During the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Annual Meeting in Orlando, messengers overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the SBC constitution, which states that a cooperating SBC church “does not act to affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor/elder/overseer, specifically preaching to the assembled congregation.” The amendment will need to be approved again by a 2/3 majority in next year’s SBC Annual Meeting to be ratified.
This amendment is related to the Baptist Faith and Message (2000), which is the SBC confession of faith. Article VI of the BF&M states, “While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.” This statement encapsulates Southern Baptists’ understanding of biblical texts such as 1 Tim. 2:12-14, 1 Tim. 3:1-7, Titus 1:6-9.
The topic of women serving as pastors/elders has been thoroughly discussed in the SBC the last five years. Over the last several months, I have had the opportunity to speak with a large number of pastors and laypeople across the broad spectrum of the Oklahoma Baptists family regarding this topic. From those conversations, this is what I am hearing from our constituency in the
state convention:
Oklahoma Baptists overwhelmingly and wholeheartedly affirm the Baptist Faith and Message (2000). They agree that the office and function of pastor/elder is limited to biblically qualified men. Many are in favor of the amendment and some oppose it, not on theological grounds, but on reasons related to Baptist polity/autonomy and that the amendment could possibly be implemented in ways that go beyond its intention. Oklahoma Baptists cherish the autonomy of the church and want each one to have the freedom within the framework of Scripture to encourage women to serve in a variety of roles of ministry within the church.
Oklahoma Baptists are very concerned that the ongoing debate on this issue sends a negative message to women on their importance and value to the church in general, and to those women whom God has gifted and called to ministry in particular. Many proponents of the amendment have stated that its intention is not to prevent women from serving in churches such as leading in worship, children’s ministry, missions or other positions that are not pastor/elder.
Oklahoma Baptists wholeheartedly believe that God calls and gifts women to serve in ministry and the vast majority of our churches benefit greatly from the ministries that women carry out in them. For example, I have discovered that about half of the Oklahoma Baptists churches I preach in across the state have women leading the music in worship services on Sunday mornings.
For Oklahoma Baptists, men serving in the role of pastor/elder is not about the superiority of men over women. It is about obeying and being submissive to the authority of the biblical text as we interpret it. Our understanding of the Bible’s teaching on who can serve as a pastor/elder is that men have been given the role to serve in this capacity while at the same time giving women valuable roles to fulfill as well. A clear example of this in Scripture is Adam and Eve who were created as equal persons in the image of God and given distinctive roles by Him.
In the end, Oklahoma Baptists want to be carefully and unapologetically obedient to the Word of God. They do not want to view the Scripture through the lens of culture but rather view the culture through the lens of Scripture. Neither do they want to go to the extremes of taking away or adding to what the Scripture teaches.
Oklahoma Baptists value the contributions that both men and women give to the local church and the kingdom of God. They believe that men and women are equally valued by God who gave them uniquely important roles to play in the church and home.
Oklahoma Baptists have grown weary of debating this topic and want to see the SBC at every level return to a focus on the Great Commission and celebrate the making of disciples and the advance of the Gospel to every part of the world.
Oklahoma Baptists care deeply about Baptist polity, which provides for the full autonomy of each church, not under the authority of any ecclesial body, but to the Lord Jesus alone. They want to see our churches cooperate together for missions and ministry within the framework of our confession of faith that keeps us faithful to the Word while at the same time allowing for differences on secondary issues.
I am hopeful that Southern Baptists will always find a way to be faithful to the Word of God, value the roles all people play in the ministry of the church, and keep our focus on the Great Commission.
