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2d ago

Southern Baptists Advance Amendment to Bar Churches With Women Pastors

The vote marks a step toward tightening who the denomination will recognize and could give leaders clearer grounds to exclude churches that appoint or endorse women as pastors.

Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, speaks at the Southern Baptist Convention meeting at New Orleans' Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on June 13, 2023. SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network, SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK
File - Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley gives the President's Address during the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting, June 10, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Richard W. Rodriguez, File)
Attendees walk through the Orange County Convention Center during the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Attendees listen as presentations are discussed during the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Overview

  • Messengers at the Southern Baptist Convention voted 6,028 to 2,026 on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, to pass the first of two required two-thirds roll-call votes to add the “Truth and Unity” amendment to the SBC constitution.
  • The amendment's wording would prohibit a cooperating SBC church from affirming, appointing, or endorsing a woman to the office or function of pastor, elder, or overseer, including preaching to the assembled congregation.
  • Albert Mohler sponsored and argued for the amendment and supporters moved quickly to end floor debate, a procedural step that prevented amendments and limited public opposition during the vote.
  • Advocacy groups and critics said the measure will further restrict leadership opportunities for women and risks more expulsions or voluntary exits by congregations, while Baptist Women in Ministry publicly protested with a billboard in Orlando.
  • The vote builds on recent expulsions of churches with female senior pastors and comes as the SBC faces fallout from a sexual abuse crisis and long-term membership decline, and it must win a second two-thirds vote at next year’s meeting to take effect.