Saddleback Church, one of the largest and most influential churches in the U.S., has filed an appeal to reverse its expulsion from the Southern Baptist Convention for having a woman pastor on its staff. The church, founded by bestselling author Rick Warren, was kicked out of the denomination in February by its Executive Committee.
The committee said that Saddleback violated the SBC’s statement of faith, which states that only men can serve as pastors. The church has a female teaching pastor, Stacie Wood, who is the wife of lead pastor Andy Wood. Wood took over from Warren last summer after Warren retired.
Saddleback is now asking the SBC’s annual meeting, which will take place in New Orleans in June, to overturn the committee’s decision and reinstate its membership. The church has the right to appeal to the full convention under the SBC’s bylaws.
Saddleback is not the only church that is appealing its dismissal over the issue of women pastors. Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, is also challenging its ouster by the committee. The committee removed five churches in total for having women pastors.
The appeal marks a significant clash between the SBC and one of its most prominent churches. Saddleback has multiple campuses across Southern California and has a membership of 54,000 people as of 2021. The church is known for its global outreach and social ministries, as well as Warren’s popular books such as “The Purpose Driven Life”.
The SBC is the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., with more than 14 million members and 47,000 churches. However, it has been facing decline and division in recent years over issues such as racism, sexual abuse and politics.
The SBC’s statement of faith affirms that men and women are equal in God’s sight, but that they have different roles in the family and the church. It says that “the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture”.
The SBC does not have any authority over its member churches, but it can disassociate from them if they are deemed to be “not in friendly cooperation with the Convention”. The final decision on whether to uphold or overturn the committee’s actions will be made by the messengers, or delegates, who attend the annual meeting.
