NEWS STORY: American Baptists Struggling With Gay Issue

c. 2000 Religion News Service (UNDATED) A regional body of the American Baptist Churches USA has voted to restructure itself, in large part because it is so divided on the issue of homosexuality. During its recent biennial meeting in Salt Lake City, delegates of the American Baptist Churches of the Northwest voted “with deep regret” […]

c. 2000 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) A regional body of the American Baptist Churches USA has voted to restructure itself, in large part because it is so divided on the issue of homosexuality.

During its recent biennial meeting in Salt Lake City, delegates of the American Baptist Churches of the Northwest voted “with deep regret” to begin a process to determine how it can be reformulated to meet the needs of congregations and individuals who differ over controversial aspects of theology and sexuality.


The move, decided on May 20, was approved by a wide margin, 184-46.

The decision came on the recommendation of a mediation group that met in March and determined restructuring was necessary.

“The mediation group felt that the region as it is now composed … cannot exist in that form because the differences on homosexuality cause such tensions that we cannot function as one,” said the Rev. Paul D. Aita, executive minister of the Kent, Wash.-based regional group.

“Restructuring means very possibly dividing into two or more regions.”

The American Baptist Churches of the Northwest currently includes about 200 congregations in Washington, Idaho, Montana and Utah, and one each in Oregon and Nevada.

Aita expects the regional body to be “radically different” after the two-year process and said its final new look could be complicated by financial, legal and denominational implications.

But the divisions over not only homosexuality but the authority of Scripture and the autonomy of churches have brought them to this point, Aita and others in the regional body said.

“We realize that we are in a troubled marriage and if we’re going to have a divorce, we’d like to do everything we can to have an amicable divorce,” he said.

At the same meeting, a proposal to dismiss member congregations that are members of any group that “affirms the practice of homosexuality as being consistent with Christian teaching,” was defeated. The vote was 161 in favor and 92 opposed, falling short of a required two-thirds vote of those present and voting.


The Rev. Jim Steiner, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Boise, Idaho, was disappointed his proposed amendment to the bylaws did not pass but said the regional group must now move on to the new process.

“As a matter of peace, there is a place where one has to just recognize that we just can’t live life together and continue … with the same mission and message,” he said. “We just do not believe that we have the same mission and message as well as a general understanding of (what) scriptural authority means.”

Steiner was part of the mediation process that failed to produce any other alternative.

“We were trying to find a better way and we were not able to find a better way other than reorganizing, which is a fancy way of saying, `We’re going to have a split but let’s plan it,”’ he said.

Two Seattle congregations that are members of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists would have had to choose between affiliating with that group and being part of the regional body if Steiner’s proposal had passed.

The Rev. Rodney Romney, pastor of Seattle First Baptist Church, one of the congregations that could have been dismissed, said he was glad the proposed amendment to the regional group’s bylaws failed. But he thinks it’s unfortunate the group of Northwestern churches has reached a point where it must restructure.

“I’m a bit sorry that we can’t live with our diversity and allow churches to create their own mission and ministry,” he said. “It’s too bad that we have to come to that.”


The Rev. Tim Phillips, co-pastor of University Baptist Church of Seattle _ the other church that would have been affected by the failed proposal _ said he hopes the reconfiguration will be an example to others within and outside the denomination that are grappling with these issues.

“Baptists are notorious for these fights where we split up and go our own ways,” Phillips said. “The intention on all sides of this is that we’re going to do better. However the configuration turns out, we’re going to do it in such a way that we are clear with one another and the world that this is not yet one more attempt of Christians to get their own way and therefore beat up on each other.”

The decision by the Northwestern group comes six months after the denomination’s General Board decided to amend its previous decision that would have ousted four California churches from the denomination. They had been dismissed by the American Baptist Churches of the West for welcoming gays and lesbians.

In November, the General Board postponed the date of the termination of the denominational status for each church to June 30, 2001, giving them time to affiliate with another regional group and maintain their affiliation with the national body.

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