Orbiting the Giant [SBC] Hairball

One of my favorite books of all time is “Orbiting the Giant Hairball” by Gordon MacKenzie who served as the Chief of the Creative Division of Hallmark Cards for several decades. In the book he theorizes that every organization starts with a blank slate where original, creative, and pioneer thinking are commonplace. The people in the organization are driven solely by the desire to accomplish the intended mission. Over time though, the pioneer, risk-taking, mission-driven focus is replaced by the organizational hairball. He says that, “every new policy [adds] another hair to the hairball.” “With the increase in the hairball’s mass comes a corresponding increase in the hairball’s gravity.” So the nature of organizational gravity is to “suck everything into [its] mass.” When this happens the “ghosts of past successes outvote original thinking.”

Does this describe the current condition of the Southern Baptist Convention? Have our past successes become obstacles that are now hindering our ability to be aggressive and pioneering in our approach to the Great Commission? In his recent address at Southeastern Seminary, Dr Danny Aiken did a magnificent job in challenging us to refocus in an effort to move toward a “Great Commission Resurgence (GCR).” The necessity of a “Great Commission Resurgence” has become abundantly clear to many in our convention. Driven by a passion to see the fame and name of Jesus increased among the nations, the GCR highlights that we are not being as effective as we should be. The reality is that the SBC has become a giant hairball. Our heritage is a rich one that has been led by many spirit-filled, innovative, and risk-taking saints. The creation of the Cooperative Program will go down as one of the most significant events in mission’s history of the church. The creation of associations and state conventions as ways to train leaders, plant churches, distribute resources, and encourage ministers on the frontlines were way ahead of their time in organizational effectiveness. Our International Mission Board has always out paced other agencies in their ability to effectively send missionaries to the remotest parts of the world. Yet, we are living in a critical time where if we rest on our past successes, I fear we will not have a significant kingdom future.

So what is the answer? Where does the Southern Baptist Convention in 2009 go in order to insure that every man, woman, and child on the face of the planet has a chance to hear about and worship Jesus? We orbit! Orbiting allows us to propel beyond the limitations the SBC hairball presents, while remaining rooted in the mission that has driven us since 1845.

If we don’t orbit, our only other options are to leave the SBC or get entombed in the SBC hierarchy. Neither are good options. Many who have left the SBC have done so only to join or create a new hairball where they run the risk of drifting into nothingness, separated from the theological fervor, ministry accountability, and mission cooperation the SBC has historically provided. On the other hand, becoming entombed in the SBC hierarchy is not an option. When we do this, we end up caring more about jockeying for a position in the convention or protecting an institution than we do about the Great Commission. When we orbit, we are allowing gravity to work for us. The gravity the SBC creates works both to propel and protect. The SBC propels us to the “ends of the earth” by using “all means necessary” in an effort to reach the lost; at the same time it protects us from drifting into a nothingness, void of proper orthodoxy.

Orbiters recognize that our partnership is solely to be in the Gospel of Jesus. In Philippians chapter 1, Paul rejoices in the partnership he has with the church in the gospel. His partnership was not rooted in a specific style or approach to presenting the gospel (though Paul certainly had a style): It was in the gospel alone. When we allow methodological preferences to stand in the way of our partnership, we not only lose our effectiveness, we are not operating in the spirit of the New Testament. Because our denomination is rooted in the Bible Belt south, the predominance of our mission’s methodologies find their foundation in that culture. This becomes problematic when we expect our missionaries or church planters to apply that missiological approach in regions outside that geographic base. My city, New York City, is more reflective of European culture than it is of any other culture in the United States; it is secular, pluralistic, and multi-cultural. The communication of the gospel will have to take on many forms and employ creative methods in order to reach the diverse population of this mega-metropolis. It is important for us to remember that the methodology used to communicate the gospel in Rome, Georgia, and Rome, Italy will be completely different. We cannot penalize gospel-centered missionaries and pastors simply because we are not comfortable with their style or approach. When we become serious about partnering singly in the Gospel, we will unleash a tidal wave of workers for the harvest who will effectively engage the hardest places for the glory and fame of Jesus.

Orbiters are so consumed with the mission, that they will endure great personal sacrifice. One of my favorite worship songs is “Mighty to Save.” A line in that song says, “I give my life to follow, everything I believe in, now I surrender.” Orbiters don’t find themselves consumed with the inner workings of the denomination. They are on the frontlines, sacrificing everything they have for the sake of Jesus. It is not that they don’t love the denomination; it is just that they love Jesus more. We need to quit demonizing those who don’t wear the corporate brand on their shirt. As long as they are magnifying Jesus, they have a place in our tribe.

I am guessing one of the reasons many are so afraid of Axiom number 9 (denomination structure) in the GCR document is because they are afraid they might lose their job. Their whole life has been as a servant in one of our denominational agencies and now they feel threatened. This is dangerous! There is not one job that is not worth sacrificing for the sake of the Great Commission. Every agency of the convention should be willing to close its doors if doing so means greater effectiveness for the sake of the gospel. But, more often than not, we are more consumed with saving a job, an association, state convention, seminary, or other institution than we are the rapid advance of the gospel. When we orbit, the mission is front and center. And though it may personally cost us in the short run, it will lead toward greater gospel penetration and overall denominational strength in the long run.

I love the SBC and I am extremely appreciative of its rich theological and missiological heritage. I will forever be indebted to my seminary professors who instilled in me a passion for the Bible and the Great Commission. I am extremely grateful for the sacrificial giving of so many who have made it possible for my wife and me to live on mission as church planters in New York City, but I am also concerned for the future of our denomination. I am afraid we are more passionate about past glory than we are about the fame of Jesus among the nations. We have resorted to protecting our brand instead of promoting our Savior. If the SBC wants to be great again, we have to learn to orbit this giant hairball we have created and allow our mission to propel us toward the goal of seeing the gospel of Jesus taken to everyone on earth!


Aaron Coe
Lead Pastor
The Gallery Church
New York City
aaron@gallerychurch.com