| |
American
Baptist General Board Amends Earlier Votes, Postponing the Expulsion from
the Denomination of Four California Churches and Stays Eight Regions Call
for Adjudication
CHERRY HILL, N.J.--The American
Baptist Churches USA General Board, meeting in semiannual sessions, voted
to amend its actions taken last June that denied the appeal of four
California churches, which had been dismissed from their region, to remain
cooperating churches of American Baptist Churches USA.
The amendment changes only the timeline for the
effectiveness of those actions voted in June. It affirmed with a vote of
97 yes, 48 no, and 6 abstentions, postponement of the date of termination
of denominational status for each church until June 30, 2001, effectively
allowing a significant period of time for each to seek membership in one
of the other 33 regional bodies that are part of the denomination. (The
5,800 congregations that comprise American Baptist Churches USA are
members both of regions and the national denomination; the General Board
action provides time for the regionally dismissed churches, through new
regional affiliations, to avoid any questions of their status within the
denomination.)
The churches filing appeals all formerly were members
of American Baptist Churches of the West: First Baptist Church, Berkeley;
Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, Oakland; New Community of Faith, San
Jose; and San Leandro Community Church, San Leandro. All the churches are
members of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, an
organization dedicated to incorporating gay, lesbian and bisexual persons
into full church participation.
The General Board action provided agreement to stay,
until June 30, 2001, the call for adjudication brought by eight American
Baptist regions in response to the General Board votes to dismiss the
churches in June. Regions that requested 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 had alleged the General Board
actions lacked procedural due process and violated local church autonomy,
and had failed to prove that the churches had violated the common criteria
(Standing Rule 5.1) to which all cooperating churches subscribe.
The regions agreed to stay the call for adjudication
upon adoption of the abovementioned change in the timeline for dismissal
and upon commitment of the General Board and the General Executive Council
to participate in the "Common Ground" process of discussion and
understanding regarding the issue of the churches' denominational status.
The regions agreed that adjudication proceedings will be dismissed without
prejudice as soon as each of the four churches has either (a) had a new
regional relationship recognized by the General Board or (b) failed by
June 30, 2001 to establish a new regional relationship.
The motion to amend the Board action was brought by
representative William Apel of Oregon. The motion read: "In order to
help resolve certain pending issues including eight adjudications between
regions and the General Board, and in order to minimize conflicts which
divide us and distract us from doing the work of the Lord to which we are
called, I move that the General Board amend each of its votes of June 20
and 21, 1999 concerning appeals of the First Baptist Church of Berkeley,
Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, the New Community of Faith, and the San
Leandro Community Church to read as follows: 'The appeal is denied, such
denial to take effect as of June 30, 2001.'"
Above
from the American Baptist News Service
|
|
