DC Baptist Convention given ultimatum

WASHINGTON — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee (EC) has given the District of Columbia Baptist Convention (DCBC) 90 days to “secure” the “removal of any churches from its fellowship that have demonstrated a faith or practice affirming, approving or endorsing homosexual behavior,” according to a recommendation adopted by the EC on Feb. 20.

Acting on behalf of the SBC, the committee gave the D.C. convention until May 20 to deal with Calvary Baptist Church, which decided in January 2017 to call a legally married lesbian couple as co-pastors. Options for DCBC include helping lead the church to repentance, securing the church’s voluntary withdrawal from fellowship or disfellowshipping the church. If none of those scenarios materializes, the DCBC will lose immediately its authorization to “to receive and disburse Cooperative Program and other SBC contributions,” the EC stated during its Feb. 19–20 meetings in Nashville. (BP)