Afrigather (RNS) — Southern Baptists don’t imagine that girls will be pastors or that church buildings ought to baptize infants.
However that gained’t cease them from doing enterprise with church buildings that disagree.
The World Methodist Church, a comparatively new denomination made up largely of former United Methodists, introduced this week that Dallas-based GuideStone Monetary Assets “will administer its retirement, medical insurance, and ancillary profit packages” for the denomination beginning in July.
GuideStone, which gives insurance coverage and retirement plans to pastors, is an entity of the Southern Baptist Conference, which final summer season handed a constitutional modification that bars member church buildings from having girls in any pastoral function. That modification, first proposed by Mike Regulation, an SBC pastor from Virginia, have to be confirmed in 2024 to take impact.
A number of church buildings had been expelled from the SBC in 2023 for having girls pastors, together with Saddleback Church in California, one of many nation’s largest congregations, and Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky.
The SBC’s assertion of religion has beforehand additionally restricted the function of pastor to males however there had been disagreement over whether or not that restrict utilized solely to the function of senior pastor or to any pastor on a church workers.
The World Methodist Church, in contrast, affirms girls pastors.
“As a part of its determination to have GuideStone administer its advantages packages, the World Methodist Church has communicated to GuideStone that it’s unequivocally dedicated to the ordination and deployment of girls in any and all management positions within the World Methodist Church and its regional conferences and native church buildings,” Keith Boyette, transitional connectional officer for the World Methodist Church, advised Faith Information Service.
When it was based in 2022, leaders of the World Methodist Church had named Wespath, which manages advantages for the United Methodist Church, to manage denominational advantages, however they’ve since determined to make a change.
Denominational guidelines require GMC church buildings to work with the church’s plan administrator — on this case, GuideStone.
Julie Capozzi, managing director for communications at Wespath, stated the company may nonetheless present companies to GMC church buildings that wished them.
“We’re positioned to serve a person GMC church for his or her worker retirement companies in the event that they select to stay with us,” she stated.
Logos for the World Methodist Church, left, and the United Methodist Church, proper. Courtesy photographs
The brand new denomination at present has 4,290 congregations and 4,400 clergy — most of which had been previously United Methodists. Greater than 7,600 congregations have left the United Methodist Church since 2019, together with greater than 5,000 in 2023, in a schism primarily over LGBTQ affirmation and ordination.
Boyette stated he didn’t have statistics on how most of the GMC’s clergy are girls. The denomination’s Transitional Management Council consists of two girls pastors, according to the GMC web site.
GuideStone has labored with non-Southern Baptist church buildings since 2004 after getting permission from the denomination’s annual assembly to take action, GuideStone President Hance Dilbeck Jr. advised RNS in an emailed assertion. These denominations could disagree with the SBC over pastoral roles however agree on different core beliefs, he stated.
“Whereas we could disagree on some beliefs and apply, we share way more in widespread with these brothers and sisters than we’ve variations and are capable of serve them successfully of their profit wants,” he stated. “All have affirmed that they share historic biblical convictions concerning Scripture, Christology, Gospel proclamation and marriage.”
Dilbeck stated the constitutional modification applies to SBC church buildings and to not church buildings that GuideStone serves exterior the SBC. “We belief Southern Baptists to make a ultimate determination and respect the desire of the Conference,” Dilbeck advised RNS.
The Govt Committee of the Southern Baptist Conference meets Sept. 18, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. RNS picture by Bob Smietana
GuideStone will solely work with SBC church buildings which are in good standing with the denomination or considered one of its state conventions. That might rule out church buildings which were expelled from the denomination, even when they beforehand did enterprise with GuideStone.
Regulation advised RNS that the Bible, not the modification he backs, bars girls from the pastorate. Nevertheless, he didn’t see the modification affecting GuideStone’s work.
“God limits the pastorate to males in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9, not an modification,” stated Regulation, pastor of Arlington Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia. “The proposed constitutional modification addresses which church buildings could ship Messengers to the SBC’s annual assembly. It doesn’t tackle who GuideStone serves, that call is left to the trustees of GuideStone.”
Boyette stated the GMC is assured in its alternative of GuideStone.
“The World Methodist Church has been assured by the management of GuideStone that selections made by the Southern Baptist Conference on points such because the ordination of girls or girls serving in any clergy function don’t and won’t affect the companies that GuideStone gives to the World Methodist Church.”
