But we can actually press into the current culture and lead our young people and train them to lead a revolution for the kingdom and the glory of God. Speaking with CT, Dates drew parallels to Paul and Timothy, referencing Pauls instructions to the younger leader based on what he had witnessed firsthand in ministry. Charlie Dates preaching at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2017. This workshop will cover everything from home buying basics to the most important step, funding and loan process. What I benefit from is far greater than just a tip from him here or there; its more of a model of a life lived. Charlie Dates has been working as a Youngest Senior Pastor at Progressive Baptist Church for 12 years. It is the work of that church, but its also Reverend Meeks, the pastor of that church. But dozens of majority-black churches are joining the SBC each year, so the numbers are still growingjust not as fast as they once were. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Your daily news briefing from the editors of CT: Southern Baptist Convention Disfellowships Saddleback Church, Christian Conservationists Sue to Protect Ghana Forest, Everything Everywhere All at Once and the Beautiful Mystery of Gods Silence. Last month, Dates joined the Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast to talk about the need for solid Christian preaching during tough times. He is a contributing author to the 2014 book Letters To A Birmingham Jail, and the 2019 book, Say It: Celebrating Expository Preaching in The African American Tradition. To start, Dates will keep his current post as senior pastor at Progressive Baptist Church, a 15-minute drive from the House of Hope arena where Salem Baptist meets. We are hosting our New Member Orientation known as 'Connection Institute.' I think the distinction is that I can serve Salem well by loving her through the preaching ministry and pastoral care, and she will follow. He continued his education with a Master of Divinity and a PhD in Historical Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. Meeks' retirement comes at a time when many longtime church leaders have been transitioning out of leadership as they contend with dwindling attendance and other ministry upheavals laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic. Pastor Charlie Dates of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago lamented, "This is a very tiring conversation, not simply because of the events of recent weeks, but because this has been a 401-year . I have to lead through my leaders. There is a young man in our midst who is an exceptional preacher, Pastor Meeks told congregants Sunday, calling Charlie Dates both called and qualified., He came out of our church, says Meeks, and its time for young people to step up and be given a chance.. I dont come out of thin air to either church; you can trace my lineage. Toward that end, the site requires that people use their full name when commenting. Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone by making a one-time donation today. My approach at Salem will be similar once I have learned again the way of the land. @progressivechicago | @charliedates |. I go where God leads me not Charlie Dates. In 2011, Reverend Dates became the youngest Senior Pastor to serve the historic Progressive Baptist Church of Chicago, which saw exponential growth under his leadership. How has he influenced you? But Pastor Dates said, I know you probably dont like me right now, I can tell from how youre reacting to what Im saying; but Im not here to get you to like me. I left that conference feeling hopeful. That was the last straw for Dates, he wrote in a column for Religion News Service. "The Kingdom work is never to stop with one generation. Show Progressive Baptist Church Podcast, Ep Great Expectations | Joshua 14:6-15 | Pastor Bryan Carter - Jul 26, 2022 You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. I had the privilege of not only hearing him preach as a guest speaker at my church, but also meeting him after a singles event hosted by Progressive. This isnt something that I read or something that I watched; this is a ministry that I participated in and had a front row seat to as a kid, said Dates, who grew up at Salem and attended its former school, Salem Christian Academy. Christian Rocker Posts Stunning Response to Recent Apostasy of Christian Leaders, Chicago Radio Host & a Former Bodyguard Say James MacDonald Asked Them to Arrange Murders, James MacDonald Took Millions from Harvest & Now Demands Broadcast Ministry, Mancow Airs Shocking Comments By James MacDonald: My Response. At the emergence of the pandemic, the SBC donated to our emergency effort to provide online food delivery services for Chicagoans with SNAP benefits. Butand this is no secretfor years it stayed in the vein of its history. To invite Dr. He and his wife, Kirstie, have two children. He hijacked the affirmation meeting of the Baptist Faith & Message, turning it into a conservative resurgence revival. From your posts (especially the prior one to this), it almost seems like your biggest qualification for a pastor is whether he or she makes you feel good; warm and fuzzy. They do not understand themselves to be beneficiaries of a system that marginalizes people of color.". 2023 ChurchLeaders.com, All rights reserved. Its the same approach that created President Donald Trump, that makes sure that no Republican leader will challenge him publicly. All the old leaders stay in place and dont open up and make room for new leadership. In op-eds announcing their decisions to leave, Charlie Dates of Chicagos Progressive Baptist Church and Ralph D. West of Houstons The Church Without Walls both criticized SBC seminary presidents declaration that critical race theory was incompatible with the denominations statement of faith. Dates's 100-year-old congregation only began affiliating with the SBC last year, joining as a dual affiliate with the Progressive National Baptist Convention, a mainline, African American. Last month, in a joint statement and individual remarks, the six presidents of SBC seminaries called critical race theory unbiblical and instead emphasized the need to turn to Christian teachings alone, not secular ideas, to confront racism. Are there things at Progressive you will have to step away from? The Rev. Pastor Charlie Dates speaks at Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago. If that is YOUR definition of ministering to someone (because that is the language I used, and you jumped to that conclusion), YOU need to revisit it. If I can help these churches recognize Gods hand in their past as a kind of indication of God, of what God wants to do in the future, then I think I can hand it off to the next generation in good fashion. SERVICE TIME 9:30 AM CST Watch Live "It's Alright to Cry"| Pastor Charlie Dates | Progressive Chicago Watch on Latest Sermon Sad, but not at all surprising. To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. The other thing is, in terms of preaching, I plan on preaching two services on Sunday morning: one at Progressive and one at Salem. