From its towering white steeple and red-brick facade to its Sunday services filled with rousing gospel hymns and evangelistic sermons, First Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia, bears many of the classic hallmarks of a Southern Baptist church.

On a recent Sunday, its pastor for women and children, Kim Eskridge, urged members to invite friends and neighbors to an upcoming vacation Bible school — a perennial Baptist activity — to help “reach families in the community with the gospel.”

But because that pastor is a woman, First Baptist’s days in the Southern Baptist Convention may be numbered.

At the SBC’s annual meeting June 11-12 in Indianapolis, representatives will vote on whether to amend the denomination’s constitution to essentially ban churches with any women pastors — and not just in the top job. That measure received overwhelming approval in a preliminary vote last year.

  • die444die@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Fun fact, Southern Baptists are a thing because they split off from the Baptists so they could support slavery.

    • Ashyr@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      Funner fact, they won’t let women be lead pastors for men, but they will allow women to be missionaries to other men around the world.

      Basically a woman can’t be a pastor to white Christian men, but those other men out there? That’s fine.

      Racism is thoroughly baked into their theology and worldview.

      • Buelldozer@lemmy.today
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        5 months ago

        Funner fact, they won’t let women be lead pastors for men

        As a point of fact some Southern Baptists Churches do allow, and have, Women as Lead Pastors.