Pastoral role open to men only
MONTREAL, QC—The Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada (FEBC) passed a motion on November 2 at the national convention, stipulating that the pastoral role is open to men only.
The by-law amendment reads: "In member churches, the pastoral office is reserved for qualified men recognized by the local church for the oversight of the doctrine and practice of the church." The motion, which required a 66 per cent majority to pass, garnered 74 per cent of the 404 votes.
A position statement with similar content was agreed upon nine years ago, and according to Douglas Porter and René Frey, who brought the motion to the floor this year, an amendment to the bylaws was necessary to "provide a means to ensure it (our theology) is consistently practiced throughout our Fellowship."
The discussion, which took place on the second day of a four-day convention, was orderly and calm. Speakers on both side of the issue came prepared with written statements. Conference speaker Dan Southerland, founder and director of Church Transitions, Inc., says that based on his experience with denominations facing controversial issues, the atmosphere was unusually gracious.
This attitude of tolerance was the basis for several appeals on the "no" side of the vote. Certain speakers who identified themselves as complementarians, including Arijan Groeneveld of Châteauguay, suggested that there was room in the Fellowship movement for people and churches who had different convictions on the issue of women in pastoral leadership.
Carol Stewart, who sits on National Council and is board chair for FEBInternational, the FEBC's foreign missions board, argued that many members and leaders in the movement hold an egalitarian view based on their understanding of Scripture. "It is not appropriate for one side to legislate its view," she said.
Three themes dominated the interventions in favour of the motion. Some, including Porter and Frey, expressed the conviction that the Bible clearly teaches that the pastoral role is reserved for men. There were warnings against cultural compromise and liberal theology from other delegates who held this view.
Many cited the 51-year history of the movement as a basis for the amendment, arguing that the movement has always been complementarian and should therefore continue to be so.
Others spoke in favour of the motion because it represented what they considered to be the most biblical approach to church governance, albeit with a certain openness to other viewpoints.
FEBC president Terry Cuthbert says the by-law amendment represents the convictions of the majority. "This is how most of our churches function," he says. "The vote will not have a big impact on our present situation."
Others suggested that because the term "pastoral office" is open to interpretation, different regions and different congregations will adapt the bylaw to their own situation, rather than changing their practice to fit the bylaw.
If the motion had not passed, the fall-out could have been very different. Several churches in Quebec would have considered withdrawing from the FEBC if the vote had gone the other way, says Frey.
In the Atlantic provinces, a strong position on the gender issue is also seen as a way to retain and even attract new member churches. Regional representative Steve Hiltz says that he now feels free to approach unaffiliated churches that share conservative evangelical doctrine, and invite them to join the FEBC.
However, Bruce Christensen, director of the BC/Yukon region, says the FEBC churches in his region are complementarian in belief but egalitarian tolerant. Although no BC Fellowship churches presently employ a woman as "senior pastor," many churches, such as Parkland Fellowship Baptist in Surrey, involve women in pastoral and leadership ministries at small group and other levels.
Parkland's pastor, David Horita, says that because of this, he does not feel his church complies with the new bylaw. The ramifications of this have not yet been worked out. "We understand that people have different views on this issue," he says. "But our greater concern is for building the kingdom of God by reaching both men and women for Christ."
Cuthbert, who will be stepping down in March 2005, says the vote will influence how the FEBC is perceived from the outside. "We are identifying ourselves more officially as a complementarian movement. This will affect the churches and leaders who consider joining us in the future."
As the gender issue has resurfaced at convention for three consecutive years, Cuthbert, who will be stepping down in March 2005, has been pushing to keep the movement focused on its priorities. "We are more than just this issue," he says. "We have planted 16 new churches this year. That's what we're about.
"We are passionate about seeing the gospel penetrate our 21st century Canadian culture."
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