Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox! I just hate to see us automatically dismiss a pastor, church or ministry due to size. Butand this is no secretfor years it stayed in the vein of its history. Blessed to serve in the city in which he was born, Reverend Dr. Charlie E. Dates is Chicago through and through. Dates added that the transition will start in January 2023. Hi. (RNS) In 2018, something happened at the MLK50 Conference in Memphis, an event co-hosted by the Southern Baptist Conventions policy arm and The Gospel Coalition. No One Knows. 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. It is good that you were ministered to personally by your pastor. He also teaches at Wheaton College and has delivered chapel sermons at various institutions, including The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served three terms as an Illinois state senator, was chairman of the state board of education, and ran in Chicagos 2011 mayoral race. Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone by making a one-time donation today. Would you consider making a tax-deductible donation to help our journalists continue to report the truth and restore the church? Pastoral leadership is a storied pillar in both of these churches. After the neighborhood went dry, Walmart opened a store. Sign up now ! This was why I felt it safe to forge an alliance. Pastor Charlie Dates is the Senior Pastor of The Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois. Charlie Dates is the senior pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago and serves on the board of TCP. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Dateswho spoke at several national SBC events before and after deciding to affiliate with the denominationwrote that the statement was a final straw.. Thats their choice. 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. Pastor Charlie Dates speaks at Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago. Some worry that a systemic view of racism, where a person is considered privileged or disadvantaged in society because of their race, conflicts with Christian beliefs about forgiveness or people holding equal value before God. I respect the importance of Christian denominations, the accountability and resources they provide for the larger body. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month. 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. I plan to lead through leaders. 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. We need new opportunities," Meeks told his cheering congregation. I will admit to knowing very little about Charlie Dates, but what Gus Chiggins posted is extremely concerning. But in this instance, youre actually bothered (I guess Uncle Ruckus is what crosses your line, but not sons of b*ches or a**holes) AND questioning Charlie Datess salvation? I have, by the grace of God, the DNA of both churches.. Charlie is the senior pastor a Chicago's Progressive Baptist Church. Chicago has rich Black churches throughout the South and West sides, in particular. As CT reported in August, there werent signs of a trend of majority-black churches leaving in the most recent denomination report from 2018, though the rates of growth year-over-year had slowed after shooting up in the early 2000s. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. She loves the Word and words, is a binge reader and grammar nut, and is fanatic (as her family can attest) about Jeopardy! Stephanie Martin, a freelance writer and editor in Denver, has spent her entire 30-year journalism career in Christian publishing. 2023 ChurchLeaders.com, All rights reserved. After the retirement of its founder James Meeks, fellow South Side pastor Charlie Dates will become senior pastor of one of Chicagos biggest megachurches, Salem Baptist Church, returning to the ministry that shaped him as a kid and succeeding one of his greatest mentors in the faith. We need new opportunities. 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. Dr. Charlie Dates is widely invited to preach at churches, conferences and universities throughout the United States. 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. Meeks has led the African American congregation, now at nearly 10,000 members, since its founding in 1985. "It's time for Salem to move forward. 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. 99% of these megachurch icons and celebrities were nowhere near as righteous as Smith to start with, and only continue to deteriorate from that starting point, with time and fame. The Rev. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our. His wife Kirstie also followed up to pray with me and further encourage me. Preachers and teachers are there to instruct and shape us much like secular, academic teachers/professors. Charlie Dates is set to succeed Rev. As for me, I will always be grateful. When did the theological architects of American slavery develop the moral character to tell the church how it should discuss and discern racism? Charlie Dates and Ralph D. West spoke out in response to a controversial statement released by seminary presidents. 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. and Ph.D. at Trinity Evangelical Divinity . That was the last straw for Dates, he wrote in a column for Religion News Service. Its one thing to adore someone you dont have any personal relationship with. Something is lost when a pastor becomes distanced from 99% of his church. I want to be clear though, Im not saying Im the only Timothy he has, in the same way that Paul had others. 