Southern Baptists have moved closer to a formal ban on churches with women pastors, sharpening one of the denomination’s most divisive internal battles. The vote at the annual meeting showed overwhelming support for a rule that would go beyond the convention’s existing statement of faith.
The amendment passed 6,028 to 2,026, easily clearing the required two-thirds threshold. It still needs another two-thirds vote at next year’s meeting before it can become part of the SBC constitution.
What The Vote Would Change
The Southern Baptist Convention already says women should not serve as senior pastors, but the new amendment would tighten that position in constitutional form. Its language would require the exclusion of any church that acts “to affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor/elder/overseer, specifically preaching to the assembled congregation.”
That would give the denomination clearer grounds to expel churches from convention membership, which it can do by declaring them not in “friendly cooperation.” The SBC does not control its self-governing churches directly, but it can remove them from the fellowship.
Why Supporters Pushed It
Albert Mohler, who sponsored the amendment, said the issue goes to the heart of Baptist identity. “This is an opportunity for Southern Baptists to speak in truth, in unity, in conviction,” he said at the meeting in Orlando, Florida.
Mohler also argued that the issue separates biblical evangelicalism from more liberal denominations. He said, “There’s a great line that divides liberal and biblical evangelicalism, and you can see it on this very issue. The trajectory of liberal denominations is clear.”
Limited Opposition At The Meeting
There was only brief debate, and none of it came from anyone defending women pastors. The only opposition came from South Carolina pastor Doug Mize, who said the measure was unnecessary because the denomination already has a way to expel churches with women in senior pastoral roles.
“What we have already works,” Mize said.
Long Running Tension Inside The SBC
The question has lingered for years because the denomination has repeatedly voted in favor of stricter language without reaching the supermajority needed to amend the constitution. In the previous three annual meetings, a majority supported language banning churches with women in any pastoral role, but only one vote cleared the two-thirds mark.
The SBC has already expelled churches with women in senior pastoral roles, including Saddleback Church in California. Leaders said such churches were out of harmony with the denomination’s constitution under an existing clause on “faith and practice.”
Broader Debate Over Women’s Roles
The issue reflects a larger theological divide. Southern Baptist leaders point to biblical passages they say limit pastors to men, while advocates for women’s ministry cite passages that emphasize men and women as equal under God and called to proclaim the gospel.
Baptists also teach that men and women are created in the image of God, but assigned different roles in churches and homes. The Baptist Faith and Message not only asserts a male-only office of pastor but also the “servant leadership” of husbands over wives.
The debate stands in contrast to many historic Protestant denominations that ordain women, as well as conservative evangelical groups that still allow prominent female pastors. Among those named in the article is Paula White-Cain, who leads President Donald Trump’s White House Faith Office.
Other Actions At The Meeting
The two-day gathering in Orlando drew more than 11,000 delegates, or messengers, and mixed worship, sermons, motions, and parliamentary procedure. A debate over the location of a future annual meeting lasted longer than the discussion about women pastors.
Messengers also approved resolutions denouncing political violence and hateful speech, calling for humane treatment of immigrants while backing immigration enforcement, and condemning antisemitic violence and conspiracy theories. The antisemitism resolution also affirmed Southern Baptists’ hope for Jews’ conversion to Christianity.
On Tuesday, delegates elected Florida pastor Willy Rice as the next SBC president. He won 58% of the vote over South Carolina pastor Josh Powell, and Rice supported the amendment barring churches with women pastors.
Baptist Women in Ministry criticized the vote in a statement, saying the decision harmed women called to ministry and reflected damaging theology. The group said women in ministry deserve affirmation, respect, and the opportunity to follow God’s call.
