CLEARWATER, Fla. (BP) — Southern Baptist Convention President Willy Rice has announced the formation of a group whose goal is “to help Southern Baptists achieve greater clarity and consensus around historic Baptist convictions, grounded in Scripture, concerning the office of pastor and women serving in ministry.”
The SBC Presidential Commission on Women Serving in Pastoral Ministry will be chaired by Juan Sanchez, pastor of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas. Others serving are:
- Denny Burk, associate pastor of Teaching and Training, Kenwood Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky.
- H.B. Charles, senior pastor, Shiloh Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Fla.
- Ryan Fullerton, lead pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church, Louisville, Ky.
- Donna Gaines, pastor’s wife, president of Arise2Read, member, Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis, Tenn.
- Betsey Gomez, pastor’s wife, member, Ekklesia Comunidad Biblica, Irving, Texas
- Ben Lacey, lead pastor, Trinity River Baptist Church, Fort Worth, Texas
- Aaron Menikoff, senior pastor, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Sandy Springs, Ga.
- Josh Powell, lead pastor, Taylors First Baptist Church, Taylors, S.C.
- Adrian Taylor, lead pastor, Springhill Baptist Church, Gainesville, Fla.
The group will deliver a preliminary report to the SBC Executive Committee at their February meeting. A final report will be released no later than six weeks before the SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, June 13-16.
“My hope is that this Commission will build on the progress that Southern Baptists have already made in passing Resolution 9last year and the Truth and Unity Amendment,” Rice said in a statement. “While legitimate questions remain regarding how these actions will be understood and applied, I believe the overwhelming number of Southern Baptists today already stand together on these issues.”
Before being elected SBC president in June, Rice had expressed his desire for a group devoted to studying the issue of women and the role of pastor. He explained in separate comments to Baptist Press the need for the commission.
“I am convinced that Southern Baptists are convictional complementarians and overwhelmingly support the language of the Baptist Faith and Message that the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. I sense no erosion among the grassroots over the issue,” he said. “A significant majority supported the Truth and Unity Amendment, and I am hopeful it will pass in Indianapolis.
“Still, this issue has, for multiple reasons, been a topic of debate for several years. I sense Southern Baptists are ready to state clearly what we believe and put this current debate behind us.”
The commission provides the opportunity for a dedicated group to address the “legitimate questions” Rice mentioned in the news release.
“The primary questions deal with how the amendment will be applied and enforced,” he explained. “I think some people want reassurance that we are not intending to go beyond what the BF&M has clearly stated, while others want reassurance that Southern Baptists will take this convictional boundary seriously.”
Sanchez’s role in advocating for an amendment to the SBC Constitution clarifying the role of women and pastors factored in Rice naming him as chair, but it wasn’t the only reason.
“Juan is a local church pastor, so he thinks from a local pastor’s perspective, but he is also a professor at Southwestern Seminary,” Rice said. “He has exhibited leadership in this area and has the standing in both local church ministry and as a Baptist theologian.”
Team members have already been in communication and are close to holding their first meeting. Most meetings are expected to take place online, though gathering in person isn’t ruled out. All are serving at their personal expense or their church’s, Rice noted.
“I intend to address the Commission initially and will stay in touch as the work progresses,” he said. “Obviously, as they approach a final report, I will speak into it as appropriate. But the Commission will be responsible for the report and any recommendations that come forth.”
“Numerous” voices went into forming the group, he added, including state convention presidents, SBC entity heads, pastors, leaders of various affinity groups in the SBC and “several women Bible teachers who love writing and teaching in their local churches.”
“I heard a number of different opinions [and] what I heard left me hopeful that there is a way to achieve overwhelming convictional clarity and consensus on this issue that will allow us to put this current debate behind us and reinforce this doctrinal conviction for years to come,” he said.
Even as the group’s work will be presented in Indianapolis, Rice pointed out that it will not be the last word.
“The final weight of authority,” he said, “rests with the messengers who will approve or disapprove a report and any motions it may bring forth.”
Comments are closed.