More than 12,000 voting delegates will decide this week on a constitutional amendment intended at explicitly excluding women from participating in teaching pastoral capacities, marking an important turning point for the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), based in Nashville. If adopted, this novel proposal would impose a prohibition on all SBC-affiliated churches mandating them to forbid any woman from holding the position of pastor.
The divisive topic will be voted on during the SBC annual conference in 2023, which will take place in New Orleans and be attended by "messengers," or delegates. The idea will be discussed on the floor on Monday even though the SBC Executive Committee has advised against it.
Limiting Women's Pastoral Roles
According to the article in Fox News, the idea received a cautious endorsement from the SBC Executive Committee, which is made up of 86 elected delegates and roughly 30 staff members. The committee has recommended that messengers vote against the proposal even though it has approved its presentation to the vote.
The amendment's opponents have expressed concern that its adoption may spark a wave of theological statements that might serve as a barometer for congregations seeking affiliation with the denomination. Executive committee member Dana McCain thought about the complicated implications of the requested change. She said that while many approach the issue from a theological perspective, they might need to consider the complicated governance-related problems and possible unintended consequences completely.
Nevertheless, the plan has received support from certain conservative SBC members. According to the shared article in USA Today, the amendment's proponent, Virginia pastor Mike Law, has been successful in enlisting the backing of several conservative SBC pastors, who have signed a statement endorsing the change.
The SBC is founded on the theological idea of "complementarianism," which suggests that men and women should play distinct but complementary roles in society and church leadership. If approved, the proposal would strengthen the viewpoint outlined in The Baptist Faith & Message 2000. According to this foundational doctrine, "the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture."
SBC Considers Ban on Women Pastors
According to another source, Know News said that during the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in 2023, a significant choice about the position of women pastors would be made. Delegates will discuss a possible amendment that would forbid women pastors and will also determine whether to keep two congregations, Saddleback, and Fern Creek, out.
These congregations' expulsion from the SBC was previously accepted by the SBC Executive Committee owing to behaviors that go against the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. The conference will hear an appeal from the founding pastors, Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and Linda Barnes Popham of Fern Creek. While some Southern Baptists think that settling the Saddleback and Fern Creek dispute would lessen the uproar around the proposed amendment, it is obvious that the meeting might have a big impact on how women are viewed inside the SBC.
Related Article: Fern Creek Church Faces Removal From Southern Baptist Convention As Female Pastor Sparks Controversy
