The majority (wants new) rules

Les Puryear, a pastor who has championed the cause of small churches in the Southern Baptist Convention, has initiated a move to give those churches a louder voice in convention matters.

Puryear, who ran for SBC president two years ago, started a web site called "the SBC Majority Initiative."

"Prior to the SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL, we will be announcing SBC Majority Initiative candidates for all major offices," the web site says. "Also, we will be unveiling a motion which will be made in Orlando for a bylaw change which will effect greater representation of the SBC Majority on SBC entities boards."

Puryear, who has previously questioned the wisdom of of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force emphasis church planting at the expense of existing churches, is pastor of Lewisville Baptist Church in North Carolina. Figures on the web site demonstrate the difficulty his movement faces.

The web site says SBC presidents come from churches with attendance in the top 1.4 percent, while 76 percent of trustees are from churches with attendance in the top 16.6 percent.

Clearly, the SBC rewards large churches. That's not surprising in an organization that compiles its statistics in an "annual church profile" like last year's showing a drop in membership. Perhaps, however, with signs pointing to denominational decline Southern Baptists will realize that higher numbers don't necessarily equal God's blessing.

If so, Puryear's efforts might not be wasted.