“The pastor should have said, “Guess what, folks: we have a new tradition! Anyone who attends this church can get married here!””
Most Baptist Pastors serve at the pleasure of the Board of Elders. They typically live in church owned parsonage. The pastor is hostage to the whims of the church leadership.
Oh, then I can see that’s being a problem for the pastor.
Maybe other posters are right about there being more to the story. For instance, if the church building is a desirable historic venue, the congregation should be within their rights to say, “We only hold weddings for church members.” However, an earlier article I read said the couple attended the church.
Most Baptist don’t have Elders, have Deacons. The pastor is still in charge. I attended one of the largest Baptist churches in the country. The pastor said that people of any color were welcome to worship and if someone didn’t like it they could go elsewhere.
you mean that this was the will of the congregation in that Baptist place?