And now Baptists face same-sex marriage battle too

The Baptist Union (BU) could change its rules to allow the ordination of practicing homosexuals as early as October 2023 – but evangelical ministers within the union are making moves to defend the orthodox position.

In January, an in-person meeting of the newly-formed Evangelical Baptist Ministers for Marriage was held, against the background of increasing division over the issue of allowing the accreditation of practicing gay ministers. More than 220 orthodox evangelical baptists attended the meeting.

Under existing rules, the BU recognises only celibate and single individuals, or those in a heterosexual marriage, as eligible for ministerial accreditation. However, pressure has been building on the BU council to remove the celibacy requirement – which would effectively allow ordination of practicing gay ministers.