Leaders representing 300 American Baptist churches in Southern California and parts of other Western states announced Wednesday that they have taken the first steps to break with their national denomination because they said it had failed to declare homosexual practice incompatible with Christian Scripture.
Citing irreconcilable differences over homosexuality and Scriptural authority with their comparatively liberal denomination, American Baptist Churches USA, the board of directors of the denomination's Pacific Southwest Region on Friday approved a resolution to begin withdrawing from the 1.5-million member national denomination. The board also announced its intention to cut off its contributions to national headquarters as of Dec. 31.
At the same time, a theologically conservative lay leader in the West Virginia Baptist Convention, the largest in the national denomination, said Wednesday that he and his allies were preparing to follow suit. They said they would propose a secession resolution at next month's regional meeting in Clarksburg, W.Va.
If the two regions pulled out, their withdrawal could mark the largest single exodus of member congregations from any Christian denomination in the nation over the volatile issue of homosexuality. There are more than 5,800 local congregations in the denomination.
The debates over homosexuality, including such issues as the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of openly gay and lesbian ministers, has engulfed the worldwide Anglican Communion and it's U.S. member, the Episcopal Church, as well as the United Methodist Church and Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.
American Baptist Churches USA is based in Valley Forge, Pa. It is far smaller and has been more theologically liberal on issues such as homosexuality than the separate and better known Southern Baptist Convention, which claims 16 million members.
There was no immediate comment from national church headquarters in Valley Forge, despite repeated telephone calls.
Several steps must be taken before the Pacific Southwest resolution can take effect. The region's executive committee has until Dec. 8 to report back to its board of directors on various issues raised by a breakup, including the ownership of church property. If the board of directors approves the executive committee's recommendations, the region's 300 congregations would then be asked to vote on whether to leave American Baptist Churches USA.
