Report from the Alliance of Baptists Annual Gathering

Last week, I attended the annual gathering of the Alliance of Baptists. The gathering was held at Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC. Northside Drive has participated with the Alliance of Baptists for many years- even hosting an annual gathering at our church! As you may know, the Alliance of Baptists was started nearly 30 years ago as many moderate and progressive Baptist churches left behind the conservative turn within the Southern Baptist Convention. The Alliance and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship both began at that time, and we have been active in both organizations. 

The theme for this year's Alliance gathering was “Decolonizing the Great Commission.” You may or may not be familiar with contemporary discussions about colonization. In our time, there are many who are recognizing the role of unequal power and the use of violence in the creation of the modern world. From forcing native peoples off prized land to the use of enslaved Africans to build wealth for the already wealthy, colonization has built the world in which we live. 

The church in America has been complicit in (and benefited from) colonization. Many churches have begun to explore how they can actively decolonize. One such effort includes land acknowledgment- the naming and recognizing of the original inhabitants of the land we now possess. As another effort, many churches acknowledge that much of their wealth is directly attributable to enslaving humans. 

The Alliance of Baptists encourages us to consider the ways that colonization has been a part of our story and invites us to consider how we might find ways to actively decolonize. After all, the Gospel is and always has been about liberating people to discover God’s abundance. Let us consider how we might share that message far and wide!