Northside Baptist Church in Clinton, Mississippi has been named the 2024 recipient of the Baptist Women in Ministry Church of Excellence award.
Each year, Baptist Women in Ministry celebrates a Church of Excellence that has broken barriers and set new standards for empowering women ministers and leaders. This congregation inspires others to embrace the full potential of women in Baptist life, ministry, and leadership.
Founded in 1969 to serve a growing community, Northside Baptist Church has a long-standing commitment to inclusivity and the empowerment of all individuals, regardless of gender.
Reflecting on the church’s early days, member Martha Hutson shared, “Northside quickly distinguished itself as a ‘different’ kind of church in the turbulent times of the 60’s and 70’s.” Hutson described how through the congregation’s governing documents, “Northside established itself as a congregation willing to listen to the Holy Spirit and to take bold measures to further the Kingdom of God on earth.”
Northside’s commitment extended beyond racial equality to embrace women’s leadership. Hutson noted, “listings of Northside’s earliest leaders are replete with names of women as teachers, music and youth directors, musicians, committee members and chairs, liturgists, and church officers.”
Hutson continued, “in 1980, after a year of intense study, discussion, and prayer led by an appointed committee, Northside amended its constitution to accept women as deacons, thus positioning itself to receive the additional gifts of leadership offered by its female members.” Since that time, women have been an integral part of the diaconate and the church’s lay leadership.
Northside’s mission statement states, “The Mission of this Church is to celebrate God’s grace and follow the movement of the Holy Spirit, allowing any person, without exception, who professes Jesus as Lord to participate in any capacity with this fellowship.”
Emily Fokledah, a long time member at Northside, spoke about the mission of the church saying, “This has not always been an easy mission to fulfill, but Northside’s ministers and church leaders have not wavered in their efforts and desire to stay the course. During the past 20 years, I have witnessed occasions when our church leaders were criticized and even reprimanded for not following more accepted denominational practices, especially regarding women in leadership roles.”
Church member Buddy Wagner also explained how Northside Baptist has maintained its commitment to supporting women. “Northside has had women deacons since the early 80’s with several women serving as deacon chair. Northside has also had two women to serve as Associate Pastors, three women to serve as Ministers of Music and presently Northside has a woman pastor. Northside encourages our young women to participate in worship by reading the scripture and receiving the offering. Women are equal to men on every level of church participation. Northside does an excellent job of teaching in word and deed that women are equal to men in the sight of God.”
While “Northside has been a trailblazer in this area in our community,” Fokledah acknowledged that they remain a minority among local churches. However, she expressed optimism, stating, “as I witness more women thriving in leadership roles at Northside, I am confident that the role of women in ministry will become increasingly accepted in other churches.”
Baptist Women in Ministry gives thanks for Northside Baptist Church in Clinton, Mississippi as the recipient of the 2024 BWIM Church of Excellence Award. As we honor their example of boldly leading the way as a pioneer for women in ministry among Baptists, we hope other churches might learn from their faithful witness to the all-encompassing and limitless love of Christ.