Orlando | Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler announced his intention May 18 to propose an amendment to Article III of the SBC Constitution that, he said, “would make clear” how cooperating Southern Baptist churches will view the role of women in the office of pastor/elder/overseer.
Such churches, Mohler said, would not “act to affirm, appoint or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor/elder/overseer, such as preaching to the assembled congregation.” He further announced his intention to move that Standing Rule 6 be suspended so that the Committee on Order of Business would schedule discussion for the motion at next month’s meeting in Orlando.
Standing Rule 6 states that all motions to amend the SBC’s governing documents shall be automatically referred to the Executive Committee for review and reported back to the following convention. Suspending the rule essentially moves up debate by a year.
“I believe the need for this is made abundantly clear,” Mohler said. “Frankly, that need has been building in recent years, and the Southern Baptist Convention has always risen to the occasion and met the need of this kind of challenge with a statement of conviction.”
The announcement comes amid continuing debate over churches’ placement of women with titles or in roles that include actions and/or responsibilities typically associated with a pastor/elder/overseer.
Both announced SBC presidential candidates endorsed Mohler’s proposal.
“Southern Baptists have been clear: ‘the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture,’” wrote South Carolina pastor Josh Powell in a re-post of Mohler’s announcement on X. “I have supported & continued to support any effort to make our Constitution equally clear.”
Florida pastor Willy Rice issued a nearly three-minute-long video of his thoughts in support of Mohler as well. At the same time, he continued supporting his call for a task force to study the issue and bring recommendations.
“Baptist people can, and should, do two things at once – two things that are not inconsistent at all,” he said. “We should affirm the unique biblical office of pastor/elder/overseer and the qualifications given in Scripture for that office and … affirm the work of women in vocational ministry in ways that are not inconsistent with that understanding of pastoral office.”
Rice also cited the “high threshold” for a constitutional amendment – two-thirds affirmative vote in two consecutive years – versus the single majority vote to approve a task force. Previous attempts to amend the constitution, informally known as the Law Amendment, reached the two-thirds mark in New Orleans in 2023, but failed to do so the following year in Indianapolis. Another vote last year in Dallas came after Standing Rule 6 was suspended, but the amendment once again did not reach the two-thirds threshold.
Numerous Southern Baptist leaders, including SBC President Clint Pressley, voiced support for Mohler’s amendment announcement.
To make his point, Mohler referred to actions the SBC took over another previous debate among churches, and the continued impact of those steps.
“A generation ago, the SBC took this kind of action in the Constitution by making very clear that our cooperation is not extended to those who would endorse or affirm LGBTQ lifestyles and activities,” he said. “That has clarified the SBC’s conviction. It has created even deeper unity in the truth. And that kind of language in the Constitution has served the SBC very, very well.
“One of the greatest testimonies to that is this is not an issue of open debate at the SBC year by year, and it hasn’t been for a generation. That’s exactly what we need on the issue of the office of pastor.”
The business portion of the SBC Annual Meeting takes place on June 9-10. Opportunities to present new motions are scheduled for 9:35 a.m. and 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday, with the Committee on Order of Business delivering its report regarding those motions at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday and 8:15 a.m. Wednesday. Should Standing Rule 6 be suspended and Mohler’s amendment be received, debate would take place on Wednesday, either at 8:45 a.m. or 4 p.m. (Note: All times are Eastern Standard Time)