CONCORD, N.C. — A Concord church that was removed from its association in April has been quietly taken off the rolls of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina as well.
McGill Baptist Church was voted out of the Cabarrus Baptist Association for allegedly baptizing two gay men. Jim Royston, executive director-treasurer of the state convention, said he and convention officers decided after hearing about the association’s move that McGill should be removed from the convention’s membership as well. Convention policy makes the church ineligible, he said.
In 1992, the convention’s general board changed its financial policy to exclude “any church which knowingly takes, or has taken, any official action which manifests public approval, promotion or blessing of homosexuality.” Such churches, the general board said, are not “cooperating churches” — the terminology for membership.
“Technically, it wasn’t because they were removed from the association,” Royston said. “It was the issue that brought it about. The issue, as far as I could tell, that impacted us was the public action of a church being removed from an association related to the homosexual issue.”
Steve Ayers, pastor of McGill Baptist, said the church has not made homosexuality an issue. “We’re just talking about accepting members,” he said. “I hope this doesn’t mean that all gay members of churches would be purged from churches affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.”
Share with others: