LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention have been debating gender roles in the church at their annual gathering, with a proposal to ban member churches who have female pastors. The measure comes one year after a Louisville-area church was expelled by the Southern Baptist Convention because their pastor is a woman. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Southern Baptist Convention is group of churches partnering on missions and supporting missionaries across the world 

  • On Wednesday, the convention voted to reject a proposal which would ban member churches from allowing women pastors

  • Members voted 61.4% to 38.3% in favor of a ban, but a two-thirds majority was required to amend the denomination's constitution

  • Opponents of the proposal say the convention already has the power to reject churches for this reason

Rev. Linda Barnes Popham has been a pastor for over 30 years and is currently the pastor at Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville. 

“This is a church that has embraced both men and women in the gospel ministry in whatever area that they have been called,” Popham says. 

On Wednesday, the Southern Baptist Convention voted to reject a proposal which would ban member churches from allowing women pastors at its 47,000 places of worship. Members voted 61.4% to 38.3% in favor of a ban, but a two-thirds majority was required to amend the denomination’s constitution.

Opponents of the proposal say the convention already has the power to reject churches for this reason. 

Last year, Fern Creek Baptist was ousted from the Southern Baptist Convention because of Popham's role at the church. Saddleback Church in California was also kicked out for the same reason. This year, the Southern Baptist Convention ousted a church in Alexandria, Virginia at its annual meeting. 

“It’s so sad because I am very grateful that I grew up in a Southern Baptist Church where both men and women were given responsibilities. And we were encouraged, especially by our WMU (Woman’s Missionary Union) leaders, to follow God at any cost. And I believed them, and I still believe that to this day,” Popham shared.

Popham says she believes the convention should focus on more important issues, rather than something she sees as secondary.

“Those are the important things that we must agree on. But there are so many second- and third- and fourth- and fifth-tier issues that these folks who want control of the Southern Baptist Convention have raised. They’ve elevated those to first-tier issues,” she explained.

Rennee Bryant is a deacon at Fern Creek Baptist Church and works with different churches of various denominations to meet the needs in the community. 

“Any time you see infighting within your own denomination, that doesn’t look good. And I’ll be honest, extremely disappoints me in our denomination because I grew up as a Baptist,” Bryant says. 

Popham says her church has been invited to join a convention in Texas. The church plans to vote on whether to join later this month. 

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