It was a stunning defeat.
At its annual meeting in Dallas, Texas, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) voted down a proposed amendment that would have explicitly barred member churches from employing women in any pastoral capacity. The measure, similar to last year’s narrowly defeated “Law Amendment,” failed to secure the required two-thirds majority for passage.
The amendment was introduced by Juan Sanchez of High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin and aimed to modify Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the SBC Constitution. The proposed change would have added a requirement that churches appoint “only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.”
While the SBC’s official doctrinal statement — the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 — already affirms that the role of pastor is limited to men, the amendment was intended to offer further clarity and direction to the SBC Credentials Committee regarding how this belief should be enforced.
Ultimately, 3,421 messengers voted in favor (60.74%), while 2,191 (38.9%) voted against, falling short of the supermajority threshold.
Before the vote, Sanchez emphasized that the amendment sought to reinforce existing beliefs, not target women in leadership. He stressed that many churches, including his own, include women in significant roles such as deacons. He framed complementarian theology — the belief that men and women have different but complementary roles — as empowering women to serve within biblical boundaries.
Opponents of the motion cited concerns over church autonomy. James Goforth, pastor of First Baptist Church in Ferguson, Missouri, argued that the SBC has long valued the independence of local congregations, which allows for variations in practice while maintaining unity in purpose. While affirming his own belief against female senior pastors, Goforth said the motion would become a divisive distraction from the SBC’s mission of evangelism and ministry.
Supporters like Travis Cardwell, lead pastor at University Park Baptist Church in Houston, insisted that the Credentials Committee needs more precise guidance to avoid ongoing controversy. “I, for one, do not wish to come to the convention every year to debate female pastors,” he said.
The proposed amendment echoed the intent of the earlier Law Amendment, named for Pastor Mike Law of Arlington Baptist Church in Virginia, which would have disqualified churches with female elders or pastors from SBC membership. That initiative also fell short of ratification, despite 61% approval at last year’s meeting in Indianapolis and initial overwhelming support at the 2023 gathering in New Orleans.
Denny Burk, a biblical studies professor at Boyce College, observed on social media that while a majority of SBC messengers have supported the amendment over the past three years, the effort has struggled to cross the supermajority barrier — especially due to opposition from SBC leadership. He argued that fears about legal liability, raised by the platform during debate, may have discouraged enough messengers to prevent the measure from passing.
J.D. Greear, a former SBC president, also opposed the amendment, expressing concern that it could undermine longstanding principles of cooperation and alienate minority churches. “I remain convictionally opposed to this amendment, not because of its content but because of its attempt to undermine our historic principles of cooperation,” he wrote prior to last year’s vote.
In response to the vote, Baptist Women in Ministry, a Texas-based organization with ties to various Baptist traditions, released a statement celebrating the amendment’s failure. “We are grateful to churches and messengers represented at the SBC who came to send the message that women have equal value to God,” the group said. They acknowledged that some voted “no” for different reasons but expressed hope that the outcome would encourage support for women in pastoral ministry.