The Christian Post's top 10 news stories of 2023 (part 2)
4. Southern Baptist Convention debates female pastors
In a move that made headlines across the Christian community, the Southern Baptist Convention voted to uphold the expulsion of Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, one of its largest churches associated with the SBC, over the issue of women serving as pastors.
The decision reaffirmed the denomination’s longstanding position that pastoral roles should be reserved for men only: The 2000 Baptist Faith and Message states that while men and women are both called to spread the Gospel, the office of pastor is limited to men.
In February 2023, the SBC Executive Committee deemed Saddleback, along with five other churches, to not be in “friendly cooperation” with the convention. At issue was Pastor Andy Wood, who succeeded Saddleback founder Rick Warren as lead pastor of the megachurch last year, listing his wife, Stacie, as the church’s teaching pastor.
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The church’s actions were seen as a direct challenge to the SBC’s doctrinal stance on gender roles in ministry — and despite an appeal by Warren, who argued Southern Baptists could agree to disagree on the matter of female pastors, the convention voted overwhelmingly in June to affirm the church’s removal.
The decision to expel Saddleback Church has sparked a wide range of reactions. Supporters of the decision argued that it upholds the biblical understanding of pastoral leadership, while critics condemned it as a regressive move that failed to recognize the evolving role of women in the church and society.
Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, had warned that Saddleback was threatening the unity of the SBC and that the issue was not nonessential.
“It’s not just a matter of church polity; it’s not just a matter of hermeneutics,” Mohler stressed. “It’s a matter of biblical commitment, a commitment to the Scripture that unequivocally we believe limits the office of pastor to men.”
“Here we face the unusual situation in which Dr. Warren himself has made repeated statements, and the church has taken repeated actions that make very clear it rejects the confessional understanding of the Southern Baptist Convention on this issue.”
At the June meeting, messengers also voted overwhelmingly to advance a measure to prevent women from serving as a “pastor of any kind,” bringing the denomination one step closer to solidifying the rule as a constitutional amendment. For the amendment to be permanently made to the SBC constitution, it must pass at next year’s meeting as well, according to the SBC Constitution.
In August, Monte Vista Baptist Church of Maryville voted to end its affiliation with the SBC and the Tennessee Baptist Convention over the issue.
At the time, Monte Vista Senior Pastor Jerry Mantooth told The Christian Post that “over the years, we have felt like that the SBC has gotten more narrow in its interpretation of Scripture.” He said the church will continue its affiliation with progressive, LGBT-affirming Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
Leah Klett contributed to this report.
