wfn.org | EIGHT AMERICAN BAPTIST REGIONS REQUEST ADJUDICATION

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EIGHT AMERICAN BAPTIST REGIONS REQUEST ADJUDICATION

AMERICAN BAPTIST NEWS SERVICE
Office of Communication
American Baptist Churches USA
P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851
Phone: (610)768-2077 / Fax: (610)768-2320
Web: www.abc-usa.org
Richard W. Schramm, Director
 E-mail: richard.schramm@abc-usa.org

EIGHT AMERICAN BAPTIST REGIONS HAVE REQUESTED ADJUDICATION
WITH GENERAL BOARD OVER DECISION TO DENY APPEALS OF FOUR
CHURCHES TO REMAIN COOPERATING CHURCHES
 A total of eight regions within American Baptist
Churches USA now have requested adjudication with the
denomination's General Board over its decision last June not
to grant the appeals of four churches in California--First
Baptist Church, Berkeley; Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church,
Oakland; New Community of Faith, San Jose; and San Leandro
Community Church, San Leandro--to be cooperating churches of
American Baptist Churches USA but not of the region of which
they had been a part, American Baptist Churches of the West.
 The adjudication process among American Baptist boards
(national, regional, General) is contained in the
denomination's Standing Rule 18.11, which details a method
for covenanting parties to deal with  differences.
(Standing Rule 18.11.2: "The General Secretary shall
nominate to the differing parties an Adjudicator, usually
the General Board Executive Committee.  If the General Board
is one of the differing parties, the General Executive
Council Executive Committee shall serve as or nominate an
Adjudicator.")
 Regions requesting adjudication are American Baptist
Churches of Metro Chicago, American Baptist Churches of
Metropolitan New York, American Baptist Churches of
Connecticut, Philadelphia Baptist Association, American
Baptist Churches of Massachusetts, American Baptist Churches
of the Rochester/Genesee Region, the American Baptist
Churches of Wisconsin and the American Baptist Churches of
the South.
 In written requests for adjudication (signed by region
presidents and/or other representatives and executives) to
General Secretary Daniel E. Weiss, the regions criticized
the General Board actions for lacking  procedural due
process and violating local church autonomy, and for failing
to prove that the churches had violated the common criteria
(Standing Rule 5.1) to which all cooperating churches
subscribe.
 Weiss, in a letter July 22 to members of the General
Board and General Executive Council, noted, "Upon the advice
of legal counsel, I have notified these churches in writing
that their status as an ABC Cooperating Church will be
maintained beyond the thirty (30) day period required under
Standing Rule 5.3.3 until resolution is reached."
 Weiss reported that resolution can be reached when one
of the following occurs: each of the regions that filed a
request to adjudicate or the General Board changes its
action, or the final decision of the adjudicator is
rendered.  He said, "I have also notified the Ministers and
Missionaries Benefit Board of this change and ensured that
the 501(c)(3) status of those churches covered under the ABC
exemption is maintained until resolution is reached."
 Weiss said in his letter, "Since the General Board is
'one of the differing parties,' this issue is now under the
jurisdiction of the General Executive Council Executive
Committee.*"

*The General Executive Council is comprised of members of
the National Executive Council, Regional Executive Ministers
Council, associate national secretaries and executives of a
number of related organizations.

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