“More Baptist women than ever before are experiencing God’s call to ministry and having opportunities to live out their callings in ministerial and pastoral roles,” said Meredith Stone, executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry. “However, until every category of women’s leadership among Baptists reaches 50%, there is still work to be done.”
Stone spoke Nov. 7 as BWIM unveiled its annual “State of Women in Baptist Life” report, the 20th year of this data release. The report was highlighted in a Friday morning session at BWIM’s annual gathering at Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta.
Among this year’s key findings:
- BWIM has recorded the ordinations of 2,856 Baptist women since 1964. These are not all ordinations that happened, just the ones BWIM can document.
- BWIM recorded the ordinations of 134 women from the beginning of 2022 to the end of 2024.
- Last year’s annual average of 45 ordinations was slightly less than the annual averages noted in previous reports, but did not show significant fluctuation.
- Five Baptist denominational groups have experienced an increase in the number of churches led by female senior pastors or co-pastors since 2021 — Baptist General Association of Virginia, Baptist General Convention of Texas, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, District of Columbia Baptist Convention and General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.
- In the past four years, there are 17 more women serving as senior pastors or co-pastors in the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, a 52% increase, and 37 more women serving as senior pastors or co-pastors in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, a 35% increase.
- Enrollment of Baptist women in master’s-level seminary programs included in the report has surpassed 52%, and the percentage of Baptist women enrolled in doctor of ministry programs rose from 26.2% to 36.7%.
New in this year’s report is qualitative research that identifies six markers of congregations that create empowering environments for women:
- Affirmation of women in various leadership roles
- Intentionality toward gender in the work of the church
- Nonhierarchical organizational structures
- Support networks for women
- Addressing gender issues
- Creating egalitarian staff policies
Meredith Stone
“Women have, and will always be, crucial to the church’s ability to do God’s work in the world,” Stone said. “With the progress this report portrays, we hope Baptists will be able to catch a glimpse of a world in which there are no limits or barriers to how women can participate in furthering God’s work, and therefore also no limits to how God might work among us.”
The research on markers of empowerment documents the changing landscape on affirmation of women in leadership roles.
“Many congregations in the study described a gradual, decades-long journey toward fully affirming women in pastoral, ministerial and congregational leadership roles,” the report states. “Progress often began with allowing women to serve as deacons, then moved to calling women as associate pastors or staff ministers and, eventually, sometimes after many years, calling women to serve in the senior pastor role.”
The report adds: “In several cases, the first woman to hold a senior pastor position had previously served the church in another leadership role, such as associate pastor, which helped the congregation become comfortable with her leadership. The presence of female pastoral interns and emerging ministers also contributed to changing congregational culture, as these young women brought fresh perspectives and demonstrated the gifts and capabilities of women in ministry, further opening the door for future female pastoral leaders.”
There also is a correlation between congregations emphasizing the importance of women in decision-making and committee leadership and accepting women as pastors, the research found. “Intentionality was key — congregations paid attention to gender balance, age diversity and broader inclusivity when filling leadership roles.”
The report concludes: “True congregational empowerment values women’s leadership as essential, supports it equitably and ensures representation in ways that foster a culture of shared responsibility and inclusion.”
However, despite significant progress for women in church leadership, “many congregations in the study still grapple with the lingering effects of patriarchy, most often expressed through gender-based microaggressions and benevolent sexism,” the report continues.
“Participants described these behaviors as subtle yet pervasive, often going unnoticed by the congregation as a whole. Some pastors have formally raised concerns, sharing documented examples with church leadership to highlight how such comments and actions affect them personally and professionally. While these disclosures were often met with care and concern, participants expressed uncertainty about whether acknowledgment would lead to lasting change.
One common form of these behaviors is “unsolicited remarks about women pastors’ appearance, often framed as compliments but carrying condescending or objectifying undertones,” the report states. “Such comments, whether about clothing, hairstyles or physical attractiveness, were described as diminishing their professional role and authority, and in some cases felt invasive or inappropriate. Even in otherwise supportive congregations, these subtle behaviors reinforced gendered assumptions and revealed how women’s bodies and presentation are still a focal point for evaluation.”
The full report runs 36 pages and available for free download.
