We meet every second Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 9:00 am. "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.". Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. And while we are kind of watching this great falling away, we dont have to merely watch it. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. 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. Meeks and his wife say they don't want to stand in the next generation's way. In January 2023, Reverend Dates became the Senior Pastor of the Salem Baptist Church of Chicago. That is absolutely a legitimate human need but I just dont see it as within the job description of a servant-leader of men in the Epistles. The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Not because of a sermon I heard from a distance or book that I read.. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. I think part of this is connected to what attracted me to Salem Baptist. Two things. I just checked and you can still see the tweet for yourself, he refused to delete it. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. SBC events and church planting have grown more diverse over the past decade as leaders made a concerted effort to feature and invest in non-Anglo pastors. 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. Mohler, to take one example, endorsed a philandering, racist president, thereby betraying his Black and brown Christian family. If you sense the malaise around Christian denominations, then you already yearn for a new vision and a new standard. I just hate to see us automatically dismiss a pastor, church or ministry due to size. And God has blessed us with our own son as the churchs next pastor. I ADORE Charlie Dates. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of "Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse" by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. Dates explained he saw rejecting CRT as part of a continuing heritage of dangerous conservatism.. Meeks, who plans to stay involved with Hope of House, Salems philanthropic organization, is one of the latest longtime U.S. church leaders to step down. Progressive Baptist Church is part of the Organizations industry, and located in Illinois, United States. 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. Pretty sure there were no consequences whatsoever for him over it. They both, in that regard, have a history of absolutely incredible pastors. I had to tell my church I was wrong. I had to fight all of my flesh not to just walk away. Nationally known pastor Rev. And I recognize that. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. That was the message Sunday from the Rev. Progressive is a church of five generations. No. They are ready to see their young adopt the very vestiges of hate that enslaved us in the name of Gods authoritative word. 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. Our city and our nation need the black church to be her best and brightest self and now is the time for churches to be strong," he said. Progressive was around WAY before Charlie Dates; it was not founded or based on his teachings alone. To invite Dr. Charlie Dates is pastor of the Progressive Baptist Church of Chicago. "It's time for Salem to move forward. From 2016 to 2019, too, I preached on the campuses of four of the SBC seminaries and had been invited to another. 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. Legal Clinic The Social Justice Ministry is here to help through our Gospel Justice Center Legal Clinic. While I do not know much about Charlie Dates, it has becoming increasingly true that the higher you rise the harder you fall. The congregation has grown into one of the largest black churches in the city. All rights reserved. The beauty of this narrative is that the Lord, in his kindness and his grace, has taken pastors and churches to develop me. Its not making me feel good; warm and fuzzy. If you have legal questions, attorneys will be available to help you at the legal clinic. How has God moved and worked in ones life? Before his call to Progressive, he served as an apprentice pastor at New Zion Baptist Church in Rockford, Illinois, and as a pastor at Salem Baptist Church in Chicago. Atlanta pastor John Onwuchekwa left the SBC over the summer due to concerns over its approach to racial issues. Chicago needs the Black church to be her best and brightest self. Now we have 2 churches thinking only one particular man can lead them. He is married to Kirstie Dates and is the proud father of their children, Charlie Edward Dates II & Claire Dates. In all that, he can never be criticized within his ranks. Charlie Dates is the senior pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago and serves on the board of TCP. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Dates teaches at several universities and seminaries, including Wheaton College, and is popular on the speaking circuit. We need new opportunities," Meeks told his cheering congregation. After 11 years at Progressive and watching more than 1,000 people join that church in that time, its fair to say that I carry the DNA of both churches. 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He announced in June that he will give his last sermon on January 8, 2023. His wife Kirstie also followed up to pray with me and further encourage me. We want to see our church grow. When we make one man or woman our everything, bad things are bound to happen. For the second time in two days, a prominent Black pastor has publicly quit the Southern Baptist Convention over its seminary presidents' campaign against Critical Race Theory. James Meeks next year as senior pastor of Salem Baptist Churchone of Chicagos biggest megachurches. Both have spoken at Moodys annual Founders Week conferences. Charlie Dates Has Led Progressive Baptist To choose a successor Meeks says he and his wife, First Lady Jamell Meeks, prayed and fasted. He also teaches at Wheaton College and has delivered chapel sermons at various institutions, including The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Since then, conservative groups have been more vocal about what they see as an embrace of critical race theory and secular thinking by seminaries and denominational leaders, with the newly formed Conservative Baptist Network being among the most vocal opponents. Every church that lives in the past is already anchoring itself in the graveyard of history. Religion News Service reported that Fred Luter, the only black SBC president, signed on in agreement. Feel free to watch our services online! Another thing is I dont think this dual assignment is in perpetuity. Ill become senior pastor of both the Salem Baptist Church of Chicago and remain that at Progressive.. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our. I just only pray he does not become spread too thin by leading two large churches. In a video message to Progressive, Dates said the two churches will stay distinct, though hell pastor them both. 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. . But what a blessing to the members of both congregations. The average member was around before Charlie (hes been there ~10 years) and knows hes not the only one who can lead them. Its one thing to adore someone you dont have any personal relationship with. And if you have a testimony of the amazing things God is doing in your life through our ministry, please email it to info@progressivechicago.org. We want to celebrate YOU. What other things do you want to highlight to your current and future congregations and the readers of CT? Dr. Charlie Dates . I dont come out of thin air to either church; you can trace my lineage. 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. On one hand, the legacy has to continue. But there are others who sit close to power within the SBC and who are silent against the racism that plagues their own congregations. . How do Salem Baptist and Progressive Baptist compare, and what makes you a fit for both congregations at this moment? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The two pastors brought up recognizing the reality of systemic racism alongside the truth and authority of Scripture. Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. 1 is my itinerant ministry will take a reduction, and I will be present locally a lot more, which Im looking forward to. Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are preferred. Do you know what I mean by ministering to me? For questions or to reach his office, please email booking@progressivechicago.org. Chicago has rich Black churches throughout the South and West sides, in particular. Book your appointment here. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. While continuing to lead Progressive Baptist, the 41-year-old pastor was named the successor to James Meeks at Salem Baptist Church, one of the citys biggest congregations. Dates response to the controversy was that its not racist because its between black people. Both of them have produced some stalwart Christian leaders and teachers. In accepting the role, Dates said he sees Salem Baptist Church of Chicago as a global church. In 2011, at age 30, he became the youngest Senior Pastor in Progressive's rich 99-year history. Its more than just Progressive and Salem. Dates, 41, is senior pastor of Progressive Baptist Churcha position hell keep, despite assuming the pastorate at Salem. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Charlie is the senior pastor a Chicago's Progressive Baptist Church. Dr. Charlie Dates will take his place. So Im not in a position to speak on that. Rev. We are hosting our New Member Orientation known as 'Connection Institute.' Thats the old SBC. It's to multiply in every generation and right now the church in Chicago needs fresh dynamic trained Gospel fire leaders. 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. The resistance, especially from some of our elderly membership, was swift and sincere. If tons and tons of people love them and how they make them feel thats pretty much a sign that they are doing the *opposite* of the Great Commission. No one knows. What kind of repentance did he show and how has he made amends? Cancel culture is wrong but shouldnt we have heard something about it at least? - Charlie Dates, pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago, a church aligned with the Progressive National Baptist Convention, a mostly Black denomination, and also with the Illinois Baptist State Association, which is an SBC affiliate. He announced Sunday he'll preach his last sermon to the 10,000-member church on January 8, 2023.