Members of a Baptist church have given their ministers permission to officiate at same-sex blessing ceremonies — a break with their state and national Baptist conventions.

A statement approved Sunday by members of Wake Forest Baptist Church stopped short of affirming same-sex unions, but it asked that God bless “all loving, committed and exclusive relationships between two people.”

The congregation had previously given permission to use church space for same-sex ceremonies. The church’s pastor, the Rev. Richard Groves, said there have been a couple of requests for same-sex ceremonies but no definite plans.

The Rev. Mac Brunson, the Baptist State Convention president, had warned last week that the convention would end its relationship with Wake Forest Baptist if the church voted to affirm same-sex unions.

After Sunday’s vote, he said, “Regardless of how they phrase it, they’re sanctioning same-sex marriage.”

The state convention in 1992 cut ties with its only two member churches that have publicly affirmed same-sex unions.

The fundamentalist-led Southern Baptist Convention defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Wake Forest Baptist is an SBC member but Groves said that the relationship exists in name only.

The 325-member church meets on the campus of Wake Forest University but is not governed by the school. The university says it is affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina but receives minimal support from it.