The Ministers Council was founded in 1935 by our forebears in the faith to deepen spiritual journeys, to encourage collegial relationships and to strengthen professional effectiveness. Two years later the Ministers Council developed the original version of the Code of Ethics, since then maintained and updated by the Ministers Council and held as the denominational standard for ethical behavior of ministerial leaders. The Ministers Council is a professional society of ministerial leaders who pay dues and participate, but it also serves in many ways to advocate for, to resource and to strengthen all ministerial leaders of the ABC. It is an Affiliated Ministry Organization of the ABC and does not participate in denominational funding streams.
Over the years the Ministers Council has implemented various strategies to live into the original organizational purpose that is still maintained according to the current mission statement: “The Ministers Council is an autonomous, professional, multi-cultural organization of ordained, commissioned and lay Christian leaders within the American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. We are women and men who advocate for and covenant with each other to deepen our spiritual journey and to increase our effectiveness, as persons who are accepting the call of God and church for the advancement of the Gospel mission of the church of Jesus Christ and to proclaim His truth in a prophetic voice as led by the Holy Spirit.”
Currently the Ministers Council vision to implement its purpose is to strengthen colleagues in spiritual journeys, in collegial relationships and in professional effectiveness through enhanced opportunities for togetherness in ministry by means of three specific group configurations:
monthly gatherings of small collegial covenant groups through Together in Ministry funded by the nearly $2 million Lilly grant
regularly scheduled large national conferences where ministers gather with a broader range of colleagues than at home and see the big picture of how God is at work in the ABC (Strong in the Lord in 2004 and Wait on the Lord in 2006)
meetings of constituent Ministers Councils that attract colleagues by their quality and are dependably scheduled, developed by local officers wo are equipped for their leadership through resourcing and training
The first two are in process. The third was emphasis planned to launch as the next phase of work at Senate 2004, until circumstances related to homosexuality required deferring that work to a time beyond Senate 2005.
In early 2004 as plans began to develop for Senate 2004, matters related to homosexuality in the country raised consciousness that perhaps some senators might bring that agenda to Senate:
the consecration of an openly gay and partnered man as an Episcopal bishop
the overturning by the Texas Supreme Court of 13 anti-sodomy laws on the basis of privacy
the marriages of gays and lesbians in San Francisco and Massachusetts
the movement to enact a constitutional amendment on marriage
the discussion of the issue in the presidential election campaign
Given that possibility a history of the Ministers Council’s actions concerning homosexuality was compiled to inform senators of past actions and decisions (see www.ministerscouncil.com, Jerusalem Council, link on landing page between pre-Senate 2004 link and FAQ link). The intention was to maintain the stance reached by consensus at Senate 1996 that the Ministers Council focus on its mission and vision. Since that time and through that focus the Ministers Council has developed numerous resources, including a substantial website to equip ministerial leaders for their work, has sought and received grants for projects to strengthen ministerial leaders, and has planned and implemented numerous projects and programs.
In July 2004 a regional executive minister (PSW) telephoned the executive director of the Ministers Council to state that one elected senator who is lesbian was planning to be married prior to the Senate meeting, and the Senate must refuse to seat her. The executive director responded that there was no prior knowledge of that allegation, that she would telephone the senator in question, and that the executive committee would consult the bylaws and converse by conference call to determine the course of action.
The senator in question, Cynthia Maybeck, had already served two years as a senator from the Massachusetts Conference of Baptist Ministers. Early in 2004 she was also elected as president of the Massachusetts Conference of Baptist Ministers. Because the chair of the Senate committee on which she had done substantial work would be unable to attend Senate 2004 he had asked her to serve in that role for that summer’s Senate. Some have questioned whether Cynthia came into the ABC as a minister from another denomination. The answer is that she is the daughter of a retired ABC pastor who recently served as president of the Board of National Ministries, she grew up in ABC churches and she pastors Trinity Church in Northborough, MA.
When a call was placed to Cynthia Maybeck she responded that she and her partner planned a “making it legal” ritual in late July, in a church and a state where such an action was authorized. She had no thought that she was taking a step that would be problematic or even relevant to the Ministers Council. She and her partner had at that point been in a committed relationship for seventeen years and had consecrated that relationship in a church service nine years earlier.
