THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 15, 1994 TAG: 9411150276
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: SALEM, VA. LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
The moderates and conservatives in the Baptist General Association of Virginia will clash again today at their annual meeting. But this time the struggle will be more over money and power than ideology.
The moderate-led state association will consider a proposed bylaw that would restrict the voting power of conservative Southern Baptist Churches that contribute no money to the association.
Several hundred of the state association's 1,557 churches designate all their missions money to the conservative-controlled national Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville, Tenn.
The proposed bylaw ``would simply restore fairness to a system that has been eroded because of tensions within the denomination,'' said Eddie Freeman, a delegate from Charlottesville.
``It's not fair for churches to intentionally penalize the state association by sending all their money to the national body and keep the same voting rights,'' Freeman said Monday.
The proposed bylaw, which requires a two-thirds vote, failed by a few percentage points at the annual meeting two years ago, association spokesman Bob Lynch said.
If passed, it still would allocate two delegates for churches that don't contribute to the state association. But it would require a $300 contribution to the state association for another delegate and $600 for each additional delegate. Churches now can get additional delegates by sending additional money solely to the national organization. One church would still be able to send a maximum 15 delegates to state meetings.
The state assembly, which determines the corporate work of the state's 600,000 Southern Baptists, meets today and Wednesday at the Salem Civic Center.
The Virginia association is considered a leader in state-level resistance to the conservative takeover of the overall Southern Baptist Convention. Membership in the association, while providing a channel to support mission programs, also includes resources ranging from clergy support to congregational development.
The Southern Baptists have fought for more than a decade over literal interpretations of the Bible.
Conservative Southern Baptists in Virginia in 1993 formed their own organization, Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia, and hope eventually to gather enough support to take control of the state association from moderates.
The catalyst was a statewide meeting in 1992 when conservatives failed to get a resolution passed condemning homosexuality and saw their choice for president get less than 30 percent of the vote.
Conservatives argue that the moderate-led state association has neglected to take a strong stand on social issues such as abortion and homosexuality and on evangelism.
Up for president this year are Margaret Wieland, a moderate lay person from Danville, and John Simms, a conservative lay person from Roanoke. by CNB