Following Jesus

The following words were spoken at the 143rd Annual Tennessee Baptist Mission Board Summit on Tuesday, November 14, 2017.

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Did Jesus tell you to do this?

This is my honest question to the credentials committee.  Did Jesus tell you not to seat the messengers of First Baptist Church Jefferson City? 

I am Kelly Moreland Jones, messenger from cooperating church, Nashville First, where we enjoy unity in Christ and diverse theological opinions.  We align with the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message and benefit regularly from the leadership gifts of both men and women.

I understand that there are brothers and sisters in this room today whose churches operate both similarly and differently than my congregation. 

I’m here because I believe deeply in the necessity of soul competency, the priesthood of the believer, and the autonomy of the local church.  Those are not just words thrown around in news articles.  Without these principles we are not Baptist.  The only way to show evidence of those principles is by our actions.  For this reason I urge you to vote against the motion.  I am in favor of seating First Baptist Church Jefferson City.  I hold a letter in support of Reverend Di Giosia and her church signed by several members of my church and members of other TN Baptist churches.  We trust in God to connect pastors with churches.  To do anything less is idolatrous.

With regard to whether women should be entrusted with the position of senior pastor I ask that you consider our denomination’s progression with regard to slavery and racism. 

When slavery was contested, proof texts were invoked to support slavery as the God-ordained order for man.  Our forebears’ response to the brutality of slavery was to insist on separate churches and Sunday schools for enslaved people.  It didn’t occur to them that the institution of slavery was anti-Christian, but we know and accept today that it was. 

Perhaps they were asking the wrong questions.  Perhaps they should have asked what Jesus would have them to do.

In 2015 the SBC adopted a resolution saying, “Racism is sin because it disregards the image of God in all people and denies the truth of the Gospel that believers are all one in Him.”  We were right in repenting and correcting the sin of racism.

Today we should ask: what Jesus would have us do?

As racism was declared a sin in 2015, so sexism also disregards the image of God in all people and denies the truth of the Gospel that believers are all one in Christ.  If we vote to exclude First Baptist Jefferson City on the basis of their calling a woman as a senior pastor then we are denying the reality of these truths and our Baptist principles.  What would Jesus do?  I think he is calling us to seat FBC Jeff’s messengers and bless the ministry of Reverend Di Giosia.