Revealed: Motions to remove two churches from Baptist Association

Motions to remove Hamilton and Canbera Baptist churches from the NSW/ACT Baptist Association have been reccomended by the Assembly (church parliament) Council. The Baptists’ Assembly will meet to vote on May 2 and 3, voting on the Saturday as Australia also conducts a poll.

“Over the last few years we have moved through a discernment process as an Association surrounding Affiliation, Baptist Values and Marriage,” according to an Assembly Council statement: “This culminated in decisions taken at our 2024 Annual Assembly. That Assembly approved (by an 84% majority) a process for engaging with churches who appear not to support the Association’s position statement on marriage.

“This decision was the outworking of significant thought, prayer and discussion across our movement.”

A four-step process adopted by the Baptists involves engaging with churches to explore and clarify their position on marriage. The Association’s Position Statement on Marriage supports traditional 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.”

The AC cites responses: ““Hamilton Baptist is clear that it cannot as a matter of both conscience and justice support either the process by which the Assembly formed a Position Statement on Marriage or the wording of the statement itself, which it sees will marginalise individuals from the church and cause damage and distress.”

Canberra’s position summarised in the assembly report: “a. CBC does not have a collective position on marriage. Over a six-year period, the church has come to the view that individuals are free before God to arrive at their own position, of which same-sex marriage is one.
b. Same-sex marriages can be conducted within the church. It was noted that this has not yet occurred but could.
c. Same-sex married people are welcomed into any role in the life of the church..”

In the latest step in their process, the Assembly Council has recommended the removal of the two churches. The Assembly motions for the two Churches mirror each other:

“That in the light of
a. The decisions of the 2024 Annual Assembly to approve the Process for Churches with regard to Affiliation, Baptist Values and Marriage,
b. The provisions of Section 17 of the Association’s Constitution regarding the affiliation of churches,
c. The discussions between Hamilton Baptist Church and Assembly Council regarding the church’s position on marriage, and
d. Assembly Council’s conclusion that Hamilton Baptist Church has reached a clear and settled position that it is non-supportive of the Association’s Position Statement on Marriage, the affiliation of Hamilton Baptist Church with the NSW & ACT Baptist Association be removed, effective from the conclusion of this Assembly meeting.“

The Assembly Council (AC) wishes to focus the debate on the process. “AC will outline the motion regarding Hamilton Baptist Church, and then as per the agreed Process, the church will have opportunity to respond. The motion will then be put and seconded, and some time will be given for clarifying questions or comments from the floor.
“It should be noted that only comments that are made respectfully and graciously are acceptable. It should also be noted that persons wishing to speak to the motion will be required to focus their comments only on the motion being brought to this Assembly. This will not be an opportunity to further canvas matters that have been resolved in previous assemblies with respect to Baptist Values, Affiliation and Marriage.”

The Churches respond

Responses from the two churches are included as appendices in the Assembly report.

An excerpt from a statement from Hamilton by Andrew Dodd and Scott Higgins: “In recent years we have had gay, lesbian and transgender people become part of our congregation. They are much loved and valued members of our church. As we heard their stories, we recognised the need to grapple with questions around sexuality, gender, and marriage. As a church, we met on a number of occasions to listen to our gay, lesbian and transgender member’s experiences of God, faith and the church; to consider the biblical and theological arguments for and against a broadening of the Christian tradition on marriage; and to reflect on the pastoral and missiological impacts of the stance our church might take….

“We are concerned that HBC has never been offered an opportunity to defend its reading of Scripture to the Assembly. Neither has the Assembly devoted any time or resources to considering the biblical and theological arguments for and against a broadening of the Christian tradition on marriage and the pastoral and missiological impacts of the Association’s position.”

An excerpt from a Canberra statement endorsed unanimously by a church meeting: “Marriage is a matter of individual conscience on which Christians seeking God’s mind in good faith can reach different conclusions. Accordingly, we welcome people in de facto relationships, who have decided, in good conscience, on a different form of marriage. We welcome people in same sex relationships who have decided, in good conscience, to marry. We welcome people who are divorced and people who are single. We believe that the Good News of Jesus is for all people without qualification, and we are deeply committed to creating a community of genuine welcome.

“Canberra Baptist Church values, supports and affirms our LGBTQI+ siblings in Christ and others who are excluded or harmed by the NSW and ACT Baptist Association’s Position Statement. We believe, to quote Acts 10:47, that ‘these people… have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’

“We invite and encourage them to share fully in the life of our community.”

Image: Morling College, the site for Assembly 2025. Image credit: Skheme