Floyd County Association loses church over adoption of 2000 Baptist Faith and Message

In 2000 messengers at the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Orlando, Fla. approved a revised Baptist Faith and Message statement.

The section of the BFM on "The Church" was the focus of a recent associational meeting in Rome. The part of the statement that attracted attention stated, " ... while both men and women are gifted and called for ministry, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture."

One biblical passage used to support the aforementioned document is I Timothy 2:11-14, which includes the following statement: "I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man ..."

While the decision of the SBC in Orlando is not binding upon anyone, many state conventions, associations and churches have responded to the vote of the larger body by adopting the 2000 BFM statement for themselves. The Georgia Baptist Convention voted to adopt the BFM at their annual meeting in November of 2000.

However, the Floyd County Baptist Association in their annual meeting at West Rome Baptist Church Sept. 27, became a focal point of interest when they proposed to adopt the same statement. The association has a church with a woman as senior pastor. Katrina Brooks along with her husband, Tony, serve as co-pastors of North Broad Baptist Church in Rome.

Nonconfrontational

The meeting had the potential of erupting into a volatile confrontation with a heated debate and swirling controversy. That was not the case. Philip May, pastor of Pleasant Valley South Baptist Church, commented, "The discussion was conducted in a Christ-like manner. Fairness was the order of the day."

Lester Cooper, associational missionary of the Atlanta Association of Southern Baptists and certified parliamentarian, was called upon to assist in the business session of the meeting in Rome and remarked, "The intention of the association was to be supportive of the decisions which the Southern Baptist Convention and the Georgia Baptist Convention had already made concerning the BFM.

"No one mentioned North Broad Church until someone from the church mentioned how the vote would affect them."

Charles Drummond, pastor of Shorter Avenue Baptist Church and moderator of the association, presided and declared that the association had adopted the 2000 BFM statement by a vote of 428 to 130. Observers estimated that there were at least 1,000 messengers and guests present for the meeting.

The association also voted down an amendment that would have prevented the group from removing churches from the association that oppose the statement. Because of the autonomy of the association they have a right to make such decisions; and because of the autonomy of the local church they have the right to accept or reject the BFM.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution quoted Carla Moldavan, a mathematics professor at Berry College in Rome and member of North Broad Church, who indicated that the church was 100 percent behind their co-pastors, saying, "We are in agreement in our church that Tony and Katrina are right for us. Our autonomy (to choose who will lead our church) is the big question."

Tony Dickerson, president of the Georgia Baptist Convention and pastor of Pinehurst Baptist Church in Columbus, stated, "I applaud the Floyd County Association for their decision to approve the 2000 BFM."

No withdrawl from SBC

Following the vote one of the members of North Broad Church read a prepared letter stating the church's intention to withdraw membership from the association comprised of 71 churches. Cooper stated that the letter was amiable, expressing appreciation for the relationship, which the church had enjoyed with the association for many years. The church leaders indicated that they have no plans to withdraw affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention.

At the same meeting the association also received gifts and pledges totaling over $43,000 for the Primera Iglesia Bautista, a Hispanic church in Rome, to help with the indebtedness on their property.