Orlando | It’s back to Indianapolis in 2027 for the next vote on the constitutional amendment limiting the pastorate to men only after a short discussion and balloting in Orlando. In under ten minutes, Southern Seminary President Al Mohler spoke for the motion he made on Tuesday, two messengers spoke from the floor—one against and one for the amendment—then the second messenger called the question.
Messengers agreed, debate ended, ballots were cast. the vote announced an hour later was 74.60% to 25.09% in favor.
With 11,628 messengers registered and more than 20-thousand total attendance, this was the largest crowd since the SBC met in Nashville the year after Covid prevented assembly.
“This amendment makes very clear that a church in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention doesn’t have anyone other than a man as pastor in the office of pastor,” Mohler said, “and specifies on the functions of the pastor that the key central function of preaching the word of God to the gathered assembly is limited to men by Scripture.”
Mohler asked messengers not to tinker with the language of his amendment. His aim was to clarify the office of pastor as male-only, but also the preaching function “to the assembled congregation” as reserved to male pastors.
“The structure of the language I have brought goes all the way back to the 1689 Baptist Confession, where the office and function of the pastor are clearly delineated,” Mohler said.
The motion reads that a cooperating 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.”
Messenger Doug Mize of Greer, South Carolina, speaks against the amendment.
In his argument against the motion, messenger Doug Mize of Greer, South Carolina said the position of the SBC was already clear. He pointed to dismissal or withdrawal of 100 churches with female lead pastors over the past 30 years.
A report from the Credentials Committee on Tuesday said they received complaints about 56 churches that were not in “friendly cooperation” by having women in pastoral positions. The committee found only 44 of those were Southern Baptist churches. They contacted all the churches: 10 were deemed not in cooperation, and 10 withdrew on their own.
A messenger votes on the Mohler Amendment.
Approval of a constitutional amendment requires two-thirds majority vote in two consecutive annual meetings. The next convention is in Indianapolis next June. That’s the same city where the previous second vote on a male-only pastor amendment received only 61% of the vote, five points shy of approval.
In Orlando, 8,074 messengers cast ballots: 6,028 (74.60%) in favor of the amendment, 2,026 (25.09%) were opposed.