Back in November, the Georgia Baptist Convention (GBC) meeting in Albany, GA withdrew fellowship from the Druid Hills Baptist Church in Atlanta because the church has a female co-pastor. Mimi Walker & her husband, Graham, have been serving the church since 2008. Druid Hills Baptist Church has played a huge part in the history of the GBC because the church was pastored for 40 years by Louie D Newton who served as President of the GBC, President of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), and wrote columns for many years in Baptist newspapers. Leaders of the Georgia Baptist Convention consulted with the church on several occasions but were unable to reach an agreement on this issue.

 Supporters for Druid Hills BC had several objections to this action by the GBC.  

 -The Bible says in Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. – So why can’t Mimi (a female) serve as pastor.

 -While there are some scriptures that seem to forbid women from serving in authority over men (1Tim 2:12), those scriptures were written in a male dominated culture and at a time when women were not educated. Women in our culture are highly educated and serve in leadership roles in business, education, medicine, and government – surely, they can handle being a Deacon or Pastor of a Baptist church.

 -Mimi Walker graduated with a Masters Degree in Religious Education from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. She and her husband were appointed as missionaries to the Philippines by the International Mission Board of the SBC. She served for 12 years in the Philippines as Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care and Christian Education of the seminary there (teaching local pastors HOW to pastor) and she also served as pastor to local churches. Why NOW are Baptists deciding that she can’t pastor?

-Why is GBC “selectively” applying the Scriptures?  Why are they just picking on women? When is the GBC going to start “dis-fellowshipping” churches who elect divorced Deacons and Pastors, or who practice other things that are forbidden by SBC rules ?  

-Most GBC churches located inside the “perimeter” of Atlanta have closed their doors and relocated to the suburbs.  Druid Hills is one of the few Baptist churches still sharing the Gospel  “downtown” – so why not just leave them alone?

Despite these objections, the GBC voted to exclude Druid Hills Baptist Church from membership in the GBC.

Please share your thought on this issue in our “nearly famous” Northlake Poll:

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