Friday, February 15, 2008

I found this in an email I get called the ministry report. Personally, I think Pastor Brett Younger will be fine. I hope all of his supporters go with him if he is forced out.

What do you do when gay couples show up for your church’s pictorial directory? If you’re the deacons of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, you lobby for no family photos at all—and then vote to fire your pastor. That’s the multilayered controversy that’s erupted at the downtown church since last year, when it attempted to commemorate its 125th anniversary with a photo album. Since then, several congregants believe senior minister Brett Younger has taken the church beyond just welcoming homosexuals to affirming their lifestyle. Although 162 members signed a petition to oust the pastor (only 100 were needed to force a vote), more than 200 have signed a statement opposing his removal. Broadway has long been known for its ministry to the poor, a liturgical worship style uncharacteristic of a Baptist church and for including women as deacons and ministers. “We are trying to be a church where people with different opinions on that important issue are welcome,” Younger said recently. “We’re either becoming a community of grace or a community of judgment, a community that welcomes everyone or a community of self-righteousness.” [dallasnews.com, 2/13/08]

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