Updated Tuesday, Nov 13, 2007

Convention Disfellowships Myers Park

By Norman Jameson

BR Editor

Messengers to the Baptist State Convention overwhelmingly rejected an appeal by Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte to remain in fellowship with North Carolina Baptists.

While messengers voted overwhelmingly their willingness to hear the Myers Park appeal, they voted similarly to reject it and sustain the decision of their Executive Committee which ruled on Monday the church was not in compliance with membership articles.

By its own admission Myers Park's acceptance of homosexual persons into positions of leadership in the church positions it in opposition to membership article 6a3 which says any church which affirms or blesses homosexual behavior is to be considered "not in friendly cooperation" with the BSC.

Myers Park deacon Nancy Walker expressed appreciation for Myers Park's electing her to the diaconate "without regard to my sexual orientation."

She related the loneliness and pain of homosexual friends who have been rejected by church and family. "Open your hearts to all who seek to worship God," Walker asked messengers. "Reach out to people who have experienced pain and spiritual isolation."

"No matter your vote today I will be a witness in the world for love, compassion and reconciliation," Walker said.

Myers Park pastor Steve Shoemaker addressed the messengers and said, "I appeal to you by the mercies of God to refrain from removing churches like ours from fellowship."

"Jesus welcomed those considered outcasts as sinners by those religious into the kingdom of God drawing near," said Shoemaker, who said Myers Park slowly overcame its original resistance to inclusion of gay and lesbian persons, "as Peter overcame his resistance to including Gentiles in the kingdom of God."

Board of Directors President Allan Blume emphasized that no church has been "turned in" for investigation under the Sanderson motion, article 6a3 adopted last year, but that Myers Park had self-identified its opposition to the standard.

"They are asking to make an exception," Blume said. "The church today has by its own admission been in violation."

Blume told messengers Myers Park had sent no messengers to the Convention for at least eight years, contributed "extremely little" financially and is aligned with several organizations which affirm or bless homosexual behavior.

During discussion Jim Burch said social scientists peg 2.5 percent of the population living a gay or lesbian lifestyle. Carried statistically into churches, Burch said that would disqualify "a great deal of us."

"We have the opportunity to use a bylaw ill timed and ill passed to club a church, or to extend to them the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and say, 'As you claim Christ as Savior and we claim Christ as Savior then we are brothers and sisters in Christ.'"

Other discussion emphasized speakers' views on homosexuality as sin.

Blume said, "The Executive Committee is simply following governing documents of this Convention and we encourage the Convention to stand with us on this decision." He then moved that, "Myers Park" no longer be considered a church in friendly cooperation, at the word of their own admission."