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Let’s Talk About The SBC’s Vote To Ban Women In Leadership

Let’s Talk About The SBC’s Vote To Ban Women In Leadership

Last updated on: June 12, 2026 at 9:55 pm by Kathy King

Let’s Talk About The SBC’s Vote To Ban Women In Leadership 2026-06-12T21:55:02-04:00 Kathy King

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In the New Testament, women were precious to Jesus and encouraged to share the Gospel as well. | Image Courtesy of Canva Pro.

“When you shut the mouths of women and tell them they can’t preach or teach you are silencing half of God’s army. Which is exactly what satan wants you to do.”

― Stephanie Mayberry, The Unsilenced Woman: What the Bible Really Says about Women Who Preach

Yesterday the Southern Baptists overwhelmingly voted that women cannot serve in any pastoral roles in the church. The vote was put forth by Robert Mohler, the President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. This vote grieves my heart. I grew up a died in the wool Southern Baptist. Each and every time the doors opened we were there to hear the Gospel proclaimed, the old hymns sung, and the Sunday School lessons expounded upon with great gusto. I would add, each and every one of my Sunday School teachers were women who were also heavily involved in ministry.

If you are a student of the Bible, or even have some knowledge of Scripture, I’m sure you’ve heard the stories of not only the men who proclaimed God’s message, but also women. | Image Courtesy of Pixabay.

What does the Bible say about women in ministry?

If you are a student of the Bible, or even have some knowledge of Scripture, I’m sure you’ve heard the stories of not only the men who proclaimed God’s message, but also women. Miriam the Prophetess, who helped her brother Moses lead the Israelites through the wilderness, and Queen Esther, who was appointed by Yahweh to approach the King and save her people from destruction. Only God Himself could have given her such temerity, and who could forget Deborah? She was a judge among a sea of men and she was a brilliant military strategist who led the Israelites to victory! Rahab the harlot helped the spies of Israel and was subsequently included in the lineage of Jesus. That’s just some of the women in the Old Testament.

Jesus commissioned the woman at the well

In the New Testament, women were precious to Jesus and encouraged to share the Gospel as well. Now, before you say, “Well, all the disciples were men! Therefore, men are the ones who can preach.” What about the woman at the well? Jesus defied cultural norms, approached a Samaritan woman, asked her for a utensil to drink, and then, for all intents and purposes, read her mail. Historically, the Jewish people avoided the Samaritans at all costs; they were unworthy of their time or attention. Secondly, Jesus approached a woman He did not know to ask for water. During that time, men did not approach women unknown to them, let alone Samaritan women. Finally, He read her mail, all of it. He let her know she was with many men and that the current man was not her husband. After that encounter, she asked for His living water, and He gave it to her with an admonishment to go forth and tell others about what had just happened. She was the first evangelist.

If you take a moment and read a little commentary from that time, historically, men and women were separated in worship, learning, and most of life. | Image Courtesy of Canva Pro.

What did the Apostle Paul say about women preaching?

I can hear you saying it now, “But Paul said in I Timothy that women are not allowed to teach! He also admonished the Corinthians to keep their women silent and submissive. Take that!” If you take a moment and read a little commentary from that time, historically, men and women were separated in worship, learning, and most of life. When Jesus ascended to Heaven and promised the infilling of the Holy Spirit, a shift came to those separated roles. The Scripture gives us this information about the awaited infilling in the Upper Room: They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus. Men and women were praying together instead of being separated by religious rules.

What Happened in the Upper Room?

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were with one accord in one place. The word one accord is homothumadon it means: being unanimous, having mutual consent, being in agreement, having group unity, having one mind and purpose. They knew a spiritual shift had taken place. As the Spirit filled them with tongues of fire a miracle took place. They spoke in other tongues as the spirit gave utterance. When the people around them heard the Gospel preached in their native tongues, some were amazed while others thought that the people were drunk at 9 am. It was at this moment, the Apostle Peter chose to share the words of the Prophet Joel: “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” At that moment, a shift took place. God made His declaration known; He was pouring out His Spirit on everyone who wanted it.

