Baptist Briefs: SBC rejects ‘Third-Way’ church

The Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee voted unanimously to declare New Heart Community Church in La Mirada, Calif., not in “friendly cooperation” with the SBC’s purpose. The California church voted in May to agree to disagree about whether the Bible teaches that homosexual behavior is always a sin. Danny Cortez, pastor of New Heart Community Church in La Mirada, Calif., watches proceedings from the visitors’ gallery. (ABPnews/Herald photo by Bob Allen)The SBC Executive Committee determined the congregation does not meet the definition of a “cooperating church” under an article of the SBC constitution banning congregations that “act to affirm, approve or endorse homosexual behavior.” The SBC Executive Committee vote followed a similar action by the executive board of the California Southern Baptist Convention. The 175-church Los Angeles Southern Baptist Association is scheduled to vote Oct. 11 on a motion not to seat messengers from New Heart or any church that disagrees with the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message. New Heart Pastor Danny Cortez preached a sermon in May posted on YouTube titled “Why I Changed My Mind on Homosexuality.” The message divided the congregation and prompted a vote about whether to terminate him as pastor. Instead of dismissing Cortez, the church initially called for a period of prayer, study and discernment. In the end, a majority voted to become a “Third-Way” congregation, neither endorsing nor condemning homosexuality but viewing it as a matter about which sincere Christians can disagree.

Sullivan to retire from Florida Baptist leadership post. John Sullivan, who turns 78 on Oct. 20, will retire after more than a quarter-century as the Florida Baptist Convention’s executive director-treasurer. Sullivan announced his plans to retire, effective Feb. 28 of next year, to the State Board of Missions, the convention’s governing body. John SullivanSullivan cited health, travel demands, age and family concerns as factors leading to his decision. The board appointed a nine-person search committee led by board Chair Marvin Pittman to find Sullivan’s successor. Sullivan was elected as the ninth executive director-treasurer of the Florida Convention on Jan. 20, 1989, as a unanimous choice of the board’s search committee. During his tenure, Florida Baptists started 2,500 churches and missions; established 14 international and national missions partnerships, and sent 385,000 Florida Baptists on convention-sponsored volunteer mission and ministry projects; gave $670 million through the Cooperative Program to support Southern Baptist mission and ministry causes and $20,600,000 for Florida missions through the Maguire State Mission Offering; and led the State Board of Missions to increase the percentage allocations to the Southern Baptist Convention’s Cooperative Program, despite declining gifts from churches through the Cooperative Program since 2008. Sullivan served as SBC first vice president in 1982-84; as a member of the SBC Executive Committee from 1980 to 1988; as a member of the SBC Peace Committee from 1986 to 1988; and as SBC parliamentarian from 1986 to 2012. Prior to coming to Florida, Sullivan served as pastor of Broadmoor Baptist Church in Shreveport, La., from 1975 to 1989 and as pastor of First Baptist Church in Sulphur Springs from 1971 to 1975. He previously served several other churches in Texas and Arizona.