At the 2024 Annual Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis, Southern Baptists refused to ban female pastors in their constitution despite already making it a confessional issue. However, this is also a major issue at the state levels as well. In Texas, and also Virginia, there is a long Baptist heritage, and so there are multiple state level Baptist conventions. There is the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) which is older and represents the Baylor University liberal Baptists. In response, because Southern Baptists wanted a more affiliated state convention, they launched the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC).
Baptist churches are free to affiliate with various conventions, according to Baptist polity. Yet the infiltration of liberal BGCT churches is a looming weakness in the SBTC. So for two years Baptsits have been trying to require agreement on female pastors as a condition of affiliation. As president of the Southern Baptist Convention nationally and a Texas pastor, Bart Barber requested last year that the SBTC delay action on this matter, which was obliged.
This year, there was a major battle in Texas, and the Baptists won. Whereas Bart Barber is a closet egalitarian, Clint Pressley, as SBC president spoke out in favor of banning egalitarians.
What Baptists in Texas (SBTC) do today is up to them, but if there is a lack of clarity on what the Convention means by “pastor,” then I think we always serve our churches better with more clarity, not less.
Afterward, Clint Pressley would announce that the motion passed.
Thankful the SBTC overwhelmingly clarified that within their constitution the title of Pastor is reserved for males alone.
This comes in sharp contrast with the BGCT which voted overwhelmingly this week to reject the Baptist Faith and Message because of their desire for female pastors.
