In my church it is a group effort through the deacons and in some cases every member of the entire body of the church has a vote on the direction of the individual church within the boundaries of the Bible and whether or not to accept guidance from an outside association such as the SBC. No one man directs the workings of our church. If our pastor starts preaching on things outside the Word and the deacons/members vote on it he can be dismissed unlike the Pope. No one person should hold that authority over congregates. If the SBC comes out with a doctrine we do not like as a church we can leave the SBC.
No one man directs the workings of our church. If our pastor starts preaching on things outside the Word and the deacons/members vote on it he can be dismissed unlike the Pope.
If I wanted democracy, I'd start a country. If I wanted Truth, I'd build it on a system where the Truth does not change by popular vote.
The heart of the issue, is that you do not trust that the SBC is guided by the Holy Spirit, otherwise, you wouldn't have provisions that allow you to "dismiss" or "leave", as a church. It's similar to a prenuptial agreement. Why bother getting married if you're already prepared for a divorce?