Next week, Southern Baptists will gather in Indianapolis for their Annual Meeting and will discuss a variety of issues, including the role of women in ministry. Something called the “Law Amendment” has been proposed, which would add an additional condition to Article III of the SBC Constitution stating that cooperating churches will affirm, appoint, or employ “only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.”
On May 22, Dr. Jeff Iorg, the new president of the SBC Executive Committee, wrote a thought-provoking article opposing this amendment. I’m grateful for Dr. Iorg’s leadership and count him a personal mentor and friend. However, on this particular issue, I would respectfully disagree. I’ve tried to summarize and respond to a few of his points…
1. It is a non-moral issue. Dr. Iorg says in his article, “Previous issues (homosexuality, sexual abuse and racism) have a defined moral component…Women serving in pastoral roles are not in this category.” In response, I would say that 1 Timothy 2:12-15 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7 deal with sexual identity, conduct in the worship service, and qualifications of church leadership. Are we really prepared to say that these and other such passages aren’t moral issues?
2. It is a distracting issue. Dr. Iorg says, “We must celebrate our diversity rather than striving for conformity, while doubling down on what the SBC came together to do in the first place – getting the Gospel to people who have never heard it….Let’s focus our energy on external threats instead of internal battles.” I love Dr. Iog’s heart for the Great Commission and have watched him for many years stay faithful to the spread of the gospel. The SBC has always existed to advance the Great Commission. But we are also a confessional people. If women in ministry didn’t matter to our founders and to our institutions, then it wouldn’t have been etched into our charter documents and the Baptist Faith & Message in the first place. But it is there because we do believe, to some degree, in the importance of narrowing our level of cooperation. I believe that churches who cooperate with doctrinal and ecclesiastical purity will be a brighter light, not a weaker one, before a watching world. Let us also remember that the Great Commission is not only sharing the gospel, but teaching Christ’s disciples to observe all he has commanded – included his teachings on gender, sexuality, and male/female roles in the home and in the church.
3. It is a consequential issue. Dr. Iorg writes, “When a church is removed from the SBC…there are several striking consequences…Some of the losses mentioned above have legal implications.” I appreciate these thoughts and think Dr. Iorg is uniquely positioned to help the SBC navigate through these changes. It grieves me what trickle down effect the Law Amendment could have on our entities. But I don’t think this is a reason to vote against it. The stakes are high. But that shouldn’t prevent us from doing the right thing. Maybe in some cases, churches will count the cost and consider ahead of time whether they really want to be using the title “pastor” for women. Their first motivation should be to honor Christ and be faithful to his word. But some of these other consequences are worth weighing.
4. It is an unsustainable change. Dr. Iorg writes, “If the issue is function, then the SBC Credentials Committee must investigate job descriptions, church governing documents, etc….This is unsustainable due to the number of churches to be evaluated.” If I’m not mistaken, this is one of the very reasons for passing the Law Amendment – to prevent endless wrangling, parsing of words, committee reviews, and emotionally charged debate on the convention floor. My hope is that the Law Amendment would reaffirm what is already stated in the Baptist Faith and Message (It’s not actually saying anything new). I believe it would be a helpful and timely re-affirmation of our doctrinal convictions. The messengers are still the ones who bring churches before the convention if there is a need to unseat any messengers.
As I see it, with the Law Amendment, the process would be tightened and clarified, and in a short amount of time, precedents will be set and we could continue on with the business of taking the gospel to our neighbors and the nations. May God’s will be done!
Pinch Of Clay 