Dear Friends,
On Monday, as many of you know, John Clark, John Higgins, Megan Williams, and I met with representatives from Assembly Council. This was the first stage of the NSW/ACT Baptist Association’s disaffiliation process for churches. “The discussion was,” in John Higgins’ words, “cordial and respectful and conducted in as good a spirit as could be expected for a meeting of this kind.”
They explained why we had been identified – our statements at Assembly and the paper Same-sex Marriage and the NSW/ACT Baptist Association on our website https://www.canbap.org/about-us/ (halfway down the page.) They then admitted none of our statements had been against the Position on Marriage, but against using such statements to disaffiliate churches and pastors, but they did point to sections of the paper that worried them. This, in turn, gave us the chance to reiterate our deep concern that the Association has put forward no biblical discussion at all on this issue.
We then shared the statement unanimously agreed at our November 2024 Church Quarterly Meeting (text below). We made it clear Canberra Baptist Church has no official position on marriage; that we believe, as we say in the statement, that marriage is a matter of conscience. We said we seek to practice the same freedom of conscience we have preached to the whole Assembly; that we are seeking to keep our focus on Jesus and following Jesus. To borrow John’s words again, “Some of our guests seemed to find it difficult to get their heads around this.”
There were many comments made at the meeting that were frustrating (to say the least!) and disappointing, but the best comment came from Megan. She said what we were seeking to do was offer a generous and genuine welcome to everyone who comes to our church – so people know they can bring their whole selves to our church. “But this is not our welcome we are offering,” she said, “This is the welcome of God. We are seeking to offer anyone who comes the welcome of God.”
Thank you for your prayers, everyone. There was a real sense of being supported in prayer from this congregation. And I am incredibly grateful for the work done by the whole diaconate on this issue, and especially those who were part of this meeting. John Higgins was a dry, and occasionally droll, voice of reason. John Clark was a joy to watch in dialectical action, and Megan was the voice that whispers compassion (to quote the words of ‘Happy Birthday, Helen’.)
The Assembly Council delegates will report back to Assembly Council, and there may be a second meeting once they have reached a decision. Assuming the Assembly Council recommends disaffiliation, they will give us four weeks’ notice before that decision is brought to the next Assembly which is scheduled for 2 May.
As we read on Sunday: “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, wehave peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained accessto this grace in which we stand, and weboast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.And not only that, but wealso boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance,and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Romans 5:1-5)
Grace and peace and the hope of God be with all of you!
Belinda
Canberra Baptist Church Response to the NSW and ACT Baptist Association’s Position Statement on Marriage
Canberra Baptist is committed to affiliation with other Baptist churches and has no intention of leaving the NSW and ACT Baptist Association.
Canberra Baptist Church continues to hold that it was a serious error for the NSW and ACT Baptist Association to adopt this Position Statement on marriage. The Statement was adopted without biblical or theological debate and contrary to Baptist values of freedom of conscience and the autonomy of the local church. It will harm, perhaps catastrophically, relationships and the witness, work and culture of our Association. All of this grieves us.
Marriage is a matter of individual conscience on which Christians seeking God’s mind in good faith can reach different conclusions. Accordingly, we welcome people in de facto relationships, who have decided, in good conscience, on a different form of marriage. We welcome people in same sex relationships who have decided, in good conscience, to marry. We welcome people who are divorced and people who are single. We believe that the Good News of Jesus is for all people without qualification, and we are deeply committed to creating a community of genuine welcome.
Canberra Baptist Church values, supports and affirms our LGBTQI+ siblings in Christ and others who are excluded or harmed by the NSW and ACT Baptist Association’s Position Statement. We believe, to quote Acts 10:47, that “these people… have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” We invite and encourage them to share fully in the life of our community.
(Note: This response was unanimously agreed at the November 2024 Church Quarterly Meeting.)
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