The Rev. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. He and his wife, Kirstie, have two children. For questions or to reach his office, please email [email protected]. Progressive Baptist Church of Chicago Pastor: Dr. Charlie E. Dates Website: www.progressivechicago.org Giving/Donations: https://progressivechicago.org/give IG: I dont know anything about Pastor Dates using a slur I havent heard anything about it, nor do I know anything about the context, response, or outcomes. To correct us from repeating errors and to inspire and to encourage us to pursue Gods great promise. And thats part of the beauty I think of this story. Pretty sure there were no consequences whatsoever for him over it. 3658 SOUTH WENTWORTH AVENUE, CHICAGO, IL, 60609, 773-268-6048 | [email protected]. James Meeks faltered for just a moment at the end. Neither is it a premeditated desire of mine. And while we are kind of watching this great falling away, we dont have to merely watch it. Galatians 5: 13-14 | Pastor David Swanson, Pastor Charlie Dates | Progressive Chicago. Saddleback Church doubles down on support for female pastors, Mormonisms slow shift away from demonizing working mothers, Faith leaders urge Biden to sign executive order for reparations study by Juneteenth, For many congregations, wiping out medical debt has become a popular calling. Gleannings aggregates what others are reporting. Not because of a sermon I heard from a distance or book that I read.. So Im not in a position to speak on that. If we in the SBC had shown as much sorrow for the painful legacy that sin has left as we show passion to decry CRT, we probably wouldnt be in this mess., Critical race theory isnt clearly defined, but generally refers to an approach to racism as systemic and embedded in society. Stephanie Martin, a freelance writer and editor in Denver, has spent her entire 30-year journalism career in Christian publishing. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. And the same for Salem, which might still have it. Chicago Pastor James Meeks to Retire, Pass Baton to Rev. For questions or to reach his office, please email [email protected]. . Progressive got insulated at one point. Yeah thats in bad form. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Services Progressive Baptist Church SUNDAYS AT PROGRESSIVE We'd love for you to join us at our Sunday Services! Its one thing to adore someone you dont have any personal relationship with. But what is liberal in the history of American Christianity? The backstage conversations at these gatherings promised a new era of advancement on race and theology. Meeks and his wife, Jamell, founded the church in 1985. 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. Just goes to show that even in this day and age, after all thats happened, megachurches still value butts in the seats and the almighty dollar over holding celebrity pastors accountable for their actions and character. The beauty of this narrative is that the Lord, in his kindness and his grace, has taken pastors and churches to develop me. Ill become senior pastor of both the Salem Baptist Church of Chicago and remain that at Progressive.. When I came to Progressive, it took me a while to actually get my feet under me because of some of the history and nature of the church, and it required a lot of patience and long-suffering initially. How will your role there look different? Weve already started the conversation that, at some point, the goal is to raise up leaders to do more work. I dont know if Id recommend this to anybody. Progressive Baptist Church is part of the Organizations industry, and located in Illinois, United States. That was the message Sunday from the Rev. Something is lost when a pastor becomes distanced from 99% of his church. "The Kingdom work is never to stop with one generation. View Charlie Dates' profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Meeks has led the African American congregation, now at nearly 10,000 members, since its founding in 1985. But there are others who sit close to power within the SBC and who are silent against the racism that plagues their own congregations. Im just saying that at the juncture were in and being a son of the soil of Chicago and a son of Salem, and now having pastored Progressive, I just think I have a unique understanding and relational dynamic with both churches. If you have legal questions, attorneys will be available to help you at the legal clinic. And if you have a testimony of the amazing things God is doing in your life through our ministry, please email it to [email protected]. Wests The Church Without Walls (originally Brookhollow Baptist Church) has ranked among the 100 biggest in the country and averages 9,000 people in weekly attendance, according to its site. You talked a bit about both churches significance to Chicago. Sure, there were more battles to be won before legitimate change would warm the hearts of African American churches like ours, but thats why our movement felt almost prophetic. I want to be clear though, Im not saying Im the only Timothy he has, in the same way that Paul had others. This workshop will cover everything from home buying basics to the most important step, funding and loan process. 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. I completely understand your concern, Tricia. Charlie Edward Dates became the youngest Senior Pastor in Progressive's rich 95-year history. We meet every second Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 9:00 am. Progressive Baptist Church of Chicago, under the leadership of Charlie E. Dates, is a. Its time for a young generation to come forward with new challenges facing us.. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. So we decided to cooperate and join our church to the SBC in what is known as a dual affiliation. From 2016 to 2019, too, I preached on the campuses of four of the SBC seminaries and had been invited to another. Marin Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. One of the benefits at Progressive is that the operations of the church and systems and structures of the church, the day-to-day operations, are free to move independent of me. 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. "Charlie is called, and I believe all ministry starts with a calling," Meeks said. We want to celebrate YOU. Im not sure I understand your point. Are there things at Progressive you will have to step away from? I imagine they provide cover for the SBC leadership to further alienate Black and brown Christians who do not ascribe to their heritage of dangerous conservatism. I dont know why; perhaps thats an attitude YOU need to pray about. 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. Wow, I never knew this, did TRR ever do an expose of this incident? These churches are a gift. "And God has blessed us with our own son who has agreed starting January 15th, 2023, to be the next pastor of the Salem Baptist Church of Chicago.". Meeks recalls meeting Dates when Dates was in the 5th grade. Dr. Charlie Dates . CT interviewed him about the history of the two congregations and his call to lead Salem Baptist. Dubois, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Mary Mcloud - Bethune, Dr. Charlies orientation and early formation were significantly bent toward the theological reflection of Black people. