SBC Elites Rejoice as Southern Baptist Ban on Women Pastors Fails In Historic Vote

In a blistering blow to biblical fidelity, SBC messengers have flip-flopped on an amendment to the constitution that would have barred churches with lady pastors from being considered in friendly cooperation with the convention, ensuring hundreds of churches with unbiblical and sinful leadership structures will live to fight another day.

The Law Amendment was a proposed change to the Constitution of the Southern Baptist Convention that would have mandate that churches in friendly cooperation affirm, appoint, or employ “only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.” 

The SBC Constitution is a product of a democratic process, requiring a two-thirds vote by messengers at two consecutive annual meetings for any changes. This amendment, first proposed in 2023 and initially supported by 80%, was expected to gain similar levels of support at the 2024 annual meeting. However, it fell short, needing 66% of the vote for ratification but only receiving 61%.

While the results are hugely disappointing, there is a bright side: while a considerable portion of the SBC elites pulled out all the stops to stop it, it still garnered 61% of the vote. That is a majority and is something to be leaned on and built from, and no doubt, a new version amendment will be introduced in 2025 that will be fully pressed in 2026.

It’s also important to note that the seemingly low number is misleading. In fact, 92% of Messengers voted to remove First Baptist Alexandria from the convention on account of their refusal to part ways with their women pastors.

Many messengers likely felt there was no need to pass an amendment when the Executive Committee (led by the awful Jeff Iorg) was doing a good enough job. But this is reality distortion. It would be one thing if the Executive Committee were lining up the churches and knocking them down at a brisk clip, but instead, it’s a needless, slow, and tedious process, demonstrating their heart isn’t in it.

With hundreds of SBC churches having women pastors and which are ripe for booting, a handful of sacrifices a year is not going to cut it, and all their feet dragging is doing is betraying a dizzying unfaithfulness.

Yet, despite the Committee’s obstreperously slow and unacceptable pace, taking two years to remove this church and one year to remove Saddleback the previous year, the vote was a clear indication of the Messengers’ stance.

It stings now, but the sting will turn to sweetness when we redouble our efforts next year.

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