SBC Annual Meeting to Vote on Banning Churches with Women Pastors, Impacting Hundreds

In a recent Sunday service at First Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia, Pastor Kim Eskridge urged members to invite friends and neighbors to an upcoming vacation Bible school. However, controversy looms over the church and many others as the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) prepares to vote on a constitutional amendment that would essentially ban churches with women pastors.

The proposed ban could affect hundreds of congregations, with a particularly disproportionate impact on predominantly Black churches. Some estimates suggest that women are working in pastoral roles in hundreds of SBC-linked churches, prompting concerns about a further narrowing in numbers and mindset for the nation's largest Protestant denomination.

Struggle with Other Issues

Amidst the controversy, the SBC has faced challenges in responding to sexual abuse cases in its churches. Additionally, the denomination's membership has dipped below 13 million, nearing a half-century low, and baptismal rates are in long-term decline.

The contention surrounding the amendment has raised concerns about the already-choppy efforts by the mostly White denomination to diversify and overcome its legacy of slavery and segregation. Many predominantly Black churches could be most impacted, potentially complicating the denomination's efforts to diversify.

Opinions and Perspectives

While some believe that the convention needs to reinforce its doctrinal statement, others argue that enforcing such a ban would go against the spirit of cooperation and the guiding tenets of the denomination. There are also contrasting opinions on the interpretation of the 2000 faith statement, with some churches believing that women can serve in pastoral roles as long as the church leader is male.

First Baptist of Alexandria, a church at the center of the controversy, has posted extensively about the issue on its website and plans to send representatives to the SBC annual meeting. The SBC's top administrative body opposes the amendment, raising concerns about the unsustainable amount of time and energy that would be consumed in investigating churches' compliance.

Baptist Women in Ministry, an organization that began within the SBC in the 1980s, has taken note of the controversy. The group plans to release a documentary, "Midwives of a Movement," about 20th-century trailblazers for women in Baptist ministry, on the eve of the SBC meeting to emphasize the value and contributions of women in the church.