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.. But I do sense and feel that a lot of the progress that Ive been able to make in the pastorate is connected in some way to his tutelage, his leadership, and his spiritual fathering, so to speak. "We believe now that the time has come for us to step aside, for us to yield to new younger leadership," Meeks said. Dates teaches at several universities and seminaries, including Wheaton College, and is popular on the speaking circuit. To choose a successor Meeks says he and his wife, First Lady Jamell Meeks, prayed and fasted. Charlie Dates named successor to James Meeks at 10K-member Salem Baptist Church of Chicago. Neither am I saying that hes the only significant influence in my life. Many cannot even define what CRT is, he tweeted. 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 . "We can multiply that in evangelism, in discipleship, in educating our kids in reducing violence, shutting down liquor stores and opening up new opportunities to help rescue families and that's the church being the church.". Now we have 2 churches thinking only one particular man can lead them. We meet every second Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 9:00 am. So it is Biblical for a leader to have a large flock. . In the early discussion around the seminary presidents statement, which released last month, SBC president J. D. Greear recognized some of the issues with such emphasis on critical race theory (CRT) itself. From 2016 to 2019, too, I preached on the campuses of four of the SBC seminaries and had been invited to another. In 2011, at age 30, Rev. The beauty of this narrative is that the Lord, in his kindness and his grace, has taken pastors and churches to develop me. 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 Charlie Dates indeed used a racial slur (just last year), that does call into fitness his ability to do any of the above. A graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and adjunct at Baylor Universitys Truett Theological Seminary, West said he planned to withdraw from his current doctoral studies at Southwestern and will not associate with the SBC any longer. That is exactly what I am objecting to though the fact that there is no way he can minister to 11,000 people in the way that he ministered to you. In his June 19 sermon, he told congregants hes retiring as of January 15, 2023, and the Rev. I dont know why; perhaps thats an attitude YOU need to pray about. "Not only is he called, but he is qualified or educated. . But what a blessing to the members of both congregations. Welcome to the weekly podcast of Progressive Baptist Church with Pastor and Author, Dr. Charlie Dates. 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. These churches are a gift. The Social Justice Ministry is here to help through our Gospel Justice Center 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 info@progressivechicago.org. 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. 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. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. I just only pray he does not become spread too thin by leading two large churches. Charlie earned an M.Div. I want to say it is an honor to even be considered, let alone asked, to succeed the Reverend James T. Meeks. Charlie has also led Progressive in being a very put faith into action church here in the Chicago Black community. But you seem determined to dismiss or belittle it in some sort of attempt to insult the Dates and me. Dates holds a Bachelor's Degree in Speech Communication & Rhetoric from the University of Illinois - Champaign, Urbana, where he met his wife, Kirstie, who not only changed his life, but also elevated his approach to living. Our PBC Teens are highly engaged in biblical teaching and discussion on how to navigate a Christian life amongst their peers. Meeks, 65, founded Salem in 1985 and grew it from 200 to 10,000 members. A religious liberty newsletter that is a must-read for people of faith. In a video of the announcement, Meeks said after he and his wife fasted and prayed about the succession of the ministry, they felt confident in selecting Dates. Chicago Pastor James Meeks to Retire, Pass Baton to Rev. Do you have a birthday or anniversary next month? My relationship with him is dynamic. Every church that lives in the past is already anchoring itself in the graveyard of history. Brian 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. 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.. That was the message Sunday from the Rev. With no repentance of any kind and such bald-faced pride in his sin, it bears questioning whether Dates ever had a regenerative, salvific transformation in his heart to begin with. What other things do you want to highlight to your current and future congregations and the readers of CT? 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. Rev. @progressivechicago | @charliedates |. (Dr. Charlie Edward Dates is the senior pastor at Chicagos Progressive Baptist Church. I dont idolize Pastor Dates, nor is he my everything. Children are a gift from God. