Posted on 05/18/2006 9:12:48 AM PDT by NYer
COVINA, May 17 (UPI) — Leaders of the American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest have left the denomination, primarily over its handling of homosexuality.
The region's board of directors unanimously affirmed late last week an earlier recommendation to withdraw from its "Covenant of Relationships and Agreements" with the American Baptist Churches USA, Associated Baptist Press reported Wednesday.
The national denomination, which has its origins in a Civil War-era split from what is now the Southern Baptist Convention, is based in Valley Forge, Pa.
"God's heart is broken when sisters and brothers in Christ divide over matters of scriptural interpretation. We pray God's blessing on PSW as they go their way from the ABC family," said Roy Medley, the denomination's general secretary, according to American Baptist News Service. He also said "this parting of the ways will not diminish our passion, commitment and undaunted spirit to move forward in mission and ministry."
The latest decision ratifies an April 29 "straw poll" vote of delegates from the region's churches. In that vote, held at First Baptist Church in Pomona, Calif., and other locations around the region, members representing congregations voted 1,125-209 to terminate the covenant. In American Baptist polity, such covenants are important written agreements that bind the region with the national body.
The region's executive minister, Dale Salico, said in a May 12 press release that such an "overwhelming response" indicated a "mandate" from the vast majority of the region's American Baptists. The release also noted that 152 of the region's 250 eligible churches participated in the vote.
The region's board of directors, in initially recommending the severance, released a statement saying they made the recommendation because "deep differences of theological convictions and values between the American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest (ABCPSW) and the American Baptist Churches in the USA (ABCUSA) are understood by the board of directors of the ABCPSW as irreconcilable."
Most of the "irreconcilable" differences seemed to focus on the way the denomination, with approximately 1.5 million members in more than 5,800 churches, relates to "gay-friendly" ministers and congregations. Even though American Baptist leaders approved a 1992 resolution opposing homosexual conduct, some ABC conservatives have asserted the wording and the enforcement of the motion on denominational agencies and personnel are not strong enough.
An August 2005 vote by the ABC-USA Ministers' Council particularly riled conservatives in the denomination. In it, the ministers defeated a proposed amendment that would have required members of the organization to be ministers who believe "sexual intimacy is only appropriate in the context of heterosexual marriage."
Progressive and centrist American Baptists, meanwhile, have tried to defend what they see as traditional Baptist stances on congregational autonomy and individual conscience in opposing the ouster of pro-gay churches and leaders.
The region's churches still have to decide individually whether to sever their relationships with the national denomination. A new group, called the Association of American Baptists in the Pacific Southwest, has established itself to coordinate the work of churches that choose to stay in the denomination. The group's Web site says it will work with the Los Angeles Baptist City Society, a local association of American Baptist churches.
In the meantime, according to the departed region's website, American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest will change its name to Transformation Ministries, which the site describes as "a movement of Baptist churches committed to change their worlds for Christ."
Yes -I have yet to muddle my way through the SBC issue. I will read through the thread discussion and see what clicks...
One of the qualifications dictated to Elders in the early first century church stipulated that they have to *desire* the role of leadership. No one should be a leader who doesnt want to be. The military knows this well.
The Southern Baptist Convention left this group of national Baptists a long time ago, over the issue of slavery.
The Southern Baptists actually read their Bible, and the Bible does not condemn slavery. Therefore, the Southern Baptists had enough preaching from their Yankee counterparts, and they split from the national group around the Civil War time.
bookmark
I think its because there once was only one "baptist convention"...they split
"We have thrown out two churches in the last year that insisted on including homos in their leadership."
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Following the LORD isn't always easy, but it's the right thing to do!
Amen to all that.
"The ABC is kinda the opposite of the SBC in that it was the liberals in charge and the conservatives who left. We will see how well each grows in the next few years."
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I think we all know how that will turn out.
The fastest growing churches today are the most BIBLE centered churches, if that makes us conservatives so be it.
It wasn't hard. We drew the line a long time ago and they elected to cross it. Gone.
AMEN!
"The Autonomy of the Local SB Church is one
of the many reasons I am and will be a SB."
Yessir!
Me, too.
And, no amount of spin, or "interpretation",
will make homosexuality A-OK with the Lord.
Thank you for the ping.
There are many different Baptists, and I don't think the SBC is a part of this covenant. Whatever the case, be assured that the SBC is completely orthodox on homosexual conduct as sinful, and marriage being between a man and woman only.
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