Southern Baptists refuse to take back megachurch because it has women pastors

NEW ORLEANS — The Southern Baptist Convention has refused to welcome Saddleback Church back into its fold, rejecting an appeal by the California megachurch over its February ouster for having women pastors. Southern Baptist church representatives at their annual meeting here also rejected a similar appeal by a smaller church, Fern Creek Baptist of Louisville, Kentucky, which is led by a woman pastor. On Wednesday, the messengers pressed to make those roles more clear by voting to amend the convention’s constitution to specify that Southern Baptists churches must “affirm, appoint or employ only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.” To go into effect, it needs to be approved at the next annual meeting. “We should leave no room for our daughters or granddaughters to have confusion on where the SBC stands.” Warren has been a lifelong Southern Baptist, and the church he founded being removed from the denomination was something he might have never expected even though he has pushed the boundaries for years now, said Scott Thumma, a sociology of religion professor and director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. The church at its birth was the church at its best.” As for Fern Creek, Barnes Popham said she doesn’t know whether the church will join a new denomination or remain independent, but “I also believe God has great things for Fern Creek Baptist.” The church is now facing a possible expulsion from the Kentucky Baptist Convention, the SBC’s state affiliate, based on a recommendation from its credentials committee.