SAN ANTONIO -- The Southern Baptist Convention opened a new chapter in the denomination's outreach to homosexuals June 12.

James T. Draper Jr., former president of LifeWay Christian Resources, joined Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, on the platform at the annual meeting in San Antonio to announce Bob Stith as the convention's National Strategist for Gender Issues.

Stith, who will work with the convention's Ministry to Homosexuals Task Force, officially assumed the new position June 1. He recently stepped down as pastor of Carroll Baptist Church in Southlake, Texas, after serving at the church for 37 years.

It was Stith who introduced the motion at the 2001 Southern Baptist Convention meeting that called on the SBC to "establish a task force to inform, educate, and encourage our people to be proactive and redemptive in reaching out to those who struggle with unwanted same-sex attractions."

In introducing Stith, Draper thanked Southern Baptists for recognizing the importance of the issue of homosexuality.

"It is a great picture of the kind of synergy that ought to exist between Southern Baptist entities to accomplish things," he said. Draper and Land chair the task force, which is a joint effort of LifeWay and the ERLC.

"While we as Southern Baptists have consistently resisted the efforts of some in the culture to affirm homosexuality as normal and acceptable, we must remember that homosexual behavior is not the unpardonable sin," Land said. "We must be committed to sharing God's love with all people -- including homosexuals.

"Christ died for all," Land said. "If we believe anything as Southern Baptists, it is that Jesus Christ's atoning work on the cross is available to any man or woman, boy or girl, regardless of their past.

"Our biblically based opposition to the normalization of homosexuality and the affirmation of homosexual behavior should not hinder us from ministering to homosexuals and offering them the love and healing environment they need to leave this destructive and unbiblical lifestyle," Land said.

Southern Baptists' response must be "biblical and compassionate," Stith said, "while maintaining a biblical stance on the issue."

With polls showing an increasing number of Americans viewing homosexuality as an acceptable behavior, Stith told convention messengers the "church has not yet found its voice in dealing with the issue." He said many in the church are "not quite sure how to handle this issue" and there is a serious need for education.