ORLANDO, Fla. — Thousands of Southern Baptists overwhelmingly voted Wednesday to advance a formal ban on women pastors in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, sending a clear message that men alone should preach to these conservative Christian congregations.
The amendment would tighten existing restrictions in the Southern Baptist Convention, which already has a faith statement opposing women pastors.
Its sponsor, Albert Mohler, characterized the amendment as addressing a defining issue.
“This is an opportunity for Southern Baptists to speak in truth, in unity, in conviction,” said Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. “There’s a great line that divides liberal and biblical denominations, and you can see it on this very issue. The trajectory of liberal denominations is clear.”
The amendment adds this to Article III of the SBC Constitution (defining churches in "friendly cooperation"):
“Does not act to affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor/elder/overseer, specifically preaching to the assembled congregation.”
The vote was 6,028 to 2,026 — a 3-to-1 margin — which easily exceeded the required two-thirds majority. It will require a similar two-thirds vote at next year’s meeting to become part of the constitution.
There was only brief debate — and none of it contained support for women pastors.
The two-day meeting concluded Wednesday after bringing more than 11,000 delegates, or messengers, to a large convention center in Orlando, Florida.
Observations
This is a good decision by the SBC, making sure that they stay faithful to Scripture on the issue of male/female roles in the church.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church should have the same fidelity to Scripture. Weak leaders and certain rebellious conferences and unions have prevented the SDA church from taking this biblical position.
Women tend to be way more liberal (or left-wing) on cultural, social and moral issues than men. This is a very important issue, in our culture. Churches (denominations) that blur the lines between male and female biblical roles inevitably yield to the rainbow array of LGBTQ+ moral deviations.
The Bible prohibits women from doing two distinct things. First, women may not teach the Bible to men in the church. Second, women may not exercise authority over men in the church. Teaching and exercising authority in the church are the two primary responsibilities of elders, pastors, or bishops (1 Timothy 3:2-7). Thus, women are not to hold the office of pastor, but neither are they to perform these particular functions of a pastor over men in the church.
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