As 20,000 expected messengers gather in June in Orlando, the Southern Baptist Convention plans to further dismantle a great denomination once united around missions and evangelism. Through a proposed constitutional amendment, women will be further exluded in ministry and pastoral leadership.
This will cement a trend begun with adoption of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, which already is being used to exclude churches from fellowship.
For example, the historic First Baptist Church of Gainesville, Fla., recently was voted out of the North Central Florida Baptist Association. First Baptist has women who are ordained as pastors and deacons. By a large majority, the association’s messengers removed First Baptist from membership.
Gregory Magruder
The 155-year-old First Baptist Church was established in 1870 with 14 members. The church has been a part of the local Baptist association since its founding. FBC has sponsored six local churches in the association. FBC members, including women, have served on the NCFBA’s boards and committees. FBC historically has been one of the largest financial contributors to the association. The ties with the association ended on March 12.
Jeffrey Haglund, NCFBA lead missional strategist, sent a letter to the pastors of member churches inviting them to the semi-annual meeting. In the letter, he listed the agenda items of the meeting. The first motion to be voted upon was the dismissal of First Baptist Church from the association.
The motion reads, “The Executive Committee would like to thank First Baptist Church of Gainesville for their historical and unmatched partnership over the years in the North Central Florida Baptist Association. It has been a blessing to partner in starting churches and ministering to our community together for over a century. Over the past few decades FBC Gainesville has interpreted the role of pastor differently than the rest of the churches in our association and now reflects a position of women in the pulpit that we deem unfitting for member churches. Our bylaws make it clear, and we believe the Scripture teaches, that the position of pastor, in name and role, is reserved for the male alone. In January 2025, First Baptist and its members voted to