A Tennessee church has announced they have voted to disaffiliate from the Southern Baptist Convention after nearly 70 years of partnership, warming the cockles of our hearts with this wonderfully thrilling news.
Monte Vista Baptist Church, a 150-member congregation in Maryville, TN, issued a press release announcing the unanimous vote of the community “in response to the convention’s recent decisions that only men are qualified by Scripture to serve as pastor of a local congregation and the subsequent exclusion of some churches where women were serving in a pastoral position.” They explain:
“Monte Vista has ordained women to serve as deacons, chaplains, and in positions of leadership within the local church. We currently have a woman serving on our pastoral team. It has become increasingly difficult to remain associated with a ministry partner that does not share our deepest values.”
No kidding. Tellingly, the church says they’ll continue their affiliation with The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, that pro-LGBTQ, pro-choice PCUSA-aping, ELCA-wannabe Fellowship filled with rank heretics and progressive barn burners, demonstrating the rank hypocrisy and biblical ignorance of this church and leadership.
The only thing sad about this is that the SBC abdicated their duties for so long to let this church remain in good standing, allowing them to “quit” rather than be “fired” for cause.
