BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (BP)–In a special called meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention Executive Board May 30, board members voted unanimously to “dissolve” its relationship with Glendale Baptist Church in Nashville.
The Baptist and Reflector, the official newsjournal of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, reported Jan. 29 that Glendale had called a lesbian minister (April Baker) as associate pastor with responsibilities related primarily to children and families in May 2002.
The special meeting was called specifically to address the Glendale matter. No other business was discussed.
In presenting the recommendation from the Executive Board, Executive Committee chairman Jack Robinson of Forest Hills Baptist Church in Nashville noted it had been passed unanimously by the committee and that Glendale Baptist Church was in agreement with the wording of the recommendation.
The recommendation read:
“In light of our different visions of faith and practice, and after much prayer and dialogue with the leadership of Glendale Baptist Church, the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention acts to dissolve its relationship with Glendale Baptist Church.”
Executive Board President Laurann Whetham of Corryton (Tenn.) Baptist Church shared the journey that led to the called meeting. She told board members that after learning of Glendale’s action in January she realized “with a sinking feeling that this was an issue which I, as Executive Board president, would probably have to deal with in some way or another.”
Whetham referred to a statement by TBC Executive Director James Porch in the Jan. 29 article about Glendale’s action:
“According to Baptist polity, each Baptist church is autonomous. Accordingly, decisions by Baptist churches are entirely autonomous actions. A church’s decision, however, to employ a staff member whose sexual orientation is contrary to biblical teaching would not be in harmony with the principles of the Tennessee Baptist Convention.”
Earlier this spring Whetham appointed a special subcommittee to address the Glendale issue. The members included TBC President Ronnie Wilburn of Memphis; Donna Cardwell, Nashville; Leonard Markham, Hendersonville; James Viar, Cookeville; Tonda Strong, Kingsport; Mike Boyd, Knoxville; and William Seale, Morristown. Whetham also appointed two past presidents of the Executive Board (Paul Durham of Nashville and Michael Smith of Murfreesboro) to serve as consultants.
“Throughout this whole experience together, these committee members and consultants have grappled with the difficult questions that arise when dealing with ideas and behaviors that step outside the established boundaries of our Baptist faith and practice,” Whetham told board members during her report.
“One of the most challenging issues goes to the old saying, ‘love the sinner, hate the sin.’ In this instance it was, ‘How do we communicate love to the church and at the same time communicate disagreement with their actions?'” She noted the pastors on the committee also had to deal with the issue of “autonomy of the local church in very real and practical terms.”
Whetham assured board members that the committee was always “aware of the deep need for everything we did to be bathed in prayers from beginning to end, seeking not just a good answer, but the correct way that we knew the Lord had for this to be done.”
The committee also knew there were Tennessee Baptist churches that have a ministry to homosexuals in their midst and/or to families who deal with homosexual family members, Whetham continued.
“Done incorrectly, any action we took could damage the witness of Tennessee Baptist churches to these people and families.
“If we took no action, and allowed the debate to become part of our convention in November, the resultant bad press would be harmful to all concerned,” Whetham said.
She said the committee realized their approach had to be gentle in form and firm in conviction. The committee resolved to follow the steps outlined in Matthew 18:15-17: “And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer.”
Whetham told board members they knew the church had already “refused the advice of others” and had chosen not to terminate the staff member in question.
“We felt the only option for us at this time was to seek some means of separating the Tennessee Baptist Convention from them and their actions.”
A meeting was arranged by Durham for Whetham and two of the committee members (Cardwell and Markham) to meet with representatives of Glendale on May 23, Whetham said. At the last minute Cardwell was unable to attend.
Prior to the meeting with Glendale, Whetham said she had “a clear idea of what needed to be said, but a not so clear direction of how to position it.”
Thanks to prayers from herself and others, she acknowledged, she awoke the next day “rested, filled with great joy, and the assurance that the much-desired miracle had already taken place.
“I also knew exactly what I needed to say and how I needed to position my remarks.”
At the meeting Whetham shared with the Glendale group, which included the lesbian minister, why it was necessary to seek some action of separation.
Whetham said the best case scenario for the Executive Board would be for Glendale to simply leave the TBC.
“They had a dilemma with that scenario,” she told the board. “In reality, most of their members who did not agree with the church’s action had already left the church. There were some, however, who supported the action but would find it impossible to vote to leave the convention.”
“Their best case scenario was for us to vote them out, and they would go quietly. Where once they had appreciated the attention of the press, they now found it not to be positive and wanted to avoid it if possible.”
It was apparent both sides agreed on a separation, Whetham said. The TBC group left and worked that afternoon on the wording of what would become the recommendation to the Executive Board. The statement was faxed to Glendale and was later approved by the church.
Whetham said a special meeting of the Executive Board was called because “our conviction was that this should be done as quickly as possible to avoid word leaking to the press prematurely.”
Board members had limited questions following her report. In response to one question, convention attorney Randle Davis clarified that Glendale would no longer be able to seat messengers at the convention and would no longer be represented “in any of our documentation.”
Following Whetham’s report, board members were given a copy of Glendale’s response.
“We at Glendale Baptist Church appreciate the prayer and dialogue with representatives of the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and accept the decision of the Executive Board to dissolve our relationship,” the church’s response read. “May God’s blessing be with us all as we continue to see God’s work in the world and join in that work.”
The Baptist and Reflector was asked to pass the statements of the Executive Board and Glendale to Baptist Press. The handout requested that any inquiries about the release should be directed to the president of the TBC Executive Board.
After the meeting TBC Executive Director James Porch told the Baptist and Reflector that the “action was appropriate, essential, and sufficient in a true Christian context.
“This proved to be an opportunity for the Executive Board to demonstrate its Christian maturity and spiritual wisdom,” Porch said.
“The membership of the board has been found faithful.”
–30–
