In an effort to save the Southern Baptist Convention annual meetings from devolving into disfellowshipping events, Al Mohler plans to make a motion this year to accomplish that in one fell swoop.

That’s a negative and cynical way to characterize Mohler’s expected motion. While a more positive spin is possible, I think it’s an accurate way to characterize the motion, given Mohler’s own rationale.

But how to characterize the motion isn’t the most important response. A much more important response is encapsulated in Baptist principles. Baptist principles inform how Southern Baptists should respond to Mohler’s motion—whether their messengers pass it or pass on it.

Baptists hold to the priesthood of the believer, soul competency, and autonomy of the local church. Each of these presents a more than adequate response to Mohler’s motion.

The SBC has been pretty clear the last few years about its stance on women in ministry. Mohler’s motion builds on that.

Mohler plans to propose a “Truth and Unity Amendment” to Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the SBC Constitution, which defines what churches can be part of the SBC.

The amendment would add a sixth qualifier: “Does not act to affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor/elder/overseer, specifically preaching to the assembled congregation.”

Mohler’s motion differs from, but is no clearer than, the so-called Law Amendment that failed to pass on second vote a couple of years ago. The constitutional amendment proposed by Mike Law, pastor of First Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va., would have limited the SBC to churches that affirm, appoint, or employ “only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.”

The Law Amendment passed on first vote in 2023, but constitutional amendments must be approved by messengers at two consecutive SBC annual meetings. It failed the second vote in 2024 by less than 5 percent. Clearly, the majority of SBC messengers favor excluding churches that affirm, appoint, or employ women as any kind of pastor.

The SBC’s stance on women pastors was further confirmed by messengers in 2023 who voted Saddleback Church in Southern California and Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., out of the SBC because they employ women pastors.