SBC attendees advance amendment barring female preaching

Messengers at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting approved a measure banning all women from serving as pastors, elders, or any other form of overseer within the denomination. The amendment passed on Wednesday with nearly 75% support after attendees voted to bypass the convention’s executive committee and fast-track the measure’s passage.

Despite the SBC’s statement of faith directly stating that only men can preach, some churches interpret the policy as applying solely to the role of senior pastor, while allowing women to preach under a lower title. Albert Mohler, WORLD Opinions editor and president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky, introduced his amendment when the denominational meeting kicked off in Orlando, Fla., on Tuesday. Mohler’s Truth and Unity amendment aimed to clarify the denomination’s stance on women preaching.

What happens next? The amendment must receive a second two-thirds vote of approval from messengers at the denomination’s 2027 meeting in Indianapolis, Ind., before the amendment can be officially passed and enacted. The 2026 meeting kicked off on Tuesday with attendees electing Florida Pastor Willy Rice as the group’s next president, assuming the role of the current president, Clint Pressley.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Black’s report for more about Rice’s policy plans as the next SBC president.