The Southern Baptist Convention will gather Monday and Tuesday to consider whether a Kennesaw, Georgia, church should be ousted from the denomination over its acceptance of gay people into its congregation.
Jim Conrad, the pastor of Towne View Baptist Church in Kennesaw, said he is OK with the probability his church will be “disfellowshipped” by the executive committee during its two-day meetings, adding that the denomination is facing broader questions about diversity of opinion regarding varying stances on sensitive topics.
“The problem the SBC is facing right now is this: In order to work with them, you’ve got to be in lockstep agreement with them on every point. Nine out of 10 won’t get you by,” Conrad told the Associated Press. “That’s just a shame. They’re going to limit themselves in terms of who’s able to work [with] them.”
His church received a letter from the credentials committee of the national congregation noting that Towne View Baptist “is not in friendly cooperation” with the organization.
Conrad allowed members of the gay community into his church in October 2019 after a same-sex couple with three adopted children asked whether they could attend.
Serving as a pastor since 1994, Conrad argues he has a right to allow any members into his church to worship, saying, “The alternative would have been to say, ‘We’re probably not ready for this,’ but I couldn’t do that.”
The pastor said nearly 30% of his congregation left the church after accepting the same-sex couple as members, causing some budget cutbacks, including a cut to Conrad’s salary.
“But we have had overwhelmingly positive feedback from the community,” Conrad said. “[We have received] letters, emails, Facebook messages, phone calls, [and] people telling their own story of rejection by their church and how grateful they’d be to find a place where they’re welcome.”
The last time a disfellowship occurred was in 2019, when the Southern Baptist Convention ousted Ranchland Heights Baptist Church of Midland, Texas, for employing a pastor who is a registered sex offender.
The meeting with executive committee members this week will also focus on a report by a group task force criticizing the leader of denomination’s public policy arm, Rev. Russell Moore, who has presided over the organization’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission since 2013. His views are in line with the Southern Baptist Church on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage, though he has gained attention over speeches and writings including criticism of former President Donald Trump, condemnation of Christian nationalism, and support for policies more welcoming to immigrants.
The task force is not calling for Moore’s removal but is encouraging him and other leaders from his commission to abstain from publicly opposing specific candidates for political office and to limit comments to positions already established by the denomination’s doctrine and resolutions.
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In September, leaders voted to drop the use of “Southern” in its name, citing the historical use of the word in its connotations to slavery. Instead, church leaders will refer to themselves as “Great Commission Baptists.” Individual churches can still use the original title if they wish, and the organization maintains the original name due to legal purposes.
The Washington Examiner contacted the Southern Baptist Church but did not immediately receive a response.
