Albany church expelled from Southern Baptist Convention

ALBANY — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee has disfellowshiped an Albany church for alleged “intentional discriminatory acts toward individuals based solely on the color of their skin,” a recommendation adopted at the committee’s Monday meeting in Dallas said.

A spokesperson from the convention referred The Albany Herald to a story the Baptist Press, the convention’s news service, carried on the matter.

The executive committee acted ad interim on behalf of the SBC, stating that Raleigh White Baptist Church was expelled because the congregation “does not presently meet the definition of a cooperating church under Article III (of the SBC Constitution) and that messengers from the church should not be seated at meetings of the Convention until such time as the church declares repentance for its actions and takes appropriate steps to restore its fellowship with the Convention,” the Baptist Press reported.

“Southern Baptists are not only on record but strongly committed to standing against racism and prejudice,” Outgoing Committee Chair Stephen Rummage told Baptist Press. “And if a church stands for racism and prejudice, then they do not stand with us, and we do not stand with them.”

Written background material provided to committee members said that Raleigh White — a small congregation comprising predominantly senior adults — invited a predominantly African American congregation, New Seasons Church of Albany, about three years ago to share its space but subsequently experienced conflict with that congregation.

The conflict “reportedly came to a head in March” after two years of escalating tension, when New Seasons visitors inadvertently arrived at the shared facility during Raleigh White’s homecoming service and were turned away, background information on the matter said.

“A daughter of one of the visitors asked to use the restroom and reportedly was told she could use the convenience store down the road,” the Baptist Press reported from the available background.

The Baptist Press reported that the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and the Albany-based Mallary Baptist Association both tried unsuccessfully to mediate the conflict between Raleigh White and New Seasons. The Mallary Association withdrew fellowship from Raleigh White on April 3, and the GBMB sent a letter April 9 informing the congregation it was no longer affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention.

A statement posted on the Mallary Baptist Association website in April explained its position:

“On Tuesday April 3rd at 7:00 PM, the Executive Committee of the Mallary Baptist Association held a special called meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to consider a recommendation from the administrative team of the association. The recommendation called for the removal of one our churches from the fellowship of our association. The reason for this action involved the church’s un-Christian attitudes and acts toward another associational church. These attitudes and acts were racially motivated. Thus they do not reflect the values and mission of the Mallary Baptist Association.

“The recommendation also included returning all 2018 financial gifts made to the association back to the removed church, informing the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention about our actions taken, and a pathway to reinstatement to fellowship with our association if the church openly repents of their sin against the other church and demonstrates the genuineness of repentance by allowing an associational-appointed mediator to work to reconcile biblically the relationship between the congregations so that both churches can minister effectively to the surrounding community. The Mallary Baptist Association shall actively pursue a location for New Seasons Church to meet for worship and ministry.

“Twenty-six churches of the association met for the meeting. Following much discussion, the members of the executive committee voted unanimously to accept the administrative team’s recommendation.

“The recommendation called for serious actions, but they were not meant simply to punish but ultimately to bring about reconciliation and strengthen our association’s witness in the communities in which we minister. We seek above all to advance the Gospel and honor our Lord Jesus Christ.”

New Seasons has since started sharing a facility with Radium Springs Baptist Church at 2402 Roxanna Road. A phone message left at Raleigh White was not immediately returned.

Hans Wunch, associational missionary for Mallary Baptist Association, expressed hope Tuesday that a resolution could still be achieved.

“The leadership and members of the Mallary Baptist Association still hope and pray restoration and repentance will be sought and desired,” Wunch said. “We are grateful that the SBC has chosen to stand behind our action and desire for restoration following repentance.”

A convention executive committee staff member contacted individuals aware of the situation at Raleigh White, and its administrative committee was told during a Monday meeting. Those contacts confirmed reports about Raleigh White from the association and the GBMB.

Disfellowshiping Raleigh White “was the right decision for us to make,” Rummage, pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Fla., said, but he added, “it is always a sad decision to make when we withdraw fellowship from a church,” the Baptist Press reported.