The Ministers Council executive committee was notified of the various details of the situation and a date scan established a conference call date. The committee met by telephone, studied the organizational bylaws as they relate to the seating of senators, and decided that on the basis of “ARTICLE VIII – SENATE, Section 1. There shall be a Senate of the Ministers Council composed of members elected by constituent councils affiliated with this body…” there is no provision for refusing to seat a duly elected senator who serves on the Senate as an agent of the constituent Council. The executive committee in place at that point was comprised of persons from one end to the other of the theological spectrum concerning homosexuality. Their decision on seating the Massachusetts senator related to governance.
The executive committee made further decisions and communicated them to the Senate, to constituent Council presidents, to region executive ministers and to national executive staff. On the basis of the biblical principle established in the practice of not eating meat sacrificed to idols, they decided that the senator from Massachusetts would not serve as an agent of the national Ministers Council in acting as a substitute committee chair. The executive committee made and reported other decisions cited below, disseminated along with citation of the 1992 resolution on homosexuality and the 1993 resolution calling for dialogue on human sexuality (and its supporting policy statements that are part of the resolution). These decisions and other relevant information may be found on www.ministerscouncil.com, Jerusalem Council.
After the executive committee conference call and its reporting, many further communications were received, in favor of the decision, against the decision, and proposing future actions. Two communications in particular are relevant to the Jerusalem Council process in which the Ministers Council is now engaged. First, the PSW Ministers Council proposed a bylaws amendment (posted on the website and distributed at Jerusalem Council gatherings) and disseminated it to the senators. The proposed amendment did not meet the deadline for a Senate 2004 vote. During the Senate meeting it was signed by fifteen senators and was presented for action at Senate 2005. )“ARTICLE XIII - AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS, These ByLaws may be amended at any meeting of the Senate by a two-thirds vote of the Senators present and voting, provided that the amendment has been recommended by the Executive Committee of this body and notice of such an amendment has been submitted in writing to all Senators at least one month prior to the meeting at which such amendment is to be voted upon, or provided that written notice of the proposed amendment is presented at a previous annual meeting of the Senate and is signed by fifteen Senators.”)
In addition a retired pastor in PSW who had previously served as PSW senator sent a letter to the Ministers Council executive director proposing a Jerusalem Council process, according to the model of Acts 15 (see Acts 10-15 for the sequence of events), where by Scripture, testimony and Spirit the early Church made a decision concerning the inclusion of Gentiles within the Church. Prior to Senate the proposal was presented to the executive committee, who found it providential and asked the committee on denominational relationships to develop a plan on that model. That committee framed the discussion on the Scripture text to love God and neighbor as oneself, referring to the Great Commandment of Jesus, to position the discussion in the broadest theological context (“interpreting the Bible whole”).
The post-Senate 2004 report stated: “Many ABC regions are somewhat homogeneous in their biblical interpretation as it relates to homosexuality, but many are not and none are uniformly of one opinion. The Jerusalem Council process proposed will offer the opportunity for conversation within constituent councils informed by Scripture, Spirit and testimony. Such discernment will equip the 2005 Senators as they prepare to vote, as will the collection and analysis of written responses. The way forward to implement the proposal will be to seek about 15 ABC senior statespersons who, out of love for the family, would be willing to be trained to lead constituent council events and each take on about two gatherings. There is great value in having our saints take charge of helping us talk with one another in the hope that we will go on together in the work of Jesus Christ. Implementation will also require funding from any persons and agencies that envision such a process as furthering the possibility of God's mission through the denomination.”
The post-Senate 2004 report also stated: “In addition, the Senate voted that the President of the Ministers Council would send a letter to the President and the General Secretary of the ABC asking that a Jerusalem Council process be engaged among denominational stakeholders. Such a process would acknowledge that deep division on the issue is a reality of our common life and not just the Ministers Council. It would also allow the exploration of the possibility of our going on together despite the deep division on this issue. He has sent that letter.”
Just prior to the February 2005 meeting of the Ministers Council executive committee a letter was sent by Roy Medley to executive committee members stating that after consultation among many leaders the consensus was that a denominational commission to address the issue of homosexuality is not timely at this moment. The reasons cited are the inclusion of all interested ministers in the Jerusalem Council project (“to create a parallel listening process would be confusing and duplicative”) and that the Commission on Denominational Unity brought into place around the issue of disfellowshipped churches had already invested considerable time “in listening and dialogue and brought forth many recommendations that were adopted or modified by the General Board.” The letter also states that key leaders continue to have dialogue “focused on the question: ‘How can we continue to live together around the issue of homosexuality.’”
