# Can a Southern Baptist congregation ordain a woman? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 1, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-southern-baptist-congregation-ordain-a-woman/479472 "2009-01-01T16:29:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-southern-baptist-congregation-ordain-a-woman/479472/1 "2009-01-01T16:29:07Z")
The SBC is against the ordination of women. But it also affirms the autonomy of its local congregations. What does this autonomy amount to? Can a local congregation ordain a woman and still be a member of the SBC? -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-southern-baptist-congregation-ordain-a-woman/479472/2 "2009-01-01T16:30:43Z")
AFAIK, yes, but it won’t get invited to the better parties. Semi-facetious answer, but I think pretty accurate, from what I’ve read. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2009, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-southern-baptist-congregation-ordain-a-woman/479472/3 "2009-01-01T17:05:52Z")
According to this (apparently Baptist) [news analysis from 2000](http://www.baptist2baptist.net/b2barticle.asp?ID=228), the Southern Baptist Convention opposed it, but did not appear to have actually ejected any of the (tiny number of) congregations who had employed a woman as senior pastor. What that article does not actually address is the simple ordination of women. The entire context is a discussion of senior pastors which, to my outsiders view, appears to indicate that women may be ordained aslong as they do not aspire to the top job in the congregation. This [effort to provide a historical perspective](http://www.baptisthistory.org/contissues/huffman.htm) says that Southern Baptists began to ordain women in 1964, although their career path following ordination has not been a clear one. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2024, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-southern-baptist-congregation-ordain-a-woman/479472/4 "2024-06-07T23:53:13Z")
Updating this thread: > Since Baptist churches are independent, the convention can’t tell them what to do or whom to appoint as a pastor. > > But the convention can decide which churches are in and which are out. And even without a formal amendment, its Executive Committee has begun telling churches with women pastors that [they’re out](https://apnews.com/article/southern-baptists-women-pastors-sex-abuse-45439f49cead56de4d363765409f486c). That included one of its largest, Saddleback Church of California. > **[Southern Baptists are poised to ban churches with women pastors. Some are...](https://apnews.com/article/religion-southern-baptists-women-pastors-saddleback-3b40fd925377a9e3aa2ecb4a4072a4a6)** > > The Southern Baptist Convention is preparing to vote on a proposed constitutional ban on churches with women pastors. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2024, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-southern-baptist-congregation-ordain-a-woman/479472/5 "2024-06-08T12:30:25Z")
I can’t possibly do the subject justice in a few lines, but I will mention that my fist wife attended one of the SBC seminaries while we were married and earned two Masters degrees there. This was in the early 1980s. The subject of her ordination was quite heated, especially since she was a student at a denomination seminary and not at an autonomous church. She was very active and outspoken regarding the role of women in SBC churches and had been for some time. We had just moved from a church that had been ejected from the local Baptist association because they simply ordained a woman as a deacon. While we were at the seminary, we knew of several SBC churches that ordained women pastors and deacons. Again, this was 40 years ago. It was, and remains, a very complex and political issue for the denomination. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-southern-baptist-congregation-ordain-a-woman/479472/6 "2024-06-12T17:39:12Z")
This is a surprise. > **[Southern Baptists Reject Ban on Women as Pastors](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/12/us/southern-baptist-in-vitro-ivf-women-pastors.html)** > > The denomination voted against adding language to its constitution saying that “only men” could be affirmed or employed “as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.” ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-southern-baptist-congregation-ordain-a-woman/479472/7 "2024-06-12T18:58:30Z")
Next up: the vote to split the conference and expel the infidels. Hey, it’s happened before. That’s where the SBC came from – separating from the preexisting Baptist body to oppose abolition. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-southern-baptist-congregation-ordain-a-woman/479472/8 "2024-06-12T19:14:36Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Next up: the vote to split the conference and expel the infidels. Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879? ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-southern-baptist-congregation-ordain-a-woman/479472/9 "2024-06-13T00:01:36Z")
Splitter! ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2026, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-southern-baptist-congregation-ordain-a-woman/479472/10 "2026-06-11T19:54:13Z")
This is not a surprise. > **[Southern Baptists Move Closer to Constitutional Ban on Women Pastors -...](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/06/southern-baptist-constitution-ban-women-pastors/)** > > Messengers at the church’s annual meeting easily passed a measure barring churches with women pastors or those that allow women to preach. The change must pass again next year to become permanent.