The Southern Baptist Convention turned down a constitutional ban on women pastors on Wednesday, marking a significant win for those advocating for local church autonomy and a more inclusive approach towards women in ministry within the largest Protestant denomination in the country.
The close decision settled a two-year political disagreement over church policy, yet it may not fully resolve the ongoing discussion about women’s roles in the church.
The proposed amendment was a central issue leading up to this year’s SBC annual meeting, impacting various decisions, including the election for SBC president.
Some viewed it as diminishing women’s roles in the church, while others perceived the SBC as becoming too rigid in enforcing specific doctrinal views.
If the proposal had passed, it would have given SBC leaders more authority to enforce doctrinal beliefs regarding women’s roles in ministry by removing churches that didn’t comply.
Despite the measure not being approved, the SBC has already removed seven churches for not meeting these standards.
Notably, Saddleback Church in Southern California and Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville both challenged their removal at the 2023 SBC annual meeting but were unsuccessful.
The recent years have solidified the process through which the SBC can remove churches with women pastors.
The SBC Credentials Committee, responsible for evaluating reports against churches, was revamped in 2019 to primarily address sexual abuse and racism within churches.
This issue of restricting church leadership to men is not unique to the SBC. The Presbyterian Church in America, another influential evangelical denomination, is contemplating to amend its policies to allow “only qualified men” to preach in their churches.
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