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. Their stand against racism rings hollow when in their next breath they reject theories that have been helpful in framing the problem of racism, he wrote, disappointed that the presidents would come together to speak out against it rather than turning their criticism toward other ills such a racism itself. Charlie Dates preaching at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2017. Thats the good ol boys club. He continued his education with a Master of Divinity and a PhD in Historical Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. I cant speak much about Salem Baptist Church (other than its known in the Black community here in Chicago due to its sheer size), but I do know Progressive. Through his passion for learning, living, and teaching the Gospel, Dr. Charlie serves as an Affiliate Professor at Baylor University- George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and Wheaton College. He and his wife, Kirstie, have two children. I wonder how many of them provide full time paychecks. 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. While I do not know much about Charlie Dates, it has becoming increasingly true that the higher you rise the harder you fall. 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. Who thinks a half a pastor can shepherd a full church adequately? Gleannings aggregates what others are reporting. Over the summer, Dates discussed with CT his frustration with the lack of diversity among SBCs recently appointed entity heads, all of whom are white men, and the inconsistent support for racial justice causes. Atlanta pastor John Onwuchekwa left the SBC over the summer due to concerns over its approach to racial issues. He is a contributing author to Letters To A Birmingham Jail and Say It: Celebrating Expository Preaching in the African American Tradition, and is currently working on his first single-authored book on Christianity and Social Justice. You talked a bit about both churches significance to Chicago. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. The head of the SBCs National African American Fellowship, which had raised concerns about the critical race theory statement a week ago, said he was saddened by the announcements. No. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Its no longer that waywe are very much in the community nowbut thats the way it was. They are happy to have a Black chapel speaker, the occasional conservative Black professor whose classes are not taken seriously or a Black employee who never bucks against their notions of superiority. As I prayed through it, Reverend Meeks and I wrestled with it, and he graciously affirmed my sense of discernment. The two churches will remain separate, and he plans on preaching two sermons each Sunday. It does not store any personal data. Dates graduated from Salem Baptists Christian school, which has since closed. Meeks serves on the Moody Bible Institute Trustee Board, and Dates has worked as an adjunct professor there. You sure seem ready to defend Trump and do the we dont know whats in his heart, only God knows if hes saved song and dance when it comes to explaining away Trumps lack of repentance or remorse for such language. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. In 2011, at age 30, he became the youngest Senior Pastor in Progressive's rich 99-year history. Sad, but not at all surprising. Dr. Charlie Dates . These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Mohler, to take one example, endorsed a philandering, racist president, thereby betraying his Black and brown Christian family. So he is going to pastor two large churches in addition to teaching at several colleges. Senior Pastor at Progressive Baptist Church - Chicago . I had to tell my church I was wrong. This workshop will cover everything from home buying basics to the most important step, funding and loan process. Ill tell you: abolition, the womens suffrage movement, the civil rights movement, a Black U.S. president who was initially against partial-birth abortion, non-white male faculty at their seminaries and now a theory that uncovers our nations de jure and de facto segregation. Its fair to say that I understand the dynamics of congregational leadership and development in both churches. But the church left in 2020 after SBC leaders rejected critical race theory en masse. and pro football. Shes ready to work. I left that conference feeling hopeful. James Meeks announced Sunday that Pastor Charlie Dates of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago will succeed him as leader of the 10,000-member Salem Baptist Church of Chicago when he steps out of the role in January 2023. They are ready to see their young adopt the very vestiges of hate that enslaved us in the name of Gods authoritative word. Progressive Baptist Church, a century-old historically Black congregation, was briefly part of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). I am on assignment to lead the church forward in Chicago. Meeks and his wife, Jamell, founded the church in 1985. SERVICE TIME 9:30 AM CST Watch Live "It's Alright to Cry"| Pastor Charlie Dates | Progressive Chicago Watch on Latest Sermon My response to the above is that that kind of filling of your personal needs, i.e. ), Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". To correct us from repeating errors and to inspire and to encourage us to pursue Gods great promise. Theres just no way you can pastor a church that big being involved in all of the details, right? It just isnt where God has me in this season of my life (yet). Dr. Charlie Dates will take his place. The SBCs power structure wants to maintain white dominance. Its time for Salem to move forward, he told his congregants. But the bones are good. 