Saddleback Church ousted from SBC

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Saddleback Church was the second largest SBC congregation. Associated Press/Photo by Allison Dinner

The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee said Tuesday that its second-largest congregation, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., and four other churches are “not in friendly cooperation” with the SBC. The convention’s credentials committee made the recommendation based on the churches having female pastors, which is contradictory to the SBC’s 1984 Resolution On Ordination And The Role Of Women In Ministry. In addition to Saddleback, the other congregations named in the recommendation include New Faith Mission Ministry in Griffin, Ga.; St. Timothy’s Christian Church in Baltimore, Md.; Calvary Baptist Church in Jackson, Miss.; and Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky. The congregations will have the opportunity to appeal the decision at the SBC Annual Meeting in June.

What led to this decision? Andy Wood was named lead pastor of the California megachurch last year when founding pastor Rick Warren retired. Wood’s wife, Stacie, currently serves as a teaching pastor, and Warren ordained three women as staff pastors in 2021.

Dig deeper: Read Mary Jackson’s report in WORLD Magazine about the SBC’s new leader.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.