wfn.org | ABCUSA: ABC Leaders Express Regret, Concern Over PSW Recommendation

["BROWN, Matthew" <Matthew.Brown@abc-usa.org>]

VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS)-American Baptist leaders have responded with
profound regret and concern over the recommendation issued on Dec. 8 by
the Board of Directors of the American Baptist Churches of the Pacific
Southwest to withdraw that region from the denomination's Covenant of
Relationships.

A regional meeting of its churches to advise the leadership is
tentatively scheduled in May 2006. After that meeting, the Board will
make its final decision. If approved, the recommended action would
effectively remove the region from a formal relationship with the
American Baptist Churches in the USA.

"American Baptists are deeply disappointed at the decision of the
leadership of the American Baptist Churches of the Pacific Southwest to
recommend a break-away from the denomination," General Secretary Dr. A.
Roy Medley said today.

The conflict American Baptists find themselves in is sometimes described
as a liberal/conservative division over the issue of homosexuality. In
reality, American Baptist statements on human sexuality and marriage
have consistently been conservative, evangelical and traditional. We all
hold biblical authority as primary for Christian discipleship and church
life-but we have always respected dissent in interpretation.

When the proposal was first made to break Covenant, one of the region's
own Board members wrote, " I voted against withdrawing from the ABCUSA
because I do not agree with the idea of requiring uniformity in the
matter of interpretation of scripture, in this case, in the area of
human sexuality. If there is one principle that drew me to become an
American Baptist, it was the belief that each person can read the Bible
and form his or her own conclusions without any imposition from others.
As Baptists, we agree on a number of central Bible doctrines but still
affirm the freedom of each individual to interpret scripture for himself
or herself, under the leading of the Holy Spirit."

Even though Baptist churches have been organized in America from the
1600s until the present, it wasn't until 1907 that the Northern Baptist
Convention, now American Baptist Churches in the USA, was formed. In
structuring a national denomination, these Baptists were careful to
safeguard the primacy of the local church so that the national body
could not usurp the rights and privileges of the local congregation to
exercise authority over them. These basic principles were derived from
the Bible and represented early Baptist desire to properly reflect the
New Testament teaching concerning the nature of the church. The
principle of the primacy and autonomy of the local church is reflected
in the name-the denomination is not the American Baptist Church-it is
the American Baptist Churches.

"Because schism in the church is grievous to our Lord, we have done-and
will continue to do-everything we can to maintain the unity of the Body
of Christ, which is so clearly taught in scripture," Medley emphasized.

In order to clearly understand the concerns of the Pacific Southwest,
and in the hope of maintaining the desired unity of Christ's Body, many
national and regional officers and staff have devoted extensive energy,
time, resources and prayer in continuing dialogue with the region. In
addition to previous visits by the President, the General Secretary, and
the National Executive Council, Dr. Dale V. Salico, Executive Minister
of the Pacific Southwest, has had multiple opportunities to speak to the
concerns of the region, including meetings with the Regional Executive
Ministers Council, the General Board Executive Committee, and the full
General Board-the denomination's governing body.

One result of these meetings was a decision by the General Executive
Council to send a delegation to meet with the appropriate leadership
groups of the region. Dr. Alfred Fletcher of the American Baptist
Churches of Maine and Dr. Desmond Hoffmeister of the American Baptist
Churches of the Rocky Mountains, were appointed and made themselves
available for whatever meetings would be most helpful to the region
leadership. They spent six hours of discussion with the five-member
Executive Committee. There was a meeting of the full Board that
followed, to which the two Executive Ministers were not invited.

Fletcher and Hoffmeister, in their meeting with the Executive Committee,
expressed the deep care and concern of all mission partners in the
denomination toward what, for over 100 years, has been one of the
strongest regions in the denomination. They reported: "We made a
pastoral and passionate appeal on behalf of the GEC for PSW to remain at
the ABCUSA table. We challenged some of their assumptions, were
surprised by some of their assertions, and they were surprised by some
of the information that we shared. They were encouraged by the fact that
we represented all the covenanting partners. Notwithstanding the
positive tone of the meeting, we left feeling that it will take a
monumental effort to reverse the advanced and propelling momentum of
their intended process."

If the region withdraws, it will assume control of the disbursement of
mission money historically given by the churches in support of American
Baptist missions. In 2004, that amount was over $2.9 million. At the
same time, as the region is distancing itself from the denomination and
expressing the intent to formally break covenant, the Pacific Southwest
is negotiating ways to continue doing ministry with American
Baptists-specifically the pension/benefit and mission boards of the
denomination.

In the final analysis, each of the 300 churches in the Pacific Southwest
will make its own decision regarding its continuing relationship with
ABCUSA. Each church-in the Baptist way of decision making-will have the
opportunity to choose for itself.

"Regardless of the region's decision, there will be a continuing
American Baptist presence in southern California," Medley said. "Every
effort will be made to enable and support churches wishing to remain in
covenant with us."

In addition, Medley stated, "The Los Angeles Baptist City Mission
Society, one of the most racially and ethnically diverse evangelical
mission organizations in the nation, is a cooperating American Baptist
region, and has given us assurances through its Executive Minister, Dr.
Samuel Chetti, that it will stay at the table."

In reflecting upon his visit to southern California, Fletcher said,
"Hope keeps bringing us back."

Medley added, "And in that hope we press on."

Matthew Brown
Webmaster
Office of the General Secretary
American Baptist Churches USA
610-768-2159 Phone
610.768.2309 Fax
www.abcusamissions.org