Key facts
- Thousands of Southern Baptists voted to advance a ban on women pastors.
- The amendment passed with a 6,028 to 2,026 vote.
- The measure needs a two-thirds majority vote next year to be enshrined in the constitution.
- The ban targets churches that affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving as a pastor/elder/overseer.
- Willy Rice was elected as the new president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Thousands of Southern Baptists overwhelmingly voted Wednesday to advance a formal ban on women pastors, signaling a move to restrict men to preaching roles in the nation's largest Protestant denomination. The amendment, which passed with a 6,028 to 2,026 vote, requires a similar two-thirds majority next year to be incorporated into the convention's constitution.
Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, sponsored the amendment, calling it a defining issue that separates biblical evangelicalism from more liberal approaches. The measure aims to provide constitutional clarity, excluding 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."
Some opposition was voiced, with South Carolina pastor Doug Mize arguing that existing mechanisms for expelling churches with women in senior pastoral roles were sufficient. The Southern Baptist Convention can declare churches not in "friendly cooperation" and has previously expelled congregations, including Saddleback Church, for practices out of harmony with its faith statement.
While the convention's faith statement already rejects women as senior pastors, debate has continued regarding women in assistant or preaching roles. The vote contrasts with more liberal denominations that ordain women, while other conservative groups, like the Catholic and Orthodox churches, only ordain men.
Baptist Women in Ministry expressed solidarity with women in ministry, lamenting the vote and the "damaging theology" it represents. The convention also elected Florida pastor Willy Rice as its new president, who supported the amendment. Delegates will also consider resolutions on immigration and antisemitism.