reasonable and faithful conservative beliefs. We want to be challenged in things that we know are right, not in things that we know are wrong.

Refreshing Real Unity

While there are liberal Baptists who oppose our conservative theological beliefs in both doctrine and practice, and some Baptists who are simply indifferent, we need to remember that there are multitudes of Baptists who faithfully serve Jesus with excellence. If we want to see conservative Baptists become stronger in influence, we have to celebrate the amazing work that God is doing in and through good, faithful Baptist brothers and sisters. There really are great things to celebrate all around us.

Some reading this might be surprised, but the NC Baptist Convention Annual Meeting is usually one such area of encouragement. This year was no exception. The nearly 1,600 messengers maintained a disciplined focus on the things that unify us as North Carolina Baptists, like a strong and multifaceted emphasis on missions. There were even some surprising additions, such as a financial focus on pro-life causes, an encouraging moment of plain talk regarding gender, and a powerful challenge from our convention president. These kinds of things need to be celebrated, especially the president’s message.

The Power of Prayer in the Quest for Baptist Unity

For most of the Annual Meeting, the normal focus on missions was deservedly still at the forefront; however, this year, our NC Baptist Convention President, J. Allen Murray (pastor of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in Supply, N.C .),  provided an additional unifying focus: prayer.

He did not sugarcoat the challenge, but it was as well-received as it was necessary. There was a collective recognition that we truly needed a greater emphasis on prayer in the church. I spoke to more than a few who felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit and began pondering how they might act on the message. We were unified. He didn’t just call for unity; he allowed us to unify around a great challenge. And what a challenge.

Brothers and sisters, as we consider Baptist unity and the need for conservative Baptist influence, we also need to heed the call of the Pastor Murray. We need to pray. If prayer is not a critical focus in our churches, how can we expect God to bless our service efforts? Jesus himself told us, “You do not have because you do not ask.” We must also remember that corporate church prayer is just as important as corporate church singing and preaching. If we want strong conservative churches, we must take prayer seriously. Praying together unifies us with God and with one another.

Murray didn’t hold back when he illustrated this sentiment: we have to stop using prayer as bookends to open and close gatherings. He’s right, of course. Prayer has to be a main focus; it has to be one of the important books on the shelf. He challenged us to not only make prayer an important part of our church service, but also to hold prayer meetings, which he recognized have been generally neglected recently. Perhaps many consider it boring to spend a significant time in prayer. Still, whatever the reason for the neglect of prayer meetings, Murray reminded us that three or four people praying together is much more powerful than…no one praying together. Honestly, if you don’t think that God uses the prayers of a faithful few, you might need to adjust your theology. Even so, I have a feeling God won’t limit a great focus of prayer to a faithful few for very long.

As he delivered the message, I couldn’t help but think about an incredible story of prayer I heard from one of our convention leaders a few years ago. In 1857, the U.S.S. North Carolina (not the one in Wilmington) was nearing decommission and served as a receiving ship in the New York Navy Yard. A prayer revival had recently spread through the city, and a few of the new recruits, aboard the vessel, were deeply affected.

Those crew members began meeting together in the lower decks of the ship for prayer and praise, while some of the more hard-hearted sailors devised a plan to disrupt the gatherings. As those ill-spirited souls crept closer and heard the prayer and praise, the Holy Spirit moved within them, and they became convicted of their wicked ways. Because of the prayerful gathering of the few on that ship, dozens of the sailors repented before the Lord, and God used them to continue to spread the gospel as they were sent on their commissions around the world.

If God can use a few prayerful sailors to take the gospel around the world, can you imagine how God could use the prayer gatherings of a faithfully unified Baptist convention? To be clear, prayer hasn’t been completely neglected in the church, but we could certainly do better. I’m encouraged when I think about great examples of prayer I’ve seen through the years. Prayer partners, in-service pastoral prayer, door-to-door prayer, in-service prayer for sister churches, Wednesday night prayer gatherings, public prayer gatherings, prayer walks, etc. There are many truly powerful ways to go before the Lord in prayer.

How many great things will God do through faithful Baptists if we simply ask?

If you want unity on the doctrines of conservative Baptist Christianity, pray for it. If you wish to have strong churches united on the unchanging, infallible word of God, do not neglect to meet together in prayer. If you want genuine unity in the church, look for where God is working and encourage those faithful brothers and sisters.

Where have you seen good work in the Baptist church? What recent message have you found to be truly unifying? Who can you encourage? Let’s be unified around what is good and true. As we contend for the conservative faith, these are the things that can keep Southern Baptists fulfilling the Great Commission together.