Baptist Union to remain orthodox on ministers’ marriages

Evangelicals are celebrating after the Baptist Union (BU) reaffirmed that its ministers cannot be in same-sex marriages.

The decision was taken by the 90-strong BU Council following extensive discussions of what it termed its ‘Ministerial Recognition Rules on Ministry and Marriage’. That process included a survey of Baptist Churches and ministers that was ‘designed to give Council a clearer picture of how our churches are engaging with issues of marriage and sexuality’ – including same-sex marriage.

After the discussion the BU issued a statement that said: ‘The recent consultation and Council decision centres around whether accredited Baptist ministers can be in a same-sex marriage. Council has now voted to keep the rules for accredited ministers unchanged. Therefore, married accredited ministers in the Baptist Union can only be in a marriage which is defined exclusively as between a man and a woman.’

The General Secretary of the BU, Lynn Green, has stressed both the importance of the decision on same-sex marriage and how it is arrived at, and how Baptists subsequently move forward together in future. She has urged that Baptists’ on-going life together should be characterised by ‘Christlike humility, gentleness, patience, love and grace’.

Nigel Coles, of the West of England Baptist Network and a member of the Core Team of Evangelical Baptists, commented: ‘This is truly excellent news! I am so grateful to God that the Council has not changed anything which could weaken the foundational basis on which the Baptist Union has stood.

‘Same-sex marriage has been a huge distraction within the BU for the last two years. My prayer now, as we confirm and affirm our historic stance on human sexuality, is that we can put it firmly behind us and unite around what Baptists have always considered their key priority. This is the Great Commission – and the central importance of praying for and building the spiritual renewal of Britain.’