GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) – North Carolina Baptists expelled Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte from their statewide group because the church accepts gay members into leadership.
The Executive Committee of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina ruled Nov. 12 that the church was not in compliance with membership articles. While convention messengers voted overwhelmingly to hear the Myers Park appeal the next day, they voted similarly to reject it.
By Myers Park's own admission, its acceptance of homosexuals into positions of church leadership places the congregation in opposition to the state convention's constitution, which says any church that affirms or blesses homosexual behavior is “not in friendly cooperation” with the convention.
A similar bylaw at the Southern Baptist Convention already has excluded several North Carolina churches from that national group, which like the North Carolina body is dominated by conservatives.
Myers Park deacon Nancy Walker, who spoke against the ruling, expressed appreciation that her church elected her as a deacon “without regard to my sexual orientation.” She related the loneliness and pain of homosexual friends who have been rejected by church and family.
“Open your hearts to all who seek to worship God,” Walker asked messengers, gathered in Greensboro for their annual meeting. “Reach out to people who have experienced pain and spiritual isolation.”
“No matter your vote today, I will be a witness in the world for love, compassion and reconciliation,” Walker said.
Myers Park pastor Steve Shoemaker also addressed the messengers: “I appeal to you by the mercies of God to refrain from removing churches like ours from fellowship.”
“Jesus welcomed those considered outcasts, as sinners by those religious, into the kingdom of God drawing near,” said Shoemaker. He said Myers Park slowly overcame its original resistance to inclusion of gay and lesbian persons “as Peter overcame his resistance to including Gentiles in the kingdom of God.”
Allan Blume, president of the convention's board of directors, emphasized that no church has been “turned in” for investigation under the new constitutional provision targeting gay-friendly churches, which was adopted last year. Myers Park had self-identified its opposition to the standard.
“They are asking to make an exception,” Blume said. “The church today has by its own admission been in violation.”
Blume told messengers Myers Park had sent no messengers to the convention for at least eight years, contributed “extremely little” financially and is aligned with several organizations which affirm or bless homosexual behavior.
During discussion, messenger Jim Burch said social scientists peg 2.5 percent of the population as living a gay or lesbian lifestyle. Applied statistically to churches, Burch said, that would mean “a great deal” of the state convention's membership is disqualified from participation.
“We have the opportunity to use a bylaw — ill-timed and ill-passed — to club a church or to extend to them the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and say, 'As you claim Christ as Savior and we claim Christ as Savior, then we are brothers and sisters in Christ.'”
Other discussion emphasized speakers' views on homosexuality as sin.
Blume said, “The Executive Committee is simply following governing documents of this convention, and we encourage the convention to stand with us on this decision.” He then moved that “Myers Park no longer be considered a church in friendly cooperation, at the word of their own admission.”
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