The SBC and Me
As messengers gather in Indianapolis this week for the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, ousting Baptist congregations solely because they have women pastors (whether of children, missions, youth, women, or the entire congregation), I grieve.
I grieve for the young girls and women who question the voice of God because of the voice of man. I grieve for the churches robbed of the powerful ministry of women pastors, women pastors robbed of churches to serve. I grieve for all the good and wonderful work of the SBC, a vital and beautiful part of my childhood. I can still sing every word of the Girls-in-Action theme song, which taught this young girl "to spread God's love around the world." I was teethed on Baptist life.
But the SBC of my adulthood has left a bitter taste in my mouth. Its leaders have fought against women in ministry and fought to protect sexual abusers. They've forsaken religious liberty for all and applauded the unholy union of church and state. These are not the Baptists of my childhood. They most certainly are not the Baptists of my present or future.
But even while I grieve, I also give thanks for congregations like my own, First Baptist Church, Jefferson City, Missouri, which has faithfully ordained women deacons and ministers for decades. We stand on the shoulders of saints who've gone before us, men and women who faithfully listened to the Holy Spirit as God led us to something new. How thankful I am for their courage, humility, and obedience, traits still in the DNA of our congregation today.
FBC JC continues a vibrant, mission-focused presence in our community and worldwide, answering not to a denomination but to the Lord and one another as a local congregation honoring the priesthood of ALL believers. Men and women, gifted and called, created in the image of God, leading together in mutual respect and submission for the glory of God and the good of the world. This is the church. These are the Baptists of my present and, I pray, my future.
The Girls in Action motto was/is “Go Forward!” And that is precisely what we’ll do, even as the SBC marches backward. #SBC24
Praying for you as you grieve such an important part of your life and grieve for those who cannot grasp that God loves and calls both women and men (all of whom God created in God’s image) to ministry. I am thankful for your dedication to the congregation you faithfully and loving serve and for the many ways you share God’s love in your community and around the world. It pains me to read if your pain. I pray for you as you continue to call for true justice and equality.
Thank you Melissa. I share in your grief. Proud to call you my pastor.