By Zachary Bailes
Good for Bailey Nelson, and good for Flat Rock Baptist Church. Their expulsion from Surry Baptist Association demonstrates a commitment to the call of Jesus, not the call of a Baptist association. Their situation reflects the same old battles and same old demise of Southern Baptist life.
We could discuss the reasons why it is undoubtedly permissible for a woman to lead a church or why the Surry Baptist Association is wrong. Yet the evidence speaks for itself. The Baptist world witnesses, yet again, the lost relevance of an archaic organization.
The only issue more troubling than Flat Rock’s expulsion is that we still see the strong hand of male dominance and sexism in the church. Of all the places one should expect to find open dialogue and freedom to serve regardless of gender it should be the church — especially the Baptist church.
Flat Rock represents the deep richness of Baptist life. Nelson herself says her members are embracing and reflecting those long-held Baptist principles including priesthood of the believer.
With church attendance in decline across denominations and pluralism on the rise, the last thing needed is isolationism. Yet the Southern Baptist Convention continually isolates itself from the larger society. While the church must never become like society, if it cannot relate to society, how can it be prophetic?
Flat Rock’s situation reflects a larger rift at work within the larger American Christian fabric. From Gov. Rick Perry to “Christians for a Sustainable Economy,” we see repeated attempts to demonstrate superiority over people — not solidarity with people. Expelling a church because a woman is a pastor says to the larger social context, “You are less and unworthy of association with us because a woman is a pastor.”
May Baptists all across the nation and globe be as bold as Flat Rock Baptist Church and Bailey Nelson. May we unite in an effort to reflect the common denominator that we all share — humanity.
If churches continually decide who can and cannot serve or be in communion based on race, gender, age or any other God-given trait, the kingdom of God will remain only a pipe dream.