| Pullen Memorial Baptist Church | |
|---|---|
 Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in 2006 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Alliance of Baptists, American Baptist Churches USA, Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, North Carolina Council of Churches |
| Leadership | Nancy E. Petty, pastor |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Raleigh, North Carolina, United States |
| Website | |
| http://www.pullen.org | |
Pullen Memorial Baptist Church is a Baptist church known for its progressive theology located in Raleigh, North Carolina, US, right beside North Carolina State University.[1] Pullen, called "a fiercely independent Baptist church" whose traditions have "earned it a reputation far and wide as the South's premier liberal church,"[2] has a long history of civil rights activism, and is currently a leader on key issues of the day, from LGBTQ rights to activism in Moral Monday protests to alliances with like-minded people in distant places from Cuba to Nicaragua to Georgia in the Caucasus Mountains and Black Sea.
Pullen is led by the Dr. Reverend Nancy Petty.
In the last two decades, social issues have included Pullen Memorial's stance on sexual issues. In 1992 the Southern Baptist Convention expelled the church for its blessing a same-sex union.[3] In 2002, lesbian minister Nancy Petty was selected to be co-pastor with Jack McKinney,[4][5] making Pullen the first Baptist church in the South known to have chosen an openly homosexual person as lead clergy.[4] Pullen has been marrying and blessing the unions of same-sex couples ever since.
Pullen's Sunday service was named "The Best Sermon to Hear on a Sunday Morning" by the Independent Weekly, a local progressive newspaper based in Durham.
The church has alliances and affiliations with the Alliance of Baptists, American Baptist Churches – USA, Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America, Bread of the World, Church Women United, Community of the Cross of Nails, Historic Thousands on Jones Street People's Assembly, Martin Street Baptist Church, North Carolina Council of Churches, and the Triangle Interfaith Alliance.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions" Archived 2008-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church.
- ^ Yonat Shimron (11 May 2002). "Maverick N.C. Church Welcomes Lesbian as a Co-Pastor". Religion News Service.
- ^ 2 Churches Ousted by Baptists' Vote, The New York Times, 11 June 1992.
- ^ a b A lesbian is my copastor - Religion - Nancy Petty named co-pastor of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, The Advocate 25 June 2002.
- ^ "A Short History of Pullen". Archived from the original on 2017-02-07. Retrieved 2017-02-06.