Key facts
- Thousands of Southern Baptists voted to advance a formal ban on women pastors.
- The amendment passed with a 6,028 to 2,026 vote, exceeding the required two-thirds majority.
- The proposed ban requires a similar two-thirds vote at next year's meeting to be added to the constitution.
- The Southern Baptist Convention already has a faith statement opposing women pastors and can expel churches.
- Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, sponsored the amendment.
- The denomination also passed resolutions denouncing political violence and antisemitic violence.
Thousands of Southern Baptists overwhelmingly voted Wednesday to advance a formal ban on women pastors in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. The amendment, which passed with a 6,028 to 2,026 vote, aims to tighten existing restrictions and send a clear message that men alone should preach in these conservative evangelical congregations.
The vote, exceeding the required two-thirds majority, will require a similar vote at next year’s meeting to become part of the constitution. The two-day meeting in Orlando, Florida, brought together over 11,000 delegates.
Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, sponsored the amendment, calling it a defining issue for biblical evangelicalism. He stated that the trajectory of liberal denominations is clear on this matter. The debate was brief, with the sole opposition coming from South Carolina pastor Doug Mize, who argued that existing mechanisms for expelling churches with women in senior pastoral positions were sufficient.
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) can expel churches from membership if their faith and practice are not in "friendly cooperation" with the denomination. The SBC's Baptist Faith and Message statement already rejects women as senior pastors, but debate has continued regarding women in assistant or preaching roles. The amendment specifically targets churches that "affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor/elder/overseer, specifically preaching to the assembled congregation."
In recent years, the denomination has expelled churches with women in senior pastoral roles, including the large Saddleback Church of California, based on a constitutional clause. This stance contrasts with more liberal Protestant denominations that ordain women, while conservative groups and the Catholic and Orthodox churches do not.
The organization Baptist Women in Ministry expressed disappointment, lamenting the vote's harm to women in ministry and the theology it represents. They stated that women deserve affirmation and the opportunity to follow God's call.
Southern Baptists believe the Bible assigns different roles to men and women, with the Baptist Faith and Message asserting a male-only pastorate and the "servant leadership" of husbands over wives. Mohler acknowledged this runs against egalitarian societal views but emphasized the high value placed on women's contributions in all spheres of life.
Later, SBC messengers approved resolutions denouncing political violence, hateful speech, and antisemitic violence, while also calling for humane treatment of immigrants and affirming immigration enforcement. A resolution affirming hope for Jewish conversion to Christianity also passed, echoing a similar 1996 resolution that caused controversy.
Florida pastor Willy Rice was elected as the next SBC president, winning 58% of the vote over Josh Powell. Rice, who supported the amendment barring women pastors, drew support from groups critical of perceived "woke" shifts in SBC leadership.