Jon Smith wrote:Bro. Vaughn the churches of the SBC elect the trustees and then the trustees elect the presidents and then the presidents appoint the school trustees and hire and fire the faculty. The SBC trustees only serve for 3 years at a time and are a reflection of the people who elect them. The conservative movement within the SBC is a people movement. They have elected conservative trustees who have elected conservative presidents such as Paige Patterson. Could you give me a list of the SBC universities that have left the SBC like you said. I am not aware of "most" of them leaving to join the liberals that have been purged from them?
Here goes. I hope this will help make you more aware of the situation. These these are cut and pasted from the internet to address this generally. If you want more information you probably should research each entity specifically.
First, I ask readers to remember that I am not talking about the 6 seminaries (Southern, Southwestern, Southeastern, New Orleans, Golden Gate, Midwestern). These are, as far as I know, the only entities that are
directly related to the Southern Baptist Convention. When I speak of SBC-related universities I mean generally. I think all of the major universities like Baylor were directly related to their state conventions and to the SBC through the state conventions. Most of them no longer are, or have made moves to limit their control. When I wrote "Most, if not all" concerning SB Universities severing these connections I did not clarify that I had in mind major universities (e.g. Baylor, Samford, Furman, Wake Forest, Mercer, Richmond, Ouachita). I'm sure there are hundreds of SB colleges & universities that I don't even know exist.
In most cases the university took the initiative to keep the conservatives from getting control of them during the conservative resurgence. In one case -- Mercer University -- it was the state convention conservatives who took the initiative to boot the University.
Mercer University and the Georgia Baptist Convention have agreed to terms that will end their 172-year-old relationship. The convention will end funding of the school after 2007, but Mercer will get control of trustee elections and all assets, including a $19.6 million endowment controlled by the convention...Under the agreement, Mercer will create a self-perpetuating board, rather than allowing the convention to elect a portion of trustees.
http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=848&Itemid=118
SOUTHERN BAPTIST COLLEGES THAT HAVE LOOSENED TIES WITH THEIR CONVENTIONS
Baylor University changed its charter in 1990 so that one-quarter of its board is now elected by the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Before that, the convention elected all of the trustees.
Carson-Newman College in 1998 changed its charter to become self-perpetuating. In 2000, the institution and the Tennessee Baptist Convention agreed to choose trustees jointly.
Furman University's board became independent of the South Carolina Baptist Convention in 1992.
Grand Canyon University severed its ties with the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention in 2000.
Houston Baptist University chooses three-quarters of its board members, while the Baptist General Convention of Texas elects the rest, under a 2001 agreement.
Meredith College first broke from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina in 1991. It later allowed the convention to elect nominees approved by the college, but in 1997 it became independent again.
Mississippi College came to an agreement with the state Baptist convention in 1994 that the convention would select trustees of the college only from a list compiled by the college.
Missouri Baptist College in 2001 changed its charter to make its board self-perpetuating -- a decision that has been challenged in court by the state convention.
Ouachita Baptist University's board became self-perpetuating in 1996. The Arkansas Baptist State Convention still ceremonially approves trustees.
Samford University's board became self-perpetuating in 1994. As a courtesy, Samford permits the Alabama Baptist State Convention to approve the nominees, but the approval has no legal standing.
Stetson University became independent of the Florida Baptist Convention in 1993.
University of Richmond began naming non-Baptists to its Board of Trustees in 1969. As of 1999, the university stopped receiving money from the Virginia state convention.
Wake Forest University's board became self-perpetuating in 1986.
-- MEGAN ROONEY
http://www.missouribaptists.org/content/ChronicleOfHigherEducation.htm
6. Several historically Baptist colleges broke away from the state Baptist conventions that supported them -- sometimes peacefully, often not -- in what may turn out to be the most dramatic year ever in Baptist education. In the Georgia Baptist Convention, Mercer University was kicked out over homosexuality and other issues, while Shorter College lost a long legal battle to elect its own trustees.
Belmont and
Georgetown universities distanced themselves from Baptists in Tennessee and Kentucky, respectively, while the debate over who should control and shape Christian education continued on other campuses.
http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=850&Itemid=118
"The Baylor board of trustees on Sept. 21 [1990,
rlv] revised its charter to establish a board of regents 'with sole responsibility for governance of Baylor' and elected 16 people to the new body. Previously, Baylor's charter provided for school governance by a 48-member board of trustees, elected by the BGCT."
"In his opening remarks to the BGCT executive board, Executive Director William M. Pinson Jr. noted that the board of trustees at Furman University, Greenville, S.C., on Oct. 15 took 'similar action in a similar way' to the Baylor board of trustees." --
Texas executive board studies relationship with Baylor by Ken Camp
http://media.sbhla.org.s3.amazonaws.com/7045,19-Oct-1990.pdf
More random quotes from the internet:
Samford University, as a private corporation, is wholly governed by an independent, self-perpetuating Board of Trustees. The Board appoints the President of the University, who serves as chief executive officer. The Board consists of its regular members and the President.-- Wikipedia
"Ever since 1979, when conservatives took control of the Southern Baptist Convention -- the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, with more than 16 million members -- and began purging moderate voices from the six seminaries under its control, Southern Baptist colleges have feared that something similar could happen between them and the state conventions with which they are affiliated. In many states, those conventions often must approve the colleges' trustees.
"To fend off the conservatives, more than a dozen colleges have either split entirely with their state conventions, by creating self-perpetuating boards of trustees, or significantly limited the convention's power over the trustee-election process. Conservatives have continued to make inroads on the state-convention level, however, ensuring that more battles within higher education are likely." --
Southern Baptist colleges are caught up in bitter conflicts plaguing the powerful denominationThe first colleges to remove themselves from the direct control of their state conventions were among the largest and best-known Southern Baptist institutions: Baylor University, Furman University, Stetson University, and the University of Richmond. While they all vowed to retain their Baptist character, these institutions have, since their separations, also attempted to broaden their appeal to students beyond state borders.
http://www.missouribaptists.org/content/ChronicleOfHigherEducation.htm
Furman severed its centuries-old relationship with the South Carolina Baptist Convention several years ago in an attempt to prevent conservatives from gaining a controlling majority of its Board of Trustees.
Notice also that some who tried to sever their connections with their conventions lost in legal battles and the connections still exist. Hope this helps.
