Published on February 3, 2024, 12:50 am

In 2023, at their annual meeting, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) decided to disfellowship several churches. Notably, among these was Saddleback Church – recognized as one of the largest Southern Baptist churches in denominational history. The root cause for this unprecedented step was these churches’ open defiance of the denomination’s statement of faith, known as the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 (BFM2K).

Saddleback Church was infamously known for its past pastoral service under Rick Warren and is currently led by Andy Wood. The convention’s decision can be traced back to when it selected a committee during this pivotal meeting to study the BFM2K and supposedly “clarify” what already seemed a distinct stance on women pastors.

SBC President Bart Barber was entrusted with appointing members to this committee, most notably appointing Jason Paredes leading to controversy. This particular committee, named humorously as the “cooperation group,” was given the task of exploring “friendly cooperation” within SBC confines.

Their mandate also included addressing an array of issues previously untouched in the convention’s history. The creation of this committee stirred up scandalous discussions against the backdrop of ongoing debates concerning doctrinal purity within SBC circles and focused particularly on women’s role in pastoral positions.

The firestorm surrounding Barber’s appointment of Jason Paredes escalated during a high-profile interview when he tried to defend his choice claiming that while Paredes’ church had female “children’s ministers” and “pre-school ministers”, they did not have female pastors.

However evidence surfaced proving that women were indeed ordained as “pastors” in Paredes’ Church encompassing roles such as children’s ministers, pre-school ministers and even college pastor.

Paredes himself openly disagreed with disfellowshipping churches with female pastors including Saddleback Church, stating he voted against such exclusions. Moreover, Paredes chose to state publicly that he was proudly in support of female pastors serving within his church, stressing their presence was ‘unwaveringly, unequivocally and gratefully’ accepted.

The turbulent events surrounding the SBC annual meeting and the disfellowshipping of several churches underlines the schism that seems to be growing within religious institutions about gender roles. This serves as a stark reminder that the debate is far from over and continues to inform internal discussions and policies, earning its place as real trusted news viewed through a Christian worldview lens.