First Norman Reaffirms the 1963 BF&M
Members of the First Baptist Church of Norman voted 148 to 10 to reaffirm the 1963 Baptist Faith & Message at a specially called business meeting on February 6.
The congregation’s denominational relations committee called for a special meeting to recommend that the congregation reaffirm its commitment to the 1963 BF&M and to reaffirm the practice of giving members options concerning the distribution of their outside mission giving.
December 2001 giving figures reveal that 44 percent of the congregation’s giving to outside mission organizations went to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, 30 percent went to the CBF of Oklahoma, 11 percent went to the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, 8 percent went to Union Baptist Association, and 7 percent went to the SBC.
Responding to a question about the 2000 BF&M, committee chairman Don Jimerson said,
“The 2000 BF&M is at best controversial. It states in the preamble that we will be held accountable to each other. I have a problem personally with that . . . I’m going to be held accountable to God.”
According to Jimerson, two other changes in the 2000 BF&M have caused controversy. One is the removal of the statement that Jesus is the criteria by which the Bible is to be interpreted. The second is the prohibition against calling females as senior pastors. “Some say they’re taking away the autonomy of the local church,” Jimerson explained, “and some say they don’t know how to interpret the Bible.”
Jimerson observed, “It would be hard for us in our church to affirm the 2000 because of the fact that we have a vision statement that deals with gender.” First Norman has ordained both women deacons and female chaplains.
First Baptist of Norman’s decision to reaffirm the 1963 BF&M , rather than affirm the 2000 BF&M, is consonant with similar decisions made by First Baptist of Oklahoma City and scores of other church across the country as well as by the Baptist state conventions in Texas and Virginia.