Georgia Baptist Convention -- Women Need Not Apply

[theHandpuppet]

Ah yes, another chapter of the Army of God fearlessly rushing headlong into the 13th Century!

http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4575&Itemid=53
Georgia Baptists cut ties with church led by woman pastor
By Bob Allen   
Monday, November 16, 2009

DECATUR, Ga. (ABP) -- The Georgia Baptist Convention has ended its 148-year-old relationship with First Baptist Church of Decatur, Ga., over the congregation's 2007 vote to hire a woman as senior pastor.

Julie Pennington-Russell has been pastor at First Baptist Church in Decatur, Ga., since August 2007.
Pastor Julie Pennington-Russell read a letter at the end of both worship services Nov. 15 from Robert White, executive director of the 1.3 million-member state convention. It informed her that messengers to the group's recent annual meeting took action to declare them "not a cooperating church," because "a woman is serving as senior pastor."

<snipping>

The Southern Baptist Convention amended the Baptist Faith & Message doctrinal statement in 2000 to declare, "While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture."

With the new action, Georgia Baptist leaders not only may refuse to accept money from First Baptist Church of Decatur, but now the church is no longer eligible to receive resources and services offered by the 3,300-church convention.... MORE

[FBaggins]

1. Hardly a surprise

Though the article implies that this was a change in 2000, the SBC has never agreed with female senior pastors.

Likely not a big deal... it isn't as if anyone in the pews will look up next Sunday and say "you mean we've had a woman pastor for the last couple years???"

[Wapsie B]

2. I would hope that influential people in mainstream Protestant churches are reading

and seeing this as an opportunity to reach out. Differences in church doctrine aside many in positions of authority in Lutheran churches (ELCA) for example don't want to be bothered with such things. They'd rather go into a church with 4,000 members in the guise of actually doing something rather than go into a church with 40 members and get their hands dirty building something from the ground up. The SBC will do what they will do.