Key facts
- Southern Baptists voted to advance a ban on women pastors.
- The vote was 6,028 to 2,026, exceeding the required two-thirds majority.
- The amendment needs another two-thirds vote next year to be added to the constitution.
- The Baptist Faith and Message already opposes women pastors.
- The denomination has expelled churches with women in senior pastoral roles.
- Resolutions on political violence, immigration, and antisemitism were also passed.
Thousands of Southern Baptists overwhelmingly voted 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, would tighten existing restrictions in the Southern Baptist Convention, which already has a faith statement opposing women pastors. It requires a similar two-thirds vote at next year’s meeting to become part of the constitution.
Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, sponsored the amendment, stating it addressed a defining issue and a clear line dividing liberal and biblical evangelicalism. The debate was brief, with the sole opposition coming from South Carolina pastor Doug Mize, who argued the measure was unnecessary as the denomination already has mechanisms to expel churches with women in senior pastoral positions.
Southern Baptist leaders cite biblical passages that limit pastors to men, while advocates for women’s ministry point to passages proclaiming equality. The convention can expel churches from membership if their faith and practice are not in "friendly cooperation." The Baptist Faith and Message, which Mohler helped draft, already rejects women as senior pastors. The proposed 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 Saddleback Church. This action 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 solidarity with women in ministry, lamenting the vote and the theology it represents. They stated that women deserve affirmation and the opportunity to follow God’s call.
In other business, messengers approved resolutions denouncing political violence, hateful speech, and antisemitic violence, while also calling for humane treatment of immigrants and affirming immigration enforcement. Florida pastor Willy Rice was elected as the next president, winning 58% of the vote over Josh Powell. Rice supported the amendment barring churches with women pastors.