The First Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia, a Southern Baptist church with a female pastor, may soon face expulsion from the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). The SBC is scheduled to vote on an amendment to its constitution that would essentially ban churches with female pastors. That measure already received substantial approval in a preliminary vote last year.
The proposed ban could affect hundreds of congregations, with a disproportionate effect on predominantly black churches. The controversy began two years ago when a Virginia pastor argued that First Baptist and four other churches disagreed with the SBC doctrine that only men can be pastors. This led to a formal investigation by the SBC Credentials Committee in April.
The SBC is split on which workplaces this doctrine applies to. Some argue that it only applies to the senior pastor, while others believe that it applies to anyone who preaches and exercises spiritual authority. Critics argue that the convention should not create a constitutional rule based on an interpretation of its nonbinding doctrinal statement.
The SBC, the largest Protestant denomination in the country, has been moving steadily to the right in recent decades. It has also been struggling to respond to cases of sexual abuse within its churches and has seen a decline in membership and baptism rates.
The potential ban has sparked concern among many, including Pastor Gregory Perkins, president of the SBC's National African American Fellowship, who wrote to denominational officials saying that expulsion from churches based on local church governance decisions dishonors the spirit of cooperation and the guiding principles of the denomination. .
The amendment, if passed, would not trigger an immediate purge, but it could keep denominational leaders busy for years investigating and expelling churches. The controversy also complicates the SBC's efforts to diversify and overcome its legacy of slavery and segregation.
Some churches with female pastors, such as Saddleback Church in California, have already been told by the SBC Executive Committee that they are out. The amendment would give more power to these enforcement actions. However, the SBC's highest administrative body opposes the amendment, arguing that investigating churches' compliance would consume an unsustainable amount of time and energy.
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