An Open Letter to NSW & ACT Baptists

A Special Assembly held in February 2021 passed motions that hold significant consequences for our Association. We are concerned that our Association is locked into implementation of these without sufficient regard for the complexities they present for our pastors and churches and the challenges they pose to the relationship between the Association and its member churches. We write to let you know of our concerns.

The motions passed at the February Special Assembly require the removal from our Association of any church that does not support the Association’s basic beliefs, core values and objects and the withdrawal of the accreditation of any pastor who likewise does not subscribe to the Association’s basic beliefs, core values and objects.

It is our view that this represents a deep and fundamental break with what we understand is central to a Baptist way of being church.

British Baptist theologian Nigel Wright points out that “Baptists are at the radical end of the Protestant spectrum and represent a markedly different way of being the Church of Jesus Christ. They have broken with the idea that the church was ever called to be an imperial institution exercising sacred power over its members and with the power to command. They came to see it as a free community of the redeemed, of those committed to voluntary and wholehearted commitment to the way of Christ pursued in solidarity and mutual affirmation.” (Nigel Wright, “Baptist Christians Repentant and Unrepentant” in Cohen and Parsons, Beyond 400. Exploring Baptist Futures.)

Central to this way of being church is our recognition that every local church has Christ as its head and that it is the responsibility of its members gathered, with Christ in their midst and the Scriptures as their rule of faith, to discern the will of Christ for their faith, life and mission.

This has significant implications for the shape of our Association of churches. Our Association exists for member churches to support and consult with one another, but has no place prescribing what member churches must believe and practise. We are an association of local churches that share allegiance to Christ the Lord and a commitment to the Scriptures as our rule of faith, but often reach diverse conclusions as to what the Scriptures say and mean and on their application to our local contexts. Consequently, on those occasions in which our diversity has provoked strong debate between our churches and on the floor of our assemblies, we have found our way forward not by dividing or excluding but by making space for one another.

This has never prevented the Association from making statements of beliefs, values or purposes. We have however regarded these as confessional, that is, descriptions of the consensus position of our member churches, with churches and individuals free to dissent. We have steadfastly refused to treat our statements as creedal, that is, as prescriptive positions to which churches and individuals must conform.

The motions passed at the February Assembly break with these core principles of Baptist practice. Their specific purpose is to prevent member churches and their pastors holding any position that differs at any point with the Association’s basic beliefs, core values or objects statements. To ensure compliance they introduce the requirement that pastors and churches make regular, formal declarations of their alignment with the Association’s basic beliefs, core values and objects and require the disaffiliation of churches and discreditation of pastors that fail to do so. They turn our confessions into creeds, invert the relationship between church and Association, and intrude on the relationship between Christ and every local church.

We cannot support such a shift and will not participate in processes that require us to do so. We are already seeing destructive fallout from the decisions of the February Assembly in a number of our churches and believe the consequences for Baptist churches and our Association will multiply. We intend to explain the risks to our churches and to urge them to join us in supporting a traditional Baptist understanding of the priesthood of all believers and the autonomy of the local church.

We do not have any confidence that it was the intention of the February Special Assembly to break with a Baptist way of being church, nor that it is prudent to proceed with implementation of motions that bear so heavily on our pastors, churches and Association when almost 4 in 10 votes were cast against them.

In view of the matters we are raising, we call the Association to pause implementation of the motions of the February Special Assembly until the member churches have given sufficient time to reflect on the nature of what it is to be Baptist churches in a Baptist Association.

Posted September 17, 2021

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An Open Letter to NSW & ACT Baptists

