Southern Baptists say no to women pastors, uphold expulsion of Saddleback megachurch

The Southern Baptist Convention voted overwhelming Wednesday to uphold earlier decisions to expel two churches because they have women pastors.

The decision came during the group's annual meeting in New Orleans. The SBC heard appeals by California megachurch Saddleback and a smaller church, Fern Creek Baptist in Louisville, Ky.

Saddleback Church ordained a woman as a campus pastor, and the Kentucky congregation has had a woman pastor for more than three decades.

The SBC's statement of faith asserts that only qualified men can serve as pastors and the nearly 13,000 voters, who are called "messengers," voted overwhelmingly to uphold the churches' removals.

The women will continue to serve as pastors, but their congregations are no longer part of the Southern Baptist Convention. [Copyright 2023 NPR]