By Baptist Message staff DALLAS (LBM) – An amendment that would have specified in the SBC Constitution that only men may serve as any kind of pastor or elder failed by messengers' vote, June 11. Messengers cast 3,421 for the Law Amendment (60.74 percent) and 2,191 against (38.90 percent). Because a super-majority was needed, the amendment failed. During the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California, messenger Mike Law, also pastor with Arlington Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia, introduced a motion to amend Section III of the Southern Baptist Convention’s constitution to state that a church is in friendly cooperation with the SBC only if it “does not affirm, appoint, or employ a woman as a pastor of any kind.” The motion was referred to the Executive Committee and was brought before messengers during the 2023 Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Texas messenger Juan Sanchez then presented an amendment phrased differently to the motion: Cooperating churches must “affirm, appoint, or employ only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.” Eighty percent of messengers then approved the measure. The following year in Indianapolis, Indiana, messengers cast 5,099 ballots in favor (61.45 percent) … [Read more...]