Missouri convention ousts 19 churches

The Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) voted Oct. 31 to oust 19 congregations — some of which have been part of the group since its beginning — because of their affiliations with other Baptist groups.

During its 172nd annual meeting in Cape Girardeau, the convention voted to refuse to seat messengers from any of the congregations at the meeting or future meetings.

The convention has a single-alignment requirement that prohibits churches from belonging to other Baptist organizations.

The vote came without recorded dissent.

At last year’s annual meeting, messengers voted to broaden a part of the Missouri convention’s rules that were unique among state conventions that relate to the national Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).

The provision, the original version of which dated to 1919, requires Missouri Baptist churches to be uniquely aligned with the SBC in their denominational affiliation. Messengers expanded the provision to also ban alignment by churches with paradenominational groups, such as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship or the Baptist General Convention of Missouri.

Part of the change involved establishing a permanent MBC credentials committee that would be able to investigate challenges to a church’s standing year-round.

Previously the credentials committee only existed during the annual meeting.

That committee notified 18 of the churches by certified mail prior to the convention that it would recommend unseating of any messengers they might send.

It added a 19th congregation to the list just prior to the convention meeting.

The churches disaffiliated with the convention are: Little Bonne Femme Baptist Church, Columbia; Chandler Baptist Church, Liberty; Cornerstone Baptist Church, Columbia; Cornerstone Baptist Church, Lee’s Summit; Grace Point Baptist Church, Kansas City; Heartland Baptist Fellowship, Marshfield; Olive Branch Baptist Church, Sedalia; Rock Falls Baptist Church, Orrick; Third Baptist Church, St. Louis; University Heights Baptist Church, Springfield; Winnwood Baptist Church, Kansas City; and the First Baptist churches of Cape Girardeau, Hamilton, Independence, Jefferson City, Lee’s Summit, Savannah, Smithville and Sweet Springs.

Each church’s messengers will be excluded until “their congregation takes the appropriate and necessary action to demonstrate a desire ‘to cooperate with the Missouri Baptist Convention in her program of single alignment with the Southern Baptist Convention,’” the convention’s action stated. (ABP)