The Gazette in Medina, Ohio

Controversy Over Women Pastors Tests Southern Baptist Unity

A Southern Baptist Convention vote in Indianapolis could expel First Baptist Church of Alexandria Virginia for employing a female pastor. The move probes whether women may hold pastoral roles beyond the senior post and could affect hundreds of SBC churches, with impact on Black congregations. The issue follows a 2022 inquiry triggered by a Virginia pastor asserting church doctrine mandates male pastors, amid debates about church autonomy and doctrinal interpretation.