Albert Mohler has proposed an amendment to Article III of the SBC Constitution to add that a church in friendly cooperation “6. does not act to affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor/elder/overseer, specifically preaching to the assembled congregation.” He has labeled this amendment the “Truth and Unity Amendment” and explained that it seeks to unite Southern Baptists under a broad consensus statement that the vast majority of messengers can support.
I am writing this article for a single purpose. I want to appeal to you to support this amendment because it is necessary, clear, biblical, and appropriate.
Southern Baptists must stand with conviction on the truth and move forward together in unity. The amendment is not exhaustive, but it reflects the broad consensus regarding our beliefs about the office of pastor/elder/overseer and one function of the office, preaching to the assembled congregation.
1. The Amendment is Necessary
Some Southern Baptists have argued the current process of the Credentials Committee is sufficient and therefore the amendment is not needed. While it is true the committee has recommended nine churches for removal from friendly cooperation since 2023 for having women pastors, they have also acted inconsistently by declining to recommend other churches with female pastors for removal. There is a good mechanism in place but it suffers a weakness from lacking clear guidelines on this issue and a regular change of members due to a third of the committee rotating every year.
One year the Credentials Committee recommended removing Saddleback Church, which had a female teaching pastor, but in a subsequent year they cleared NewSpring Church, which also had a female teaching pastor. One year they recommended removing FBC Alexandria for their egalitarian beliefs, but in a subsequent year they cleared Abba’s House, which had five females with the title “pastor.” These shifting lines reveal a year-to-year inconsistency with the process.
I commend Credentials Committee chairman Jonathan Sams acknowledging the need for the committee to review its past work and consider whether its processes should be clarified or improved. He personally submitted a resolution on the office of pastor/elder/overseer on behalf of the Credentials Committee that the Resolutions Committee will bring before the messengers this year for consideration. He also clearly expresses the point that I am making here: “It is not the Credentials Committee’s role or responsibility to create standards for cooperation for churches. It is rightly the responsibility of the Convention to determine the standards by which it will deem a church to be in friendly cooperation.”
The amendment is necessary to provide the instruction our Credentials Committee needs to be able to act consistently based upon the broad consensus of what we believe as Southern Baptists.
2. The Amendment is Clear
The language of the amendment is clear and concise, addressing both the office of pastor/elder/overseer and one clear function of that office that we have broad consensus on, preaching to the assembled congregation. The amendment is clear and concise across its four main components.
First, the amendment uses three terms "affirm, appoint, or endorse" to holistically restrict the action of affirming a woman as a pastor/elder/overseer. The triad "affirm, approve, or endorse" appears in subpoints 1 and 5 in our constitution restricting homosexual behavior and discriminatory behavior based on ethnicity. This amendment aligns with a choice of language that has served us well in the past.
Second, the amendment addresses the issue of women serving in the office of pastor/elder/overseer. We confess there is one office of spiritual leadership in the church and that "pastors," "elders," and "overseers" are limited only to qualified men.
Third, the amendment closes a potential titling loophole by explicitly identifying the function of preaching as being restricted to men. One weakness of the Law Amendment was that a church could simply change titles from the word "pastor" and have a woman preach to the church. This amendment is stronger than the Law Amendment by specifically addressing the function of preaching. Most of us believe that there are other functions of the office of pastor/elder/overseer, but the amendment addresses one function on which Southern Baptists have broad consensus, and on this matter the amendment provides clear instruction to the Credentials Committee.
Finally, the amendment clarifies the context of preaching in "the assembled congregation." This is the gathered body of a local congregation for public worship.
In twenty-seven words, the amendment provides our CC with the clarity it needs to faithfully and consistently carry out its task.
3. The Amendment is Biblical
First Timothy 2:9-14 states unequivocally that women are not to teach or have authority over men. First Timothy 3:1-7 identifies the qualifications of the office of pastor/elder/overseer including the requirement that they must be able to teach. Southern Baptists believe only biblically qualified men who are able to teach are to serve in the office of pastor/elder/overseer. They are responsible for teaching and having authority over both men and women in the church.
Titus 2:3-4 explains the proper context for women to faithfully teach. Paul commands older women to teach what is good, specifically to the young women regarding their husbands and their children. We affirm that godly women can be gifted to teach what is true and good in accordance with God's Word in the proper context of teaching other women and children. And though faithful Southern Baptists may differ with me by allowing women to teach in certain mixed-gender settings, I’m happy to continue cooperating with them despite those differences while we cooperatively draw a line where the vast majority of us do agree.
The amendment is biblical in its restriction of women from serving in the office of pastor/elder/overseer and from functioning as if they were serving in the office by preaching to the assembled congregation.
4. The Amendment is Appropriate
Some have argued the amendment is inappropriate because it would violate the autonomy of the local church. All previous amendments to Article III of our Constitution have not threatened the autonomy of any local church. When we have removed churches from friendly cooperation in the past for cases of affirming homosexual behavior, acting inconsistently with what the convention believes about sexual abuse, or endorsing discriminatory behavior on the basis of ethnicity, we did not transgress the autonomy of any local church to choose its own leadership and establish its own beliefs. The churches with whom we no longer cooperate are just as autonomous today as they were when they cooperated with the SBC.
The amendment is appropriate because the convention itself is an autonomous body that can set its parameters for friendly cooperation. The convention has no authority over any local autonomous church to require it to take any action, but the convention can freely define the boundaries of its cooperation.
The Truth and Unity Amendment is necessary, clear, biblical, and appropriate. As such, it is a helpful addition to the Constitution. So let’s move forward together, clarifying our convictions and defining the parameters of our fellowship for the sake of the truth, the unity of our convention, and the glory of the Lord.
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Editor's Note: As a part of its commitment to fostering conversation within the Southern Baptist Convention, the Baptist Review may publish editorials that espouse viewpoints that are not necessarily shared by the TBR leadership team or other contributors. We welcome submissions for responses and rebuttals to any editorials as we seek to host meaningful conversations about the present and future of our convention.
John Michael LaRue
John Michael LaRue is the lead pastor of The Bridge Church in Miamisburg, Ohio, where he has served since 2019. He holds a B.A. from Palm Beach Atlantic University, an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has completed all but his dissertation for a Ph.D. at SBTS. He and his wife Amanda have three beautiful girls, Molly, Macy, and Maggy.