“The FEBPac churches listed below are formally requesting that our National Board direct our Fellowship Pacific region to move into a position of compliance with our National bylaws by reforming or removing churches that are in contravention of 4.1(a)(iii), which states that, “In member churches, the pastoral office is reserved for qualified men recognized by the local church for the oversight of the doctrine and practice of the church.” Under the section “Local Church” of our Affirmation of Faith, it states, “We believe that its officers are pastors and deacons,” suggesting that any of the following circumstances are a contravention of the bylaw:
- Churches with women elders
- Churches with women pastors functioning in an oversight or governance role
- Churches with women preaching regularly
On March 27, 2024, four pastors met with our Regional Board to express our concerns about this contravention and to ask for a forum or means for theological discussion to pursue doctrinal agreement within our churches on this issue. The Board clearly stated that as long as the practice of our churches does not contravene our Regional Bylaws, they will not enforce the National Bylaws. They also denied our request for a forum or means of theological discussion about the matter. It was confirmed again in a subsequent phone conversation between Ben Hall, Board Chair, and Paul Dirks, that the FEBPac region would not reform or remove a church that had women elders.”
Access the full document: https://keepfebcomplementarian.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/BC-Correspondence-on-Complementarian-Question.pdf
