Messengers attended the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in Indianapolis this week, where they elected Clint Pressley as the organization’s new president and also discussed the issue of women pastors.
The Executive Committee recently
Baptist Faith and Message 2000Restricting pastoral positions to “biblically qualified” men by 2023 estimate There are more than 1,840 affiliated female Southern Baptist pastors.
These expulsions continue as new female pastors emerge, but some Southern Baptist churches have tried to streamline the issue with votes at their annual general meetings.
Their efforts ultimately did not go as planned.
Pastor Mike Rowe of Arlington Baptist Church
Constitutional amendment proposal A proposed amendment to the Southern Vatican City Constitution that would have formally banned the ordination, employment or confirmation of women “in any kind of pastoral capacity” was defeated in a narrow vote on Wednesday.
The amendment needed 66.7% support to pass, which Messengers achieved in New Orleans last year. In Indianapolis, it fell just short.
Only 61% captured.
“We are just as complementarian as we were before that vote took place.”
The newly elected president stated his support for the amendment and then made clear the SBC’s position on women pastors.
“The constitutional amendment, what we call the statutory amendment, was there to provide clarity,” Clint Pressley said.
report “That’s what we were given and that’s what we were voted for, but it’s not necessary,” Baptist Press said. [in order] I ask that our congregations maintain a true spirit of complementarianism. We remain exactly as complementarian as we were before this vote was taken.”
Complementarianism holds that men and women are equal persons, but that God created them for different roles.
“I was in favor of changing the law. I thought it really provided great clarity. There are brethren who are as theologically staunch as I am who are opposed to it,” Pressley continued. “We have really come to understand God’s goodness, not just in marriage but in how he has given us to live as men and women.”
Pressley emphasized that while messengers walked away without passing the amendment, the SBC “has not abandoned biblical truth. Not at all. So we can have confidence as members of the Southern Baptist Convention and as members of churches within that convention who believe in the soundness of BF&M doctrine.”
Former SBC President J.D. Greer
Said Commenting on the decision, he said, “The amendment was the right decision because passing it would have strictly enforced uniformity in a way that goes against our principles of cooperation. A friend of mine likens getting the balance right on this issue to assembling furniture, where IKEA’s instructions always warn you not to over-tighten the screws.”
As Greer previously suggested, it’s not just those who aren’t convinced the legal changes will be unnecessary or disastrous who are outraged by the outcome.
Leftists outside the SBC have suggested that Southern Baptists should not simply scrap such amendments but instead succumb to the infiltration of egalitarianism.
“Despite not receiving 66 percent of the vote, Southern Baptists are trying to marginalize the women God has called to spread the gospel.”
Progressive Organizational Baptist Women Pastors
Said “The Baptist Women’s Ministry Association thanks all of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) emissaries who voted against the legislation out of their commitment to supporting and advocating for women who serve as pastors in all walks of life in the SBC,” the statement said.
group
Added“Decades ago, the SBC codified an ideological position that ignored God’s call on women in Baptist Faith and Message 2000. Thus, the amendments being considered today were not built on their own merits, as that ground was already decided. Instead, women in the pastorate were used as a prop to flaunt extreme conservatism. [sic] It is to strengthen the power of factions within the SBC.”
Molly Scholta Tucker, a pastor who provides a voice for progressive causes
Ridgewood Baptist Church, I got it. The Courier Journal reported, “Despite not receiving 66 percent of the vote, Southern Baptists tried to marginalize the women God has called to spread the gospel. Rather than believe them or humbly answer, ‘I don’t know,’ Southern Baptists said, ‘We know (and it’s not you).”
Messengers conveyed the message to Tucker and other progressives that, regardless of the outcome, the SBC is not going to back down on this issue.
On Tuesday, emissaries voted 6,759-563 to disband First Baptist Church of Alexandria for its support of female pastors.
report The Associated Press.
The now excommunicated church
House To a women’s pastor for children and women.
“While we take no pleasure in making this recommendation, we have formed the opinion that the church’s egalitarian beliefs regarding the pastoral office are not closely aligned with the Statement of Faith adopted by the convention,” said Jonathan Sams, chairman of the SBC’s Committee on Credentials.
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