www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?id=29908 -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 2/18/2009
Last Visited: 2/19/2009
Three people from the church -- interim pastor Charles Johnson, minister of congregation care Jorene Taylor Swift and denominational relations committee member Lyn Robbins -- voluntarily appeared and asked members of the Bylaws Workgroup and the Administration Subcommittee, both of which considered the matter, not to recommend breaking the relationship.
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"The committee has asked us to sort of strengthen our statement on the matter of homosexuality," Johnson, the interim pastor, told Baptist Press.
"We receive that challenge ... and we're going to take it very seriously and prayerfully and go back to our congregation and follow the light and leadership of the spirit of God."
Johnson said he was "very heartened" and "encouraged" by discussions with committee members throughout the day.
The Bylaws Workgroup and Administrative Subcommittee meetings each went past their scheduled end times, with members asking Johnson and the other two church representatives pointed questions about the church's position on homosexuality.
Johnson, who began serving in his role in July, told Baptist Press he came to the committee meeting in order to tell members the church does not endorse homosexuality and to urge them not to act while the church "is healing" from losing not only its pastor but some of its members following last year's controversies.
"Everyone has been gracious to us.
We have felt a sensitivity from the committee toward our congregational situation, and we've received the wisdom of the committee," he said.
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"I'm still prayerfully confident ... that we can have a positive conclusion to this whole matter [of disaffiliation]," Johnson said.