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. No. Dates, 41, is a graduate of Salem's now-closed Salem Christian Academy. Mohler, to take one example, endorsed a philandering, racist president, thereby betraying his Black and brown Christian family. Im here to speak the truth in love to you to keep you from going down a path that may seem comforting to you now, but it will ensnare you.. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Pastoral leadership is a storied pillar in both of these churches. Meeks serves on the Moody Bible Institute Trustee Board, and Dates has worked as an adjunct professor there. Charlie E. Dates is the senior pastor of Salem Baptist Church and Progressive Baptist Church, two of the oldest and largest historically Black churches in Chicago, Illinois. Meeks recalls meeting Dates when Dates was in the 5th grade. After the neighborhood went dry, Walmart opened a store. Also, while there are many people in the comment section who rightfully call him to repent over it, there are plenty of others, including names such as Lecrae and Kyle J Howard, who tweeted their approval of his use of the slur. Rev. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Charlie is the senior pastor a Chicago's Progressive Baptist Church. What is liberalism to the conservative Southern Baptists? Its humorous, its rewarding, and its worth more than the price of gold or platinum. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Progressive has asked me, when the time comes, to help them to find their next pastor. @progressivechicago | @charliedates |. The young people I met that week shocked me with the warmth and enthusiasm with which they embraced the subject matter. Ive seen healthy and unhealthy churches of all sizes. I think thats a blessing, especially when I see a lot of superficial relationships between pastors and their flock. I also want to suggest that Chicago, and America, needs churches that are developing and reproducing young pastors, that we become more intentional about it. The congregation has grown into one of the largest black churches in the city. We need new ideas. Thats their choice. Meeks and his wife, Jamell, founded the church in 1985. "Not only is he called, but he is qualified or educated. Hmm. Conservatism is, and has always been, the god of the SBC. I believe now that the time has come for me to yield to a younger person.. Charlie Dates of the Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago, one of the pastors who have already severed ties, said the November statement was "the last straw." "When did the theological architects of American slavery develop the moral character to tell the church how it should discuss and discern racism?" Perhaps you are taking on a worldly definition of love? While I do not know much about Charlie Dates, it has becoming increasingly true that the higher you rise the harder you fall. CT interviewed him about the history of the two congregations and his call to lead Salem Baptist. Not because of a sermon I heard from a distance or book that I read.. As I am contemplating leaving my current evangelical church, Progressive is on my list of places Im considering and praying about for a new church home, and a lot of it is due to the Dates family. (Dr. Charlie Edward Dates is the senior pastor at Chicagos Progressive Baptist Church. James Meeks faltered for just a moment at the end. Photo courtesy of Progressive Baptist Church. Charlie has also led Progressive in being a very put faith into action church here in the Chicago Black community. What lessons or advice has he already passed along about leading Salem Baptist? Its been anchored in the community. But there is nothing wrong with loving those who I do have personal relationships with, and have really left an impact on my faith, family, and heart.. Dates explained he saw rejecting CRT as part of a continuing heritage of dangerous conservatism.. I see the Pauline example in the Gospel of teachers/leaders being figures that we seek and respect for guidance and direction and boundaries, and not necessarily the same functions that friends and family (in or outside of the church) perform. And if you think it feels good, warm and fuzzy to be confronted about your sin when youre in the middle of grief, you are VERY mistaken. I just only pray he does not become spread too thin by leading two large churches. He announced Sunday he'll preach his last sermon to the 10,000-member church on January 8, 2023. Both of them have produced some stalwart Christian leaders and teachers. As for me, I will always be grateful. I dont see anything wrong with loving those who Christ calls us to love, which includes our brothers and sisters in Christ (that includes pastors). How has God moved and worked in ones life? And I think we can develop a platform, a pipeline to invite those who feel that burden of call to grow them and to release them to do that," he added. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our. I returned to our Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago with a bit of sophomoric optimism. Dates, 41, is senior pastor of Progressive Baptist Churcha position hell keep, despite assuming the pastorate at Salem. I was shocked, but not surprised, when Mohler endorsed President Trump and watched the two men on Reformation Day celebrate each other on Twitter. We were already working with the SBC on a training program at our church, and almost all of the Illinois Baptist State and SBC national leaders I had met seemed aware that their forefathers fell woefully short of any standard of biblical justice. I adore Charlie Dates BECAUSE of how he and his wife PERSONALLY ministered to me when I needed it. In his June 19 sermon, he told congregants hes retiring as of January 15, 2023, and the Rev. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Salem has not lost its relevance, Salem has not lost its edge, while maintaining a very high view of Scripture and its very Christo-centric approach to ministry. Sarah Einselen is an award-winning writer and editor based in Texas. They are good men who are sending a big message to the SBC, said Marshal Ausberry. Dr. . Ill be here every Sunday and through the week as I normally am, Dates said. The specter of racial animus and theological arrogance was giving way to a new era of Christian leadership, I suggested. I think that there is a place in the body of Christ for large and small churches alike; I have been a member of both at various points in my walk with Christ, and can speak to the benefits and challenges of both. Join us before worship service on Sunday, March 19th directly following service. He opposed the legalization of gay marriage,called for a boycott over funding disparities at Chicago Public Schools, and once served as spiritual adviser to disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly. That would just be weird. (I cant imagine having NEVER met your pastor one-on-one).