After the Senate 2004 meeting work began to implement the Jerusalem Council project. A total of 20 Jerusalem Council events were projected to be held for ABC ministerial leaders around the country by late June 2005. A grant proposal to underwrite costs garnered $50,000, with a challenge that constituent Councils contribute a total of $5,000 in addition. The Ministers Council president and executive director met with the General Board Executive Committee to explain the Jerusalem Council project and to relay the request of Senate 2004 that key stakeholders in the national ABC leadership engage a similar process. Ellen Morseth, spiritual leadership consultant who has worked with the Ministers Council and the ABC General Board, designed the process and trained facilitators. A letter of invitation was mailed to 60 retired, respected ABC leaders who were suggested as candidates to request their involvement as facilitators to be trained for leading the gatherings. The fifteen persons who accepted the opportunity for service have been trained and as Jerusalem Councils are scheduled they are assigned to serve as spiritual companions. Their names and bios, reports on Jerusalem Councils already held and the schedule of future Jerusalem Councils may be found on www.ministerscouncil.com.
In November 2004 the General Board, the Region Executive Ministers Council and the General Executive Council met at Green Lake. At the meeting of the General Board Roy Medley’s report Bridge People in a World of Wall-Builders (on ABC website), as well as his Sunday sermon, called the ABC to build bridges not walls, referenced the Ministers Council Jerusalem Council project as “a transforming initiative,” and invited everyone to fast and pray for it the first Monday of every month until the June 2005 General Board meeting. The Region Executive Ministers Council meeting also at Green Lake in November 2004 passed a “pastoral letter” on matters related to homosexuality, characterized as an effort to calm the conflict as they discuss and pray about the issue until the June 2005 meetings. The executive director and the president of the Ministers Council reported on the Jerusalem Council project to the General Executive Council and engaged in discussion with members of GEC. At GEC one region executive minister brought forth a printed motion to dismiss the Ministers Council from the ABC if the vote at Senate 2005 does not amend the bylaws to refuse seating to gay and lesbian senators. After considerable discussion the motion was withdrawn because it seemed to undercut point number four of the REMC pastoral letter that agrees not to make threats to withdraw fellowship and funding. The Ministers Council executive director will again report on the Jerusalem Council project at the April 2005 GEC meeting.
Since the November 2004 meetings, a Great Commission Network has met in Yorba Linda on January 31, 2005. Among other aims it established a confession to be signed by GCN participants that names the practice of homosexuality as sin. On February 18 and 19, 2005, a Summit of 158 persons met in Rochester and among other activities developed and disseminated a statement that reaffirms that the Old and New Testaments are “the sufficient ground of our faith and practice and, under the experience of the Holy Spirit, need no creed or confession,” and affirms national leadership, supports Baptist principles, and commits to be “Bridge-Builders.” Further reports on the Summit will be posted on the Rochester-Genesee Region website.
On February 16, 2005, Ken Savage, who originally proposed the Jerusalem Council model and who has been re-elected as a PSW senator, sent a letter concerning it to all of the senators and invited their responses. The process of discernment and dialogue is deepened by the ensuing conversation. With permission of the writers Ken’s letter and senators’ responses are posted on www.ministerscouncil.com under Jerusalem Council, Correspondence link.
Data from various information streams will be compiled by a professional evaluator to inform senators prior to the Senate 2005 vote on the bylaws amendment:
Responses to three questions discussed at the final session of Jerusalem Councils
Input from ministerial leaders on individual response forms (www.ministerscouncil.com)
Reports from spiritual companions at the Jerusalem Councils
Correspondence generated by Ken Savage’s letter of February 2005
The Jerusalem Council process will help prepare senators for the vote AND to speak in any other way the Senate 2005 might choose. While it is a process designed to address one particular situation in the life of one organization, the Ministers Council is aware that reverberations will impact the entire denomination. We seek to engage it with wisdom, grace and courage, in the spirit of this prayer:
O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing. Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.