I just had lunch with a Southern Baptist church-planting friend. He was saved some years ago and was baptized in a Christian church (that’s Christian as in the denomination, the heirs of Alexander Campbell). He did not believe his baptism was a saving act…not then and not now. He has attended and graduated from a Southern Baptist seminary. He was recommended to that seminary by a Southern Baptist church. He was ordained by a different Southern Baptist church (with two very notable Southern Baptist seminary professors on his ordination council). His church planting work is supported by the Missouri Baptist Convention and several different Southern Baptist churches. And he is viewed as the pastor by folks attending his new church plant. None of these (churches, people or seminary) has asked him to be re-baptized. Yet, should God call him into international missions, the current IMB policy would demand that he be re-baptized.
The new IMB baptism policy is not in harmony with other Southern Baptist entities and certainly is at variance with the policies of the vast majority of Southern Baptist churches. The IMB trustees should rescind this new policy on baptism.
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