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. You see many people who are guilty of holding onto positions too long, he says. I just checked and you can still see the tweet for yourself, he refused to delete it. And Saddleback Church founder Rick Warren is retiring this September. Your daily news briefing from the editors of CT: After Chaos and Crisis, Beth Moore Still Finds Refuge in the Church, Christian Conservationists Sue to Protect Ghana Forest, I Was the Proverbial, Drug-Fueled Rock and Roller, Everything Everywhere All at Once and the Beautiful Mystery of Gods Silence. Great! Dates also is an affiliate professor at Baylor Universitys George W. Truett Theological Seminary in Texas and at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois, according to his bio. The congregation has grown into one of the largest black churches in the city. Wow, I never knew this, did TRR ever do an expose of this incident? 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. Photo courtesy of Charlie Dates. Progressive Baptist Church of Chicago | Chicago IL Dr. Charlie Dates became the youngest senior pastor at Progressive Baptist Church of Chicago in 2011 at age 30 and in January 2023, he became the senior pastor of the Salem Baptist Church of Chicago. Dates to speak at your next event, please complete the Speaker Request form. 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. With teary eyes, I just told them I hope that they accept my recommendation when that time comes. We are hosting our New Member Orientation known as 'Connection Institute.' Show Progressive Baptist Church Podcast, Ep Great Expectations | Joshua 14:6-15 | Pastor Bryan Carter - Jul 26, 2022 I would rather not compare them, only because I wouldnt want to say the wrong thing and have someone read it and judge my intent. Charlie served as an apprentice to Pastor K. Edward Copeland and started his formal, practical training at the New Zion Baptist Church of Rockford, Illinois. These have been disciple-making churches with an emphasis on Christian education. 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. The other thing is, in terms of preaching, I plan on preaching two services on Sunday morning: one at Progressive and one at Salem. Dates response to the controversy was that its not racist because its between black people. Now we have 2 churches thinking only one particular man can lead them. James Meeks next year as senior pastor of Salem Baptist Church one of Chicago's biggest megachurches. Charlie Dates serves as the senior pastor at Progressive Baptist Church and teaches at Moody Bible Institute as an adjunct professor. The 65-year-old has been a pastor for 42 years and said he feels like hes got 42 more years in me. But Meeks added hes learned from King Davids life when its time to come off the battlefield.. In a video posted Monday, Meeks called Dates the greatest preacher in our nation., The Bible says one man planteth and another man watereth, and God giveth the increase, he said in the video, with his wife Jamell Meeks, director of Salems womens ministries, at his side. 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. Progressive Baptist Church of Chicago, under the leadership of Charlie E. Dates, is a. 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. Rev. Its one thing to adore someone you dont have any personal relationship with. To be clear, the SBC has some longstanding, credible Black pastors in its tribe, and I dont mean the kind who are tokens or assimilators. Opinion: What is Revivaland is it Happening at Asbury? Ill be here every Sunday and through the week as I normally am, Dates said. 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. In 2011, he became the youngest senior pastor at Chicagos Progressive Baptist Church. 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. Rev. The statement on critical race theory and intersectionality has soiled that good faith.. 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? So for me, what attracted me was God. . The young people I met that week shocked me with the warmth and enthusiasm with which they embraced the subject matter. His decision came two days after West made a similar argument in a Baptist Standard op-ed. Susan Robinson is a 100-year-old Black woman and lifelong member of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago, where I am senior . 3658 SOUTH WENTWORTH AVENUE, CHICAGO, IL, 60609, 773-268-6048 | INFO@PROGRESSIVECHICAGO.ORG. 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. 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. Dates to speak at your next event, please complete the Speaker Request form. 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The mega church concept is already troublesome. He's trained to fight the giants that we're dealing with today. All the old leaders stay in place and dont open up and make room for new leadership. And God has blessed us with our own son as the churchs next pastor. Its important to highlight that this is not conventional. Could you describe your relationship with Meeks? 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. He teaches preaching at Wheaton College and serves as an Affiliate Professor of the Baylor University George W. Truett Theological Seminary and as Affiliate . Book your appointment here. What kind of repentance did he show and how has he made amends? On Dec. 1, all six of the SBC seminary presidents without one Black president or counter opinion among them told the world that a high view of Scripture necessarily required a corresponding and total rejection of critical race theory and intersectionality. (I cant imagine having NEVER met your pastor one-on-one). "Charlie is called, and I believe all ministry starts with a calling," Meeks said.
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