Southern Baptists Advance Formal Ban on Women Pastors

ORLANDO, Fla. — Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to advance a constitutional amendment that would formally ban churches with women pastors from the denomination, marking a decisive step in a multi-year debate over gender roles in church leadership.

The measure, known as the “Truth and Unity Amendment,” passed by a vote of 6,028 to 2,026 — a 74.66% supermajority that far exceeded the required two-thirds threshold. Sponsored by Dr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the amendment now requires a second two-thirds majority vote at the 2027 SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis to become part of the denomination’s constitution.

The Amendment’s Scope

The amendment adds a new requirement under Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the SBC constitution, stipulating that a cooperating church must not “affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor/elder/overseer, specifically preaching to the assembled congregation,” according to AP News.

While the SBC already has a faith statement — the Baptist Faith and Message (2000) — that limits the office of pastor to men, the amendment would embed the restriction directly into the convention’s constitution, making enforcement more definitive. The denomination has previously expelled churches with women in senior pastoral roles, including Saddleback Church in 2023, but supporters argued that constitutional clarity was needed.

“We need constitutional clarity on this issue,” Mohler said during the floor debate, as reported by Religion News Service. “This is an opportunity for Southern Baptists to speak in truth, in unity, in conviction.”

A Historic Vote After Years of Debate

The vote represents the culmination of four consecutive years of efforts to tighten restrictions on women in pastoral leadership. Similar amendments failed in 2023 (passed first vote but failed the second), 2024 (fell short with ~61%), and 2025 (failed with ~60.74% in Dallas). This marks the first time the measure has received a supermajority on its first vote.

More than 11,000 messengers attended the two-day meeting at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. The debate itself was notably brief, with only one messenger — South Carolina pastor Doug Mize — speaking in opposition.

“What we have already works,” Mize said, arguing that the denomination’s existing mechanisms for expelling churches with women pastors were sufficient. “This is over and beyond the reach that we need to have,” he added, as reported by USA Today.

Supporters, however, argued the measure was necessary to settle the issue permanently. Colin Smothers, executive director of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, told messengers that “culture is attacking gender on all fronts” and that the amendment affirms “God’s creation order on the office of pastor,” according to USA Today.

Broader Context and Implications

The SBC’s position is rooted in complementarianism, the theological view that men and women have distinct, complementary roles in church and home. This stands in contrast to mainline Protestant denominations — including the United Methodist Church, Episcopal Church, and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America — which ordain women and have opened their highest offices to them.

The vote comes amid 19 consecutive years of membership decline for the SBC, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Membership fell 3% to 12.3 million members, according to Lifeway Research, as reported by The Christian Post. The amendment risks further losses, as some congregations with more egalitarian views may leave voluntarily or be expelled. Since the debate intensified, 44 SBC churches were found to have women pastors on staff; 20 left on their own, 10 were expelled, and the status of the rest remains unclear.

Baptist Women in Ministry issued a strong 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,” the organization said. “Women in ministry deserve affirmation, respect, and the opportunity to follow God’s call.”

Other Business at the Meeting

In addition to the women pastors vote, messengers elected Florida pastor Willy Rice as SBC president with 58% of the vote. Rice, senior pastor of Calvary Church in Clearwater, supported the amendment and blamed what he called “sloppy ecclesiology” and “cultural pragmatism” for misuse of the title “pastor.”

Messengers also approved a $186 million budget for 2026-2027, with 51% going to international missions, and passed resolutions denouncing political violence, antisemitism, and calling for humane treatment of immigrants. A resolution affirming opposition to assisted suicide was also approved.

What’s Next

The amendment must pass a second vote with a two-thirds majority at the 2027 SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis to become part of the constitution. Mohler has drawn parallels to the SBC’s 1990s action on LGBTQ issues, suggesting the amendment is intended to settle the women pastors debate permanently.

“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,” Mohler said, according to USA Today. “That has clarified the SBC’s conviction. It has created even deeper unity in the truth.”

Whether the amendment will achieve final passage in 2027 — and how many churches may leave the denomination in the interim — remains to be seen.