A Letter to the congregation from the summer of 2021
Dear First Baptist Church family,
Years ago I preached a sermon from the book of Acts called, “How closed is the system?” In that teaching we explored the beautiful and arresting image of the Ethiopian Eunuch’s inclusion in the family of God. This movement of the church born in the body of Christ was more expansive than any could have imagined. The Eunuch asks a question at the heart of this story that has followed me around for years: “What is to keep me from being baptized?” This is a question born in tragedy but uttered in stubborn hope.
This question has brought clarity to how First Baptist Church understands inclusion, especially for people previously excluded for reasons of sexuality and/or gender. Our Board of Deacons, in collaboration with our staff, has approved guidelines for how we live into the values of our church around who belongs, focusing specifically on our covenantal life together. The guidelines we clarified fit with our current practices but bring them into focus, especially for people who might be unclear about how fully welcome they are within our church community. Too often churches offer a bait-and-switch approach to membership for certain peoples. They say they welcome and embrace everyone, but when congregants try to become members or serve in leadership, they discover a policy that excludes people based on their gender or sexuality. This approach lacks integrity and clarity in equal measures, offering crumbs from the banquet table but denying the full spread of God’s abundance. I believe in the power of God’s presence known uniquely within Christian community (i.e. the Church), and I am personally grateful for the particular ways that our church expresses love and Christian embrace.
Our updated guidelines are as follows: First Baptist Church of Pasadena invites all persons who profess that “Jesus is Lord” into the FULL covenantal life of our community, including but not limited to baptism, family blessing, membership, marriage, leadership, and ordination. First Baptist Church of Pasadena makes no distinction between persons based on sexuality or gender (Acts 10:34). Within these clarified guidelines is the core conviction of our community—that Jesus is Lord. This is our profession at baptism and the reality toward which our lives are aimed. Our hope is that this conviction is more and more true for each of us and all of us day by day. "Jesus is Lord" is a full and complete faith statement, simple in language and infinitely deep in understanding. This statement of faith is what binds us together, serving as a filter and focus for how we are mutually formed. Beyond the confession that Jesus is Lord, we find a multitude of expressions and affections. Each of us experiences God’s companionship uniquely, which is the beauty of our community.
I am grateful for the Board of Deacons in their partnership with the staff to clarify who can belong to our community and in what ways that belonging can grow and mature. Let's all take a breath together as we turn our hearts and eyes forward, imagining how God is calling us to be mutually formed in the image of Jesus Christ. Expanding our understanding of who God is welcoming is an early step. The next steps will be discovered together by the power of the Spirit. I tend to sign off my pastoral letters with the phrase “less without you.” The other way to say this is that we are “more with you," which is really what our statement of inclusion means. We believe that we are made more whole, more compassionate, more tōv (good!) through the power of our belonging to God and one another. I pray this letter finds you well, and know that we are truly…
Less without you,
Pastor John Jay Alvaro (in partnership with the Board of Deacons and Staff of First Baptist Church)
P.S. If you want to add an amen to this letter, if you have a question, or if you just want to chat, I am always here. My email is johnjay@fbcpasadena.com.