For over a decade I’ve been calling for churches to add a statement about marriage to their official documents. It was evident many years ago that the day would come when gay marriage would be widely accepted in our culture. I should note in passing that yesterday President Obama promised that he would not force churches to perform gay weddings.

Well, that’s a relief.

Or maybe not. After reading the president’s full statement regarding the Supreme Court decisions, Christians should wonder how long the government will respect our convictions regarding marriage. The tone of the statement suggests we will feel increasing pressure to give way on the issue of marriage. 

Either cave in or keep quiet. 

For those who prefer neither option, let me recommend that every evangelical church write a statement about marriage and place it in your most foundational document. Follow whatever procedure your church mandates. Study the issue, appoint a task force, educate your people, take it to the elders or to the session or to the consistory or to the deacons, and then have church vote if that’s what your system requires. Follow the proper steps in your congregation and then put marriage into your church constitution. 

Not in the “policies and procedures” section.
Put it in the “This is what we believe” section.

In some churches that will be the “Statement of Faith” or the “Articles of Faith.»
Write it down and put it in so that there can be no ambiguity about where your church stands.

When I was pastoring in Oak Park, IL, we amended the church constitution to specifically include a statement about when life begins and what we believe about marriage. I’m going to include that statement here simply as an example. It can certainly be improved and could easily be expanded. Here’s the statement:

Marriage and the Family

We believe that marriage was ordained by God at creation as the sacred union of one man and one woman. All sexual relations must therefore be reserved for that union. Christian marriage is a representation of Christ’s relationship to His church. We also believe that children are a blessing from the Lord. Thus all human life is sacred and worthy of protection from the moment of conception.

Genesis 1:26-28; 2:24; Psalms 127, 128; 139:13-16; Matthew 19:1-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11;Ephesians 5:22-33; Hebrews 13:4

Churches need to be crystal-clear on this issue. To borrow a phrase from math class, we need to “show our work” when we give an answer. A short statement like this indicates not only what we believe but where we find biblical support. 

In earlier generations churches didn’t add statements about marriage to their foundational documents because no one foresaw a day when two men or two women would get married. That day is upon us. Adding marriage to your church constitution won’t solve all the problems, but it may save you from trouble down the road. 

Close

Last Sunday a group of radical gay activists disrupted a church service in Lansing, Michigan. One group of protesters demonstrated outside the church while another group actually disrupted the worship service by shouting, throwing fliers, and even pulling the fire alarm to create panic inside the church.

In California gay-rights activists have picketed  Mormon temples and churches and Saddleback Church (pastored by Rick Warren) in response to the passage of Proposition 8 that defined marriage as between a man and a woman. 

As the culture war over gay marriage heats up, we can expect protests like this to increase across the country. There are a number of ways churches can respond, but I am only going to focus on one thing I think every church in America should do. 

Put marriage in your church constitution.

If you believe the Bible teaches that marriage is the God ordained union of one man and one woman, put it in your constitution. Add it to your Statement of Faith so that there can be no ambiguity over this crucial topic. Most churches don’t have such a statement because when the church was founded, no one imagined a day when something like gay marriage would be proposed. But, verily, that day is upon us. 

The church that I pastored for over sixteen years added such a statement, not because we suddenly started believing something different about marriage, but simply to codify what our founders didn’t mention because it wasn’t issue when the church started was started in 1915.

Here’s the article we added to the church constitution:

J. Marriage and Family

We believe that marriage was ordained by God at creation as the sacred union of one man and one woman. All sexual relations must therefore be reserved for that union. Christian marriage is a representation of Christ’s relationship to His church. We also believe that children are a blessing from the Lord. Thus all human life is sacred and worthy of protection from the moment of conception. Genesis 1:26-28; 2:24; Psalm 127 & 128; 139:13-16; Matthew 19:1-10; I Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 5:22-33; Hebrew 13:4.

In times of controversy, churches ought to be specific about what they believe. Certainly those churches that favor acceptance of homosexuality have been forceful in stating their views. Fine, that’s the American way. But the vast majority of churches hold to a traditional understanding of marriage as between one man and one woman. 

If that’s what your church believes, don’t just say it. Put it in writing. Before the protesters show up at your church, make sure everyone knows where you stand. Or more accurately, make sure everyone knows exactly what you believe the Bible teaches about marriage and the family. 

Harry Jackson, Chairman of the High Impact Coalition and senior pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Maryland, has written a column called The Gay Activists Are Heading for the Churches. I don’t doubt anything he says because it is the logical next step. He points out that the homosexual community is seeking to “mainstream” gays in three phases of life–marriage, politics, and religion.

What should evangelical churches do to be ready? Here’s one answer. Make sure you have a clear statement about your understanding of marriage. Put it in your church constitution. Add it to your Statement of Faith. Most statements of faith don’t say anything about marriage because in generations past, no one dreamed of a day when people would seriously argue for same-sex marriage. But that day is upon us. It’s not hard to foresee a time in the next few years when evangelical churches are challenged about their convictions on homosexuality. It won’t be enough to say, “This is why we oppose same-sex marriage.” We need to affirmatively say, “This is how God defines marriage.”

Better to write it now than to wish you had later.