The senior pastor
of a Baptist church embroiled in a debate over putting
photos of its gay members in a church directory will be
allowed to keep his pulpit. Members of Broadway
Baptist Church in Fort Worth voted 499 to 237 on March
9 to reject an attempt to oust Reverend Brett Younger.
''I hope we will
move forward and be the church together and that others
will come and share church with us,'' said Younger, who has
led the congregation for seven years. ''Broadway has
been for a long time an amazing congregation that is
willing to tackle difficult issues. I think it will
continue to be a congregation that challenges its members to
think and serve.''
A group calling
itself Friends for the Future of Broadway had collected
more than 160 signatures on a petition calling for Younger's
removal. They worried that Younger was embracing a
theology they considered too liberal.
''We respect the
will of the majority and pray for the congregation's
healing, recovery, and continued service to the community
that befits a 125-year-old church,'' said Robert Saul,
a spokesman for the group.
While the
congregation is affiliated with the Southern Baptist
Convention, it has taken positions to the left of the
conservative-dominated denomination.
Last year,
several gay couples who belong to the church asked that
their portraits be allowed to appear in the church's
125th anniversary directory. Critics said the photos
could be interpreted as endorsing same-sex
relationships. As a compromise, the church voted last month
to publish a directory that would include member
photos in ''candid, small, and large group pictures''
but not include family portraits.
''Broadway has
always been a moderate Baptist church that didn't lean too
far to the left or lean too far to the right,'' said Tom
Dodson, a longtime church member. ''Our concern is
that we are leaning too far to the left and losing our
Baptist distinctive beliefs.''
After the vote,
church members stood in a long receiving line for a
chance to hug Younger. (AP)
