Men-only leadership test creates tension among Fellowship Baptists

From ChristianCurrent - Golden Triangle
Joe Couto

GUELPH - Tension among churches in the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada (FEBCC) over a failed effort to make male-only church leadership a test of membership is being felt among Fellowship churches in the Golden Triangle area.

"Our churches are going to have to address it (the role of women in senior church leadership) one way or another," said Ken Taylor, pastor of Community Fellowship Baptist Church in Waterloo. "Lots of churches are already struggling with it."

A motion was debated at the denomination's annual convention held in Toronto in November requiring all 496 member churches to limiting the offices of pastors and elders to "qualified men" as a prerequisite for membership. The motion received 59 percent support from delegates, short of the 67 percent majority needed to enshrine the motion in the denomination's by-laws.

According to FEBCC President Terry Cuthbert, the vast majority of Fellowship churches support a complementarian interpretation of scripture that limits governing ministries to men. A small number of churches hold an egalitarian view that supports opening leadership positions to women.

Whether or not making the male-only church leadership a test of membership is eventually adopted, the FEBCC is likely facing some sort of division over the issue, according to Bob Parks, pastor of Benton Street Baptist Church in Kitchener.

"The current position is understood, but some churches feel they have the freedom (to appoint female elders) because the position is unclear," said Parks, who supports limited pastoral and elder offices to men. Parks said his church has women on its board but they are prohibited from serving as elders or pastors. He argues limiting the pastorate and elder offices to men is scriptural.

"Sorrowfully, they (churches who do not hold the complementarian view) must make a decision to stay or leave," he said.

Ken Taylor of Community Fellowship believes limiting the office of elders to men would likely result in churches like his to "step away" from the FEBCC. Taylor's church decided, three years ago, women could serve as elders, although women haven't been elected to that position to date.

To prevent a split in the Guelph-based FEBCC, the denomination's national council met on November 28. The council "accepted the responsibility to lead us in a complementarian direction in the spirit of our position statement," said Terry Cuthbert.

The council set in motion a process that will result in a complementarian by-law amendment being brought to the floor of the 2003 National Convention. The motion would require all FEBCC churches to limit the offices pastors and elders to men but not require pastors to personally adhere to the complementarian position.

Cuthbert says the Fellowship would "work in a pastoral way" with pastors who insisted on promoting their egalitarian views to their congregation. It will be up to the national council to decide on how to deal with pastors or churches that don't adhere to the denomination's views.

The FEBCC will begin consultations on its proposed by-law in January with a view to bring the motion forward at it convention next November in Toronto.