Southern Baptists have voted to advance a formal ban on women pastors in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. The amendment would tighten existing restrictions in the Southern Baptist Convention, which already has a faith statement opposing women pastors.

Vote Results

The vote was 6,028 to 2,026, a 3-to-1 margin, which easily exceeded the required two-thirds majority. It will require a similar two-thirds vote at next year’s meeting to become part of the constitution.

Albert Mohler, who sponsored the amendment, said it addressed a defining issue. ‘This is an opportunity for Southern Baptists to speak in truth, in unity, in conviction,’ Mohler said. ‘There’s a great line that divides liberal and biblical evangelicalism, and you can see it on this very issue,’ he added.

Southern Baptist leaders cite biblical passages that limit pastors to men. Advocates for women’s ministry cite biblical passages that proclaim men and women as equal under God and where women are called to proclaim the gospel.

Reaction to the Vote

The organization Baptist Women in Ministry issued a statement lamenting the vote. ‘We express our solidarity with the women in ministry who have been harmed by this vote, the hateful rhetoric and propaganda leading up to the vote, and the damaging theology the vote represents,’ it said.

Southern Baptists say the Bible places high value on both men and women as created in the image of God while assigning them 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.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.