The Bible does not assign rigid social or church roles to men and women, but it does place headship and authority in husbands as an abiding principle for this age. | Image Courtesy of Canva Pro.

But what about Paul’s admonition?

In I Timothy chapter 2 and I Corinthians 14, Paul told the women to be silent and submissive? Why would he say that? There are a few interpretations of these passages. First, the Baptist perspective. Women cannot lead men, teach men, or serve as pastors over men. The following is an excerpt from The Spirit-Filled Life Bible with commentary by Jack Hayford. These verses may be interpreted in various ways:

The best interpretation is probably to see Paul as not forbidding women to manifest spiritual gifts in the church (see Acts 2:18, 21:9). Rather, he prohibits undisciplined discussion that would disturb the service.
Also possible is the forbidden speaking along the lines of I Tim. 2:11-15, which precludes women from becoming independent doctrinal (apostolic) authorities over men.
One other view sees 1 Corinthians 14:34,35 as Paul’s quoting from their letter to him at the beginning of a new paragraph. Proponents of this view then see v. 36 as his rhetorical answer, saying, “What? Men only? Nonsense!” Perhaps more helpful is noting that the Greek word here for “woman” is also translatable as “wife.” Thus, the command may confront the impropriety in any age of a wife domineeringly issuing doctrinal commands and enforcing authoritative teaching, embarrassing her husband in public. The Bible does not assign rigid social or church roles to men and women, but it does place headship and authority in husbands as an abiding principle for this age.

My husband values my opinion and he takes it into consideration each and every time we have big decisions to make. | Image Courtesy of Canva Pro.

Were the Southern Baptists wrong?

The SBC is its own association of churches that vote and make bylaws that fit their Biblical worldview. I don’t begrudge them their vote or sentiment; I just disagree. On a personal note, I am a stay-at-home wife and mother. I’ve loved that role in my life; I wanted it. My husband values my opinion and he takes it into consideration each and every time we have big decisions to make. I still defer to him; I don’t think this makes me weak in any way. Rather, I believe it makes me a Proverbs 31 woman. On the flip side, I am also an ordained minister. I went to Bible School, studied, prayed, sought the Lord, and He told me that I am called to the ministry. As a pastor? No. I would not be very good at that, but I have preached, led music (I’m a trained musician), and served in various leadership roles in the church. Yet, when I served in those roles at Baptist churches, they let me serve in the interim slot, never the permanent slot. My husband wholeheartedly supports the ministry that God has entrusted to me. Some will say they are utterly and completely wrong, to which I would say, seek to preach in another denomination.

God can and does use women in ministry

Personally, I one hundred percent believe that God uses women to do mighty things on His behalf. We are not better than men, just different and God uses that amazing difference to point others to Jesus. I’ve shared this story before and it is worth retelling. I’ll never forget the time my husband and I were sitting in a mixed Sunday School class. There was a male leader who taught very well. But when discussion was brought forth, I piped up with what was on my heart. I don’t suffer from shyness; I love to talk about the Bible. The teacher peppered me with questions about my viewpoint, but when the time came to pray to end the class, the leader looked right past me and asked my husband to pray. My husband gave him a look and said, “Why, my wife is way better at it.” Why? You may ask? The teacher didn’t believe that women should lead prayer in a mixed group. This is a common theme in a lot of churches.

Women have taught Sunday School, led music, wrote Bible studies and provided so much vital ministry to the church. | Image Courtesy of Canva Pro.

Seek God in Prayer for your ministry

I would charge you, dear men and women of God to seek the Lord in your ministry. Think about it, the women were the first to the tomb to tend Jesus after His crucifixion. Where were the disciples? They were nowhere to be found. Mary, the mother of Jesus stood by His Cross as He suffered, as any mother would. Women have taught Sunday School, led music, wrote Bible studies and provided so much vital ministry to the church. I’ll never forget the words of an old pastor who was nearing retirement, “If it weren’t for the women in my church, we wouldn’t have one. They are the backbone of ministry.” Dear ones, pray for the SBC, ask the Lord for unity in the body. Ask that Jesus will be magnified in all things and most importantly, Go forth woman of God and Preach the Gospel! Selah

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