Northwest College and Seminary opposes the motion to affirm Complementarianism and the National FEB Bylaw that restricts the pastoral office to biblically-qualified men, upholding the egalitarianism of Fellowship Pacific. In this video, Dr. Barton Priebe presents pragmatic and ecumenical arguments for rejecting both the National Bylaw and the 1997 Position Statement while defending the Pacific region’s Egalitarian stance. His primary objections to the Complementarian Motion presented at IMPACT ’25 include:
- It attempts to “change the goalposts” for students at the seminary
- It demoralizes young women entering ministry training
- It eliminates any room for differences on the issue of female pastors
- It inappropriately elevates secondary matters to tests of fellowship
Our Response: Why Complementarianism Matters While Dr. Priebe characterizes this as an unwelcome change, we maintain that the motion presented at the Fellowship Pacific meeting actually sought to restore the historic FEB position on gender roles—a position that has always been understood as secondary doctrine yet essential, not tertiary or irrelevant. Complementarianism represents clearly revealed Scriptural truth that FEB churches have historically upheld as second-level doctrine, essential for maintaining both unity and missiological integrity. The Problem with Theological Minimalism Dr. Priebe advocates for theological minimalism, arguing that holding firm on secondary doctrines creates unnecessary division and distracts from the Gospel. This minimalist approach, however, serves as a gateway to ecumenism that ultimately, in time, compromises even the Gospel itself. Why This Matters for Mission The practical implications are significant. Consider these fundamental questions: 1. How can we effectively plant churches without agreement on church leadership structure? 2. How can we send missionaries without consensus on what they should teach regarding biblical gender roles? Gender roles and Complementarianism are integral to the Gospel message and biblical witness. The good news of Jesus Christ calls both men and women to embrace their biblically defined roles and find their identity in Christ, promising healing and relational harmony through obedience to God’s design. The Path Forward No denomination can sustainably plant churches and send missionaries while maintaining fundamental disagreements on crucial secondary doctrines—particularly one as foundational as biblical gender roles. The solution isn’t theological minimalism that reduces our faith to the lowest common denominator and leads to ecumenism. Instead, we must reaffirm our historic commitment to Complementarianism as revealed in Scripture. The unity we seek comes not through abandoning distinctive doctrines, but through submission to the clear counsel of God’s Word. #ministry #theology #leadership #gospel #complementarianism #egalitarian #churchleadership #womeninministry #FEBchurches #biblicalroles #churchunity #missions #churchplanting #evangelicalchurch