STATEMENT:
1. We believe that the Bible affirms that both men and women are equal as image bearers of God
and together share the responsibilities of ruling over creation.
2. As created and ordered by God, men and women are distinct from one another in their
maleness and femaleness.
3. While the fall added the dimension of conflict into the male/female relationship, redemption in
Christ aims at removing conflict and establishing relational harmony.
4. Within the church men and women have equal standing before God as heirs of the faith and
members of the body of Christ, sharing equally as recipients in the distribution of spiritual gifts
according to their divinely intended ministries.
5. A basic pattern of functional order exists in the church in which certain designated men are
given the responsibility of a teaching, governing ministry. Men not designated to such leadership,
as well as women, are to respect and honour their leadership.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS:
1. In Fellowship Baptist Churches the biblical office of Pastor/Elder/Overseer is for qualified
men appointed by the local church to a teaching, governing ministry, thus shaping the doctrine
and practice of the church.
2. Churches are expected to call staff members “pastors” only when they qualify for the biblical
office of pastor/elder/overseer.
Access the full document: https://keepfebcomplementarian.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/1997-Position-Statement.pdf
