At Annual Meeting, Southern Baptists Overwhelmingly Vote to Prohibit Women Pastors

In this Protestia article, the outlet reports that Southern Baptist Convention messengers overwhelmingly voted at their annual meeting to advance a constitutional amendment barring churches with women pastors from being considered in “friendly cooperation” with the denomination.

• The measure, called the “Truth and Unity Amendment,” was introduced by Albert Mohler and received strong support from messengers at the SBC annual meeting.
• The amendment would clarify that churches affirming, appointing, or employing women as pastors, elders, overseers, or in similar pastoral roles are not in friendly cooperation with the SBC.
• The vote reportedly passed by a large margin, clearing the required two-thirds threshold for this stage of the constitutional amendment process.
• Because this is a constitutional change, it is not yet final; it must pass again at the next SBC annual meeting before becoming part of the denomination’s governing documents.
• Supporters argue the amendment is necessary to preserve biblical complementarianism and bring denominational clarity on an issue already addressed in the Baptist Faith and Message.
• The article frames the vote as a major victory for conservatives within the SBC who have pushed for stronger enforcement against churches with women pastors.
• Critics of the amendment have argued that the SBC already has sufficient mechanisms to disfellowship churches that violate doctrinal standards, making the constitutional change unnecessary.
• The debate follows years of controversy over women in pastoral roles, including the high-profile removal of Saddleback Church and other congregations from SBC fellowship.

Read the full story: https://protestia.com/2026/06/11/at-annual-meeting-southern-baptists-overwhelmingly-vote-to-prohibit-women-pastors/