Southern Baptists, Largest US Protestant Group, Vote to Expel Women Pastors

Delegates to the annual convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, who are called "messengers," voted by a strong margin to expel one church and reaffirm the expulsion of two others, all for ordaining women in their ministry.

Rick Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, and author of best-selling Bible study book "The Purpose Driven Life," strongly protested his church’s expulsion, urging messengers to "act like Southern Baptists who have historically 'agreed to disagree' on dozens of doctrines in order to share a common mission."

Later, Warren said in a statement that the next generation won't care about "arcane procedures and political infighting."

"Change will happen at some point," he said. "Truth inevitably triumphs over tradition, but it takes time."

Linda Barnes Popham, the pastor of Fern Creek Baptist church in Louisville, Kentucky, told US media that her church would "continue to lift high the gospel of Jesus Christ," but that their expulsion at the convention felt like a divorce.

"On the other hand, there is something liberating and freeing, being bound no more to the traditions and opinions and the power of those in leadership in the Southern Baptist Convention," she added.

The expulsion of a third church, Freedom Church in Vero Beach, Florida, was also upheld, although it was unrelated to the question of female ministers.

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After the votes, the convention then amended its constitution, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, to clarify the boundaries of the ministry.

"In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Its two scriptural offices are that of pastor/elder/overseer and deacon. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture," Article 6 now reads.

Jared Cornutt, pastor of the North Shelby Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and messenger who introduced the measure, said "we should never take lightly the prospect of amending our statement of faith," according to the SBC's news service.

"The document has existed for almost 100 years, and it serves as the backbone of our doctrinal unity," he added. "I believe that we have unintentionally found ourselves with a lack of clarity that can be remedied by a small and non-substantive change."

With nearly 47,200 member churches and a membership of more than 13 million, the SBC is the nation’s largest Protestant Christian denomination and holds a powerful sway over American spiritual, social, and political life, especially in the South. Since its formation in 1845, the SBC has been known for its political conservatism, which has included supporting slavery and later racial segregation. In the modern day they oppose abortion and women in the ministry. Each year, the convention expels several churches for breaking those rules.

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The denomination has also been wracked by reports of tolerance of sexual abuse and accusations of coverups going back decades. Major investigations since 2018 have revealed the SBC had protected more than 700 accused ministers and church workers who were accused of sexual abuse, and disparaged survivors who have come forward. In August 2022, the SBC revealed it was facing a federal investigation into the scandal.