Baptist Board Votes to Stay in 2 Groups
By a vote of 160 to 5 with one abstention, members of the General Board of American Baptist Churches have voted to continue membership in the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.
The board, meeting in Philadelphia, also voted to become an “official observer” in the National Assn. of Evangelicals. The evangelical body does not permit full membership of denominations belonging to other ecumenical organizations.
The vote affirmed the recommendation of the American Baptist’s Ecumenical Relations Review Commission, which has been monitoring and critiquing the two councils since 1984, when several American Baptist congregations requested withdrawal.
Those favoring membership pointed out that American Baptist churches helped found both councils and have a history of involvement in ecumenical relations. “We cannot effect ecumenical change if we do not participate ecumenically,” one proponent stated.
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