Mac Brunson, pastor of Green Street Church in High Point, and Jack Causey, pastor of Statesville's First Church, spoke during a two-hour meeting of the Conservative Carolina Baptists (CCB) at Greensboro's Eller Memorial Church.

Brunson is considered the conservative candidate, while Causey is more closely aligned with moderates. The CCB meeting is likely to be the only joint appearance by the candidates before the election at the BSC annual meeting Nov. 11.

In opening statements, Causey gave his testimony and said he would like to see the BSC emphasize partnership missions; evangelism, especially to internationals; expanded ministries, such as halfway houses for drug addicts; and a restructuring of the General Board staff to meet the demands of churches.

"I dream of a day when we might be able to lay aside labels that we've had far too long," he said. "I would dream of a day when we might be able to stop being judgmental of each other."

Brunson"s statement of his vision for the BSC was similar to a sermon. He used a passage in 1 Chronicles 12 to say that the BSC should get back to the core value of reaching people for Christ, have a willingness to take risks and have balance.

He said that since a moderate is likely to be elected president of the General Board, a conservative is needed as president of the BSC to provide balance.

Brunson said giving and baptisms are up in the state over the last two years because the balance between BSC President Greg Mathis, a conservative, and General Board President Mike Queen, a moderate.

During a question and answer period, several people asked Brunson why conservatives should cooperate with moderates. Questions for Causey focused on his church's support of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), a group that formed in 1991 as a missions and ministry alternative to the conservative-dominated Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).

Someone asked Brunson how conservatives could be asked to "join hands" with moderates and "liberals" who ordain women as pastors or deacons.

"As a pastor, if 51 percent of my people decide to ordain a woman as a deacon, what am I going to do?" Brunson said. "The church is autonomous."

"How do we cooperate with people who deny the Jesus of the Bible?" one person asked Brunson. "I know there are people like that who deny the bodily resurrection and the virgin birth and they're probably not involved in much anyway," Brunson said, adding that he and Causey probably agree on these issues. Causey agreed.

"I can honestly say I do not know anybody who would deny what you've been talking about," he said. "I think Mac and I agree on those fundamentals of our faith, and I believe the overwhelming majority of N.C. Baptists believe in those fundamentals of faith."

In response to a question, Brunson said he is an inerrantist who believes in the verbal, plenary inspiration of scripture. He said he opposes abortion. He said several homosexuals worship at his church, but know his position that the homosexual lifestyle is a sin as adultery and stealing are sins.

Causey said he believes in "the inerrancy of the truth of the message of the word of God" and the Baptist Faith and Message's stance on the inspiration of scripture. He agreed with Brunson's stand on abortion and homosexuality.

Someone told Brunson that he wouldn't have a chance to be elected president if it weren't for the "conflict" between conservatives and moderates. The person asked Brunson what he thought the controversy was over if not "core values."

Brunson said he agreed with the speaker, adding that he believed in the inerrancy of scripture. "I think we've made our point about scripture," he said. "I think everyone knows where we stand." Brunson said the BSC needs to get back to its core value ã reaching people for Jesus Christ.

"We've spent so much time debating and arguing things that do not matter to people outside the walls of the church," he said. "We've nearly lost an entire generation while we've fussed about things that don't get people into heaven or out of hell."

Brunson said the BSC's core value is not politics. "We're living in a day when conventions are dying, and if we don't get back to our core value, it won't make a hootenanny who runs this thing," he said.

Brunson said he learned something from his service on the Committee of 20, a group which included 10 conservative pastors and 10 moderate pastors.

"It taught me there are some guys on the other side just as interested in reaching people for Christ as the guys that are on our side," he said.

Brunson said he is comfortable with some moderates, including Causey; Mike Queen, president of the BSC General Board and pastor of First Church in Wilmington; David Hughes, pastor of First Church in Winston-Salem; and Ed Beddingfield, pastor of Sylva's First Church.

"I believe what Ed tells me because he's not going to let moderates push him around and he's not going to let conservatives push him around," Brunson said. "He's going to speak his mind."

A few minutes later, someone accused the Biblical Recorder of having a "liberal bias" and asked the candidates if they supported increasing or decreasing funding for the paper.

Brunson said he wanted to wait to see the report from a committee studying the paper. Beddingfield is chair of a committee formed to study the declining circulation of the Biblical Recorder.

Beddingfield told the General Board on Oct. 1 that the decline is a result of changes in the reading habits of society, tighter finances in churches and the controversy between conservatives and moderates.

Causey said he understood that some people have concerns about the paper, but he said the paper has to function like a business. He pointed out that Allan Blume, who is a candidate for BSC second vice president and executive vice president and treasurer of CCB, had said earlier in the meeting that the CCB's newspaper, the Conservative Record, was bringing in $2,500 a month and spending $5,000 a month.

The Conservative Record does not have subscriptions, Blume said. It is distributed free to a mailing list compiled by CCB.

Causey said he supported increased financing for the Biblical Recorder if it is needed for the paper to continue publishing.

Later in the meeting, someone else accused the Biblical Recorder of being slanted.

"This thing is nothing but a constant slam, really, against conservatives," he said. "If it's not that, then it's a glorification of CBF."

"I have to be honest with you, a number of moderates have made the same observation to me," Brunson said. Someone asked Causey why his church gave half its Cooperative Program gifts to CBF and half to SBC. "Our position is we see missions being done by both those groups," Causey said. "We don't see ourselves as pulling away from the SBC."

Causey said his church didn't see the CBF as competing with the SBC. He said the CBF owns a "missions delivery organization," but is not a convention.

Brunson said his focus is on his church.

"If Jack wants to reach people for Jesus Christ, and I'm convinced he does, I don't have any problem working with him," Brunson said. "Now what his church does with their money, like I said, that's none of my business to begin with."

C. Mark Corts, pastor of Calvary Church in Winston-Salem, asked candidates their positions on adding a fourth plan of giving to the BSC. He suggested a plan that would allow churches to give half their money to the BSC and half to the SBC.

Under all three present plans, the BSC receives 68 percent of the money.

Corts said his church sends half its money to the BSC and half to the SBC now, but only the portion that goes to the BSC is counted as Cooperative Program giving, he said.

Corts said people from his church were upset when the BSC defeated a motion in 1994 that would have reaffirmed its relationship to the SBC. He said that decision cost the BSC $300,000 in money that Calvary sent to the SBC that year and more since then.

Causey said he thought money sent to the SBC would be counted as Cooperative Program gifts. He said if it's a problem, then it should be rectified.

Funds sent directly to the SBC are classified as Cooperative Program gifts by the SBC, but not by the BSC. Brunson agreed with Causey's comment.

"It's hard for me to believe an inequity like that exists," he said.

Candidates Mac Brunson (left) and Jack Causey (right) talk after a meeting of the Conservative Carolina Baptists on Oct. 20 in Greensboro.