Signatories

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244 Sad Sack
243 Bruce Davies
242 Janine Davies
241 Ella Evans
240 SALLY LONGLEY
239 Keith Blackburn
238 Ted Sherwood
237 maria matherson
236 Guy Yeomans
235 Lachlan Barraclough
234 Allan Smith
233 Clint Staj
232 Mike Hill
231 Krystal Hadfield
230 Gareth Hadfield
229 Andrew Baxter
228 Barbara Spicer
227 Roger Swanson
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225 Meg Mucklestone
224 Frank Willis
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222 Gill Schierhout
221 Hannah Roux
220 Sharon Debenham
219 Bruce Debenham
218 Narelle Hampe
217 David Hampe
216 Iven Laufer
215 Marcia Balzer
214 David Deal
213 Georgina Hulme
212 Abby Gibson
211 Ruth Hamilton
210 Roslyn Hancock
209 Alan LIVINGSTON
208 Jess Stevens
207 Andrew Roberts
206 Andrew Hulme
205 Russell Hancock
204 Jono Dorse
203 Stephen Walter
202 Stephen Logan
201 Brendan Handel
200 Bethany Parson
199 Greg Lear
198 Janine Laidler
197 James Clarke
196 Vikki Howorth
195 David Carpenter
194 Maddison Wales
193 Emma Lalic
192 Rick Middleton
191 Ruth Middleton
190 Barbara Scott
189 Arden Cassie
188 Robert Gibson
187 Natalie Stackhouse
186 Leona Goodman
185 Alan Hood
184 Judy Kay
183 Ella Palmer
182 Peter Kilpatrick
181 Sally Pilgrim
180 Shawnee Schmid
179 Sue Gould
178 Susan Lear
177 Dorothee Wenner
176 Lesley Burgess
175 Tracy Wright
174 Bruce Millar
173 Alwynne Gray
172 John Lewis
171 Rosemary Schaffler
170 Niall Robb
169 Dan Walz
168 Richard Nash
167 Mike Jones
166 Shannon King
165 Mark Hall
164 Paul Johnson
163 Terry Logan
162 Peter GREEN
161 Ben Rodgers
160 Daniel Waugh
159 Thomas Schmid
158 Vu Thien An Le
157 Ric Sindel
156 Don Wright
155 David Choi
154 Peter Junor
153 Ian Stanfield
152 Anne Kilcullen
151 Canberra Baptist Church
150 Sue Lavery
149 Rob Ellis
148 Keith Joyce
147 John Higgins
146 Richard Bauer
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143 Glenn Jackson
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141 Liz Blackwell
140 Emily Stein
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134 Les Steinl9
133 Diana Amos
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131 Jack Styles
130 Ross Young
129 Douglas Sotheren
128 Barbara Arndell
127 Annette Conlon
126 Wendy Schaefer
125 Ross Dickens
124 Christine Lambert
123 Noeleen Horswell
122 MERILYN HUNT
121 RAY HUNT
120 Harry Brooks
119 Cindy Selwood
118 Donald White
117 Patrick Aristobil-Adele
116 Christene Apps
115 Heather Jordan
114 Lynette Hunter
113 Peter Hunter
112 Clive Dillen
111 Tim Lindsay
110 Virginia O’Bree
109 Doreen Battle
108 Steve Cooper
107 ROGER KEMP
106 Glenys Wakeford
105 Helen Holly
104 Russell Holly
103 Mandy Gray
102 Neil Harris
101 Barbara Kent
100 Geoff Crawford
99 Melanie Wellings
98 Tony Richardson
97 Glenn Bower
96 Carolyn Altman
95 Ian Altman
94 Gary Hilton
93 Peter Churcher
92 Helen Hilton
91 Skye Callan
90 Steve Callan
89 colin cowling
88 Douglas Hynd
87 Catherine Stafford
86 Robyn Richardson
85 Sue Williams
84 Rebecca Hilton
83 Helen Stafford
82 Kathy Joyce
81 Ella Whateley
80 Janelle Lamont
79 John Clark
78 Lucy Gledhill
77 Miriam Downey
76 Andrew Jackson
75 John Fletcher
74 Gill FLETCHER
73 Mark Falson
72 Graham Weir
71 Rose Weir
70 Emma Walsh
69 Danelle McLeay
68 Chris Clarke
67 Bradley Blacker
66 Peter GREEN
65 Heather Hollier
64 Paul Hollier
63 Peter Archer
62 Ian Packer
61 Karen Quah
60 Lyn Kidson
59 Christal Richardson
58 Rosanne Marsden
57 Ken Clendinning
56 Merrill Dodson-Wellings
55 Mark Wellings
54 Darrell Jackson
53 Jennie Clarke
52 Thorwald Lorenzen
51 Emma Matheson
50 Erin Sessions
49 Dave Rowe
48 Gary Izzard
47 Cheryl Clendinning
46 Pip Miner
45 Philip Waugh
44 Hayley-Jayne Bernhardt
43 Daphne Bate
42 Ian Reid
41 Rob Mcgowan
40 Thomas Walton
39 Vivian Grice
38 Todd Darvas
37 Benj Gould
36 Christine McPherson
35 John Reid
34 Ian Vippond
33 Darryl Spicer
32 Paul Falconer
31 Gerlinde Spencer
30 Dean Moore
29 Rob French
28 Ian Spencer
27 James Piper
26 Virginia Ellis
25 John Merchant
24 Chris McGowan
23 Sid Grindley
22 Kelly Crawford
21 Alan Anderson
20 Amy Watkins
19 Graham Hill
18 Matt Beckenham
17 Mitch Forbes
16 Jeanette Mathews
15 Andrew Dodd
14 Katie Watson
13 James Kime
12 John Cavanough
11 Josh Dowton
10 Graeme Anderson
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8 Phil Smith
7 Christine Redwood
6 Joel Small
5 Will Small
4 Belinda Groves
3 Scott Higgins
2 Andrew Robb
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