A historic Baptist congregation in Kentucky called a gay man as co-pastor Aug. 14. Jordan Conley will join Andrea Woolley as co-pastor of Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Louisville as Jason Crosby leaves the church staff for a position at…
Pennsylvania Baptist church licenses transgender man for ministry
A recent lay ministry licensing ceremony capped a multi-year ordeal for Joel Dugan, a 63-year-old transgender man who overcame the rejection of a Baptist association to live into his calling to serve his church and the LGBTQ community. The feeling…
25 years ago this week, five Baptist churches were booted for affirming gay members
The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists will mark a pivotal moment in its history this week with an online celebration of five congregations booted from their regional associations a quarter century ago. Four of the American Baptist Churches USA…
AWAB leader among clergy, groups, speaking up for fired transgender mortician
The chair-elect of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists joined 74 other faith leaders and religious and civil-rights organizations in a legal brief filed April 24 supporting a former transgender funeral home employee in Michigan who claimed she was…
New AWAB leader brings non-profit management skills
The new executive director of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists — a network of more than 100 congregations that fully include members regardless of sexual orientation — hopes to lead the 23-year-old organization to be “a catalyst for building and strengthening…
AWAB executive director stepping down
By Bob Allen Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists Executive Director Robin Lunn has resigned her position effective June 30, board chair David Weasley said in an email to members and donors May 5. Lunn, an ordained Baptist minister who…
Baptists seek guidance as same-sex marriage expands
By Jeff Brumley The widening legality of same-sex marriage has ministers and churches across the nation scrambling to respond. And Baptist pastors are right in the thick of what is in some quarters a frantic search for the right theologies…
Pro-gay Baptists welcome same-sex marriage in N.C.
By Bob Allen A 97-church group that advocates LGBT inclusion in Baptist churches welcomed last week’s ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in North Carolina. “I am overjoyed to see another state remove the barriers to our member congregations being able to…
AWAB asks SBC to recant transgender resolution
By Bob Allen A 21-year-old movement advocating full inclusion of gays in Baptist churches voiced concern that a Southern Baptist Convention resolution on transgender identity will spawn methods similar to “ex-gay” ministries harmful to transgender youth. The board and staff…