BRANSON, Mo. – During their business session, Missouri Baptist messengers adopted a Credentials Committee task force report regarding the “office of the pastor, specifically as it relates to a woman’s role in ministry.” The report was released to messengers in advance of the meeting.
Responding to the messengers’ adoption of the report, MBC president Wesley Vance said, “In a day when Southern Baptists are seeking clarification, Missouri Baptists overwhelmingly affirmed their historic commitment to the office of pastor/elder/overseer as being reserved for men. They affirmed both the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 and provided a framework for the Credentials Committee to evaluate the partnership of local churches with the Missouri Baptist Convention.”
The task force was formed in response to a 2024 motion offered by Jeremy Sells, a messenger from First Baptist Church, Scott City, Mo. He moved that the task force “provide guidelines to the Credentials Committee for evaluating a church’s position on Baptist identity including the office and function of pastor/elder/overseer being limited to men as qualified by Scripture, and report a recommended process to the messengers of the 2025 Annual Meeting for approval for immediate implementation.”
In their report, the task force concluded: “In accordance with The Baptist Faith & Message 2000, the office of pastor/elder/overseer is reserved for biblically qualified men. The title ‘pastor,’ regardless of qualifier, denotes this biblical office and should be reserved for those fulfilling its teaching, spiritual, and leadership responsibilities. We encourage Missouri Baptist churches to align their practice and terminology with this theological clarity and integrity.”
The task force also recommended changes to the Credentials Committee Rules and Procedures. According to these changes, MBC affiliated churches must hold “a faith, practice, or polity that is compatible with The Baptist Faith & Message (current edition), including reserving the office and function of pastor, exclusively for biblically qualified men.” The changes also provide a process for addressing questions about whether a church is qualified for affiliation.
The task force moved that MBC messengers “adopt the credentials committee task force report on the Sells motion, affirming the findings and conclusions of the task force. Upon adoption, the recommended amendments to the Credentials Committee Rules and Procedures will be forwarded to the Executive Board for review and approval.”
Messengers overwhelmingly voted to accept the report. Read the full task force report here.
This text, part of a larger article, originally appeared at mbcpatway.com.
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