Leaders in the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention have denounced the disruption of a “peaceful worship service” at Cities Church in St. Paul on Sunday, Jan. 18.
In statement released by the convention on Jan. 19, Trey Turner, executive director of the MWBC, said the interruption of worship services at Cities Church by 30–40 activists who forcibly entered the church is a breach of Minnesota State Statute 609.28. The statement observed the group interrupted the service to “denounce the federal government’s immigration enforcement.”
David Easterwood, one of the church’s staff pastors, serves as a field office director for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Asking for government to respond
“We ask for all levels of governmental officials to protect the religious freedoms of all Minnesotans,” Turner wrote in the statement.
The statement noted the interference was so significant that “services were forced to end prematurely. Video footage captured by the protesters themselves and others show them shouting insults and accusations at youth, children and families. This is an unacceptable trauma,” Turner wrote.
“We call upon Governor Tim Walz and Minnesota state and local officials to ensure that the rule of law is applied consistently and that our houses of worship remain sacred, sanctuary spaces. The disruption of a religious gathering is an unacceptable violation of civil peace. We urge our leaders to stand firmly against any tactics that use the intimidation of a local congregation as a tool for political protest,” the statement continued.
Welcomes ‘respectful dialogue’
Jonathan Parnell, pastor of Cities Church, released a statement on the church website Jan. 20. He observed that “a group of agitators jarringly disrupted our worship gathering. They accosted members of our congregation, frightened children and created a scene marked by intimidation and threat.
“Such conduct is shameful, unlawful and will not be tolerated. Invading a church service to disrupt the worship of Jesus — or any other act of worship — is protected by neither the Christian Scriptures nor the laws of this nation.”
Parnell said he welcomes “respectful dialogue about present issues and about how the realness of Jesus, as revealed in the Bible, provides the only final answers to the world’s most complex and intractable problems.”
Parnell pledged the church will not stop “teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah” (Acts 5:42). Church buildings are meant to be places of peace and solace where worshipers can hear and live out His message, he said.
“We therefore call on local, state and national leaders to protect this fundamental right.”
Diverse perspectives united in the gospel
In the convention’s statement, Turner emphasized the primacy of the gospel. The MWBC, which is comprised of 200 churches in both states, represents a diverse body of believers with various perspectives on complex civil issues, including immigration.
“However, we are united in the conviction that the gospel of Jesus transcends political agendas. … While we recognize the tensions surrounding federal enforcement, the local church is a place for spiritual transformation and biblical teaching, not a platform for political theater or coerced denouncements,” Turner wrote.
“Our primary mission is to hold up the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Word of God. This mission must not be hijacked by outside interests.”
Southern Baptist/NAMB connection
Along with serving as lead pastor of Cities Church, Parnell also works with the North American Mission Board’s church planting arm (Send Network).
NAMB president Kevin Ezell said in a statement released Jan. 19, “NAMB will unequivocally stand with and defend our missionaries and churches.
“We will do whatever is necessary to protect those who serve faithfully and to uphold the right of churches to worship without fear or interference,” Ezell stated. “We fully support Jonathan Parnell and the leadership of Cities Church.”
