Elevation Church leaves Southern Baptist Convention
Less than a month after finalizing the ouster of one of its largest churches for having women pastors, the Southern Baptist Convention has lost another of its biggest congregations.
Elevation Church — a North Carolina-based megachurch that draws thousands of worshippers to its multiple campuses and has wielded a strong influence on contemporary Christian worship music — sent notice to the SBC on June 26 that it was withdrawing its affiliation.
Elevation's letter didn't state a reason. Elevation Pastor Steven Furtick's wife, Holly Furtick, preaches at Elevation to men and women, and has links to her sermons on her website.
The Baptist Faith and Message — the denomination’s statement of faith — says the office of pastor is limited to qualified men. Influential Southern Baptist leaders have said that preaching is inextricably linked to the role of pastor.
Earlier in June, the SBC representatives overwhelmingly voted at their annual meeting to affirm the expulsion of Saddleback Church, the Southern California megachurch founded by Rick Warren, author of the massive best-seller, “The Purpose Driven Life,” and his wife Kay Warren. The convention also affirmed the ouster of Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Both churches had appealed the February decision by the SBC's Executive Committee to remove them for having women pastors, along with three other congregations that didn't appeal.
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