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. As one Conservative Baptist Network member said, they must constantly repent but can never actually be forgiven., A group of Southern Baptist pastors released a statement Friday voicing their opposition to any movement in the SBC that seeks to distract from racial reconciliation through the gospel and that denies the reality of systemic injustices.. 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. The hard reality of the seminary presidents statement is that Black people will never gain full equality in the Southern Baptist Convention. Well, the Stewardship Ministry at ProgressiveChicago is excited to partner with The YWCA and Liberty Bank to offer a 6 hour in-person or virtual homebuyer's workshop. He teaches preaching at Wheaton College and serves as an Affiliate Professor of the Baylor University George W. Truett Theological Seminary and as Affiliate Professor of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. I can say Ive been called worse for going to white schools and belonging to white clubs, and Im kinda numb to it at my age. I dont even know what sort of issue Dates had with whoever (again, Im rarely on social media), but even I can spot your bias here. 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. Theres something about the formation of my mind and my theological heart that is directly shaped by and impacted by watching all of that, and working in all of that, as I came of age, he said. While I do not know much about Charlie Dates, it has becoming increasingly true that the higher you rise the harder you fall.. 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.. 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. Charlie Dates is the Senior Pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago, IL. He graduated with a PhD in historical theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Who will pay for the SBCs abuse reforms over the long term? 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. . Dates called him an Uncle Ruckus on twitter, which is a derogatory slur used to describe a black man that embraces the whiteness of society instead of resisting it. Photo courtesy of Progressive Baptist Church. 11,909 were here. . None of that is contingent upon Biblical Christianity (indeed, you say its not because of a sermon or book, meaning theology I assume). Senior Pastor at Progressive Baptist Church - Chicago . Our PBC Teens are highly engaged in biblical teaching and discussion on how to navigate a Christian life amongst their peers. What happend to your, well Jesus called the Pharisees wolves and a whole lot other mean words' defense (like when Trump called people sons of b*tches and a**holes)? With teary eyes, I just told them I hope that they accept my recommendation when that time comes. If, however, I fail to get the churches to see that our history serves our present and inspires our future, then Im in trouble. My response to the above is that that kind of filling of your personal needs, i.e. Who thinks a half a pastor can shepherd a full church adequately?. Would a right-wing famous pastor like Voddie Baucham or Rob Jeffress be able to get away with using racial slurs??? 1 is my itinerant ministry will take a reduction, and I will be present locally a lot more, which Im looking forward to. When did those who have yet to hire multiple Black or brown faculty at their seminaries assume ethical authority on the subject of systemic injustice? If we could look at the current moment and seize the opportunity to develop young people that God has laid his hand upon, then I think the best days of the church, in this critical culture, are in front of us. Nationally known pastor Rev. Photo courtesy of Charlie Dates. Brian I am more of a vision-casting, preaching, pastoral care pastor. 2023 ChurchLeaders.com, All rights reserved. If Charlie Dates indeed used a racial slur (just last year), that does call into fitness his ability to do any of the above. That is a concerning statement. Perspective by Charlie Dates. "We believe now that the time has come for us to step aside, for us to yield to new younger leadership," Meeks said. Dates also served on Salem's ministry team for a while before leaving in 2011 to serve as the leader of Progressive Baptist Church. If you have legal questions, attorneys will be available to help you at the legal clinic. Great! Return to homepage. My approach at Salem will be similar once I have learned again the way of the land. 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 want to see our church grow. To invite Dr. He was also on staff at Salem Baptist for five years as Meeks preaching assistant before becoming Progressives youngest-ever senior pastor at age 30. Were living in a time where so many young people are walking away from the church and where church attendance numbers are in the dumps. A religious liberty newsletter that is a must-read for people of faith. In all that, he can never be criticized within his ranks. Butand this is no secretfor years it stayed in the vein of its history. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? Both Meeks and Dates also have a connection to the Moody Bible Institute. We need new ideas. 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. In 2020, Dates, married with two children, was among a number of black Christian church leaders to cut ties with the Southern Baptist Convention over a statement from the denomination's Council of Seminary Presidents denouncing racism and critical race theory. Salem Baptist is one of several megachurches whose pastors are passing the baton. Do you know what I mean by ministering to me? In January 2023, Reverend Dates became the Senior Pastor of the Salem Baptist Church of Chicago. Pastor Charlie earned a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication and Rhetoric at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and both a Master of Divinity Degree and PhD at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School . Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. I left that conference feeling hopeful. Sign up now ! To them, a belief in a high view of Scripture must mean an adaptation of Republican politics and, with it, the dismissal of critical race theory and intersectionality because of a fear of liberalism. That said, our church has just as high a view (if not higher) of Scripture as any SBC church, but theirs is an inconsistent epistemology. Pastoral leadership is a storied pillar in both of these churches. Its kind of like a kid learning a language; when youre immersed in the language, no one has to tell you what words mean and what signals mean.. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Charlie Dates and Ralph D. West spoke out in response to a controversial statement released by seminary presidents. September 3, 2021 at 1:54 p.m. EDT. 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Its a sensitive time for both congregations, and I want to convey as they read this my love for both of them. If I idolized him, dont you think Id have followed him to his church YEARS ago when I first me him? On one hand, Progressive is what I would call progressively traditional, and Salem is traditionally progressive. You see many people who are guilty of holding onto positions too long, he says. Earlier this month, Saddleback Church co-founders Rick Warren and his wife, Kay, named Andy Wood of Echo.Church in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Stacie, as their successors, starting in September. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.