- The Southern Baptist Convention narrowly rejected a proposal to write into the denomination’s charter a ban on female church pastors.
- The proposal received 61% of the vote but fell short of the two-thirds supermajority requirement.
- The church’s official doctrinal statement still limits the priesthood to men, a position supported by opponents of the constitutional ban.
The Southern Baptist Convention on Wednesday narrowly rejected a proposal to write into the denomination’s charter banning churches with female pastors, which opponents argued was unnecessary because the denomination already has the means to expel such churches.
The vote received support from 61% of delegates but fell short of the required two-thirds absolute majority. The action reverses a preliminary vote last year in favor of an official ban.
But it still leaves the Southern Baptist Convention with an official doctrinal statement that the priesthood is limited to men. Even opponents of the ban said they agreed with the statement of principle but saw no need to strengthen it in the Constitution.
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Opponents point out that the SBC can already expel churches that say women can serve as pastors — as it did last year and on Tuesday night.
Messengers stand to worship during the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting on June 11, 2024 in Indianapolis. The Southern Baptist Convention on Wednesday narrowly rejected a proposal to write into the denomination’s charter a ban on churches with female pastors, with opponents saying it was unnecessary because the denomination already has the means to expel such churches. (AP Photo/Doug MacScule)
The vote, perhaps the most anticipated of the annual meeting, reflects years of debate in America’s largest Protestant denomination. This is the final day of the SBC’s two-day annual conference in Indianapolis.
Since 2000, the SBC’s non-binding statement of faith has declared that only men are qualified to serve as priests. This is interpreted differently across the denomination, with some arguing that it does not apply to associate pastors as long as the senior pastor is male.
The proposed amendments, which received preliminary approval last year, would formally exclude churches with women in any pastoral position, from lead pastor to assistant pastor, or even affirm them in that role. Supporters argue it is biblically necessary and estimate that hundreds of Southern Baptist churches have women in these roles.
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The rejected amendment would have said that any church deemed “friendly and cooperative” (the official term for SBC affiliation) would have to be one that “confirms, ordains, or employs only men as biblically qualified pastors or elders.”
Opponents argued that the General Assembly already has the power to eliminate churches on the issue and that the amendment would have unintended consequences, including a disproportionate impact on black Southern Baptist churches, which often have women among their clergy.
But the motion was quickly voted on after only a brief debate.
Ryan Fullerton, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., said the measure “is not intended to prevent women from using their gifts in the church,” such as serving as “children’s pastors.” Role of Church Staff. But he said the Bible is clear that the office of pastor is male.
He said there was “gender confusion” in the wider culture, citing what he called the “undermining of the LGBTQIA agenda”.
But Spencer Shelton, pastor of Mercy Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, thinks that’s unnecessary.
There’s no question that Southern Baptists are “complementarians,” he said, because they describe the view that men and women have equal value but have different roles that complement each other.
But he noted that the General Assembly voted Tuesday to confirm the removal of a historic church in Virginia and two others last year, including California megachurch Saddleback, that all have female pastors and confirm that they can serve in top pastoral positions.
The reason for their expulsion was that their beliefs and practices were incompatible with the Baptist faith and message, approved in 2000, which included confirmation that the priesthood was reserved for men.
“Y’all, we’ve proven that the mechanisms we have right now are adequate to address this problem,” Shelton said.
McCraw, pastor of Arlington Baptist Church in Virginia and author of the amendment, cited a report that said the denomination has about 1,800 female pastors. He cited biblical verses limiting the priesthood to men only.
“Our culture may view this prohibition as harsh, but our God is wise and He wrote this word for the prosperity of men and women,” he said.
“This amendment has nothing to do with women in ministry,” Law added. “This is specifically for women in the pastor’s office.” He did not elaborate on the discrepancy in his brief remarks.
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The denomination cannot tell its independent churches what to do or who to appoint as pastors. But they can tell which churches are inside and which are outside.
Last year, the Southern Baptist Convention refused to take back Saddleback Church, one of the conference’s largest churches, and a small church in Kentucky over the issue.
Both churches, which have women in senior pastoral positions, submitted removal requests to the 2023 annual conference, but were overwhelmingly rejected by delegates. A similar dynamic played out in Indianapolis on Tuesday, as messengers voted overwhelmingly to oust First Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia, which had a woman in an assistant position and claimed a woman could hold the top job.
Supporters of the amendment say it may not lead to an immediate mass purge, but opponents express concern it would burden SBC volunteers and staff with numerous investigations into the church.
Delegates also elected a North Carolina pastor and longtime denominational politician as their convention’s next president, with two runoff votes among six candidates.
Clint Pressley, senior pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, won 56 percent of the vote in the runoff and will become The next president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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The SBC president is one of the most prominent figures in the conservative evangelical church network, presiding over annual meetings and appointing members to the denomination’s committees.
Pressley’s closest opponent, Tennessee pastor Dan Spencer, received 44% of the vote, while the other four candidates were eliminated in the early rounds.
Pressley said he favors a vote later Wednesday on a measure that would amend the SBC constitution to ban churches from having female pastors.
Pressley earned his Master of Divinity degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisiana, one of the official seminaries of the SBC. He has led Hickory Grove since 2011 after pastoring churches in Alabama and Mississippi. Pressley served as SBC First Vice President in 2014-15 and serves on numerous other denominational committees.
Earlier on Wednesday, Messengers rejected a proposal to abolish the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the SBC’s public policy arm. The measure reflects the view among some that the staunchly conservative council is not conservative enough.
