Parishioners arrive at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. The cathedral founded by Rick Warren is one of two churches affected by Wednesday’s vote at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Allison/AP Dinner
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Allison/AP Dinner
Parishioners arrive at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. The cathedral founded by Rick Warren is one of two churches affected by Wednesday’s vote at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Allison/AP Dinner
The Southern Baptist Convention overwhelmingly voted on Wednesday to uphold earlier decisions to expel two churches because they have female pastors.
The decision was made during the group’s annual meeting in New Orleans. SBC heard the appeals of the super church Saddleback in California and a smaller church, Fern Creek Baptist in Louisville, Ky.
Saddleback Church has ordained a woman as a pastor on campus, and the Kentucky congregation has had a female pastor for more than three decades.
The SBC’s statement of faith asserts that only qualified men can serve as pastors, and nearly 13,000 voters, who are known as “messengers,” voted overwhelmingly to in favor of dismantling churches.
The women will continue to serve as pastors, but their congregations are no longer part of the Southern Baptist Convention.
