The weekend the NSW and ACT Baptists hold their “Gathering” which will vote on affirming traditional marriage as the “Position Statement” of their denomination and requiring churches and ministers to affirm their support of it.
The Gathering will be held at eight venues with Toongabbie Baptist as the main venue, tomorrow. The meeting is for voting and non-voting delegates only representing the 43,000 Baptists in NSW and the ACT..
In 2019 five churches – Newtown Baptist Church, Wollongong Baptist Church, Castle Hill Baptist Church, Campbelltown Baptist Church and Chatswood Baptist Church proposed that a “church [that] continues to reject our foundational beliefs, objects and values” be removed from the NSW & ACT Baptist Association.
Last year an Assembly meeting passed two motions asking the Assembly Council to bring recommendations about requirements for church affiliation and for ministers to re-affirm the “basic doctrines, objects and values of the Association”
The first substantive motion is for the Baptist Association to adopt a position on marriage: “Marriage is a covenant relationship ordained by God as a lifelong faithful union of one man and one woman. Sexual intimacy outside such a marriage relationship is incompatible with God’s intention for us as his people”.
Following motions will add a clause on Position Statements to the constitution, and require all of the association’s 350 churches and ministers to “support the Association’s Position on Marriage”
Alongside this Position Statement on marriage, are two proposed position statements on the autonomy of the local church, and “healthy association” that “Baptist churches usually choose to associate together to mutually discern the mind of Christ.”
Churches will be required to “confirm support for the Association’s Basic Doctrines, Position Statements, Objects and Values” every five years. Churches that fail to do so would exit the association.
Ministers will also have to confirm their support of the “Basic Doctrines, Position Statements, Objects and Values” every five years. (A category of unaccredited ministers – where a church has appointed a minister not accredited by the association would have to support these standards in order to attend the assembly as a minister.)
Saturday’s Assembly will consider a series of 22 motions, starting with one that requires a two-thirds vote for the rest of them
A statement from the Assembly Council says of the marriage motion “The Council regards this as responding out of necessity to what has become a very significant social issue for discussion in the wider community and within the church, rather than an ‘elevation’ of this particular issue above other matters of discipleship practice.”
Baptists emphasise the autonomy of each local church and a key argument against passing the marriage motion and church affiliation requirements and the rules for ministers is simply that churches should be free to set their own position on marriage.
Victorian blogger/pastor Scott Pilgrim his posted an autonomy argument, using the example of women in leadership. “If we take the issue of women in leadership in Baptist churches, I am fully committed to fostering the leadership of women in all ministry roles and functions across our movement. But some colleagues and local churches see the need to place limitations on the roles women can fulfil in their churches. I see a need to advocate strongly on this matter and so I will disagree with those who share a different view. But I respect their right to hold their view and with grace and respect, and with the valuing of autonomy and association, we can find many other ways to still share in mission together. “
If NSW and ACT Baptist Assembly votes for the man-woman marriage position statement, and require churches and ministers to support it, it will open up a clear difference with the baptisyt union of victoria which has a number of LGBTQIA min iters – in the recognised minister role, and several affirming (pro same-sex marriage) churches.
NSW Motions passed in 2021:
Motion 1
That assembly affirm in principle that continued support for the basic doctrines, objects and core values of the association should be an ongoing requirement for affiliation, and request that assembly council bring to a future assembly recommendations on (1) any constitutional amendments necessary to make that explicit, (2) a process for churches to give periodic reaffirmation of the basic doctrines, objects, and core values (no less frequently than 5 yearly), (3) a suitable process to apply section 17.5(a) of the constitution in circumstances where a church no longer meets such requirements.
Motion 2
Assembly affirms that accredited ministers are required to subscribe to the basic doctrines, objects and values of the Association as defined in the constitution and requests that Assembly Council bring to the next Ordinary Assembly a proposal to require annual confirmation of this as part of Continuing Ministerial Development.
After last year’s assembly Steve Bartlett, Director of Ministries explained that the meeting was about more than traditional marriage.
“The motions reflect a desire to build on our unity that exists in the midst of diversity within the churches across the Baptist movement,” Bartlett said. “Discussion around who we are and how we express our interdependence is important for the ongoing vitality of our movement as we continue to pursue our Gen1K Vision.
Gen 1K is an adventurous church planting vision for the NSW Baptists to greatly grow their movement. It has already born fruit, and is one of the main planting efforts by an Australian denomination.
The incision debate within the baptist occurs as Church of England bishops have begun to make statements for and against same-sex marriage, blessing civil marriages of same-sex partners, and non-celibate same-sex ministers. At the end of a five-year process called Living in Life and faith the Church’s bishops are considering whether to bring proposals for change to the General Synod (church parliament) next February.
Parallel structures, similar to Australia’s Diocese of the Southern Cross, for ministers and churches who want to maintain a conservative view of marriage have been set up in Britain, with missionary bishops consecrated earlier this month.
The Other Cheek has reported on outspoken conservatives being removed from ministry in the Uniting church. Some of these ex UCA conservatives are actively considering joining the Diocese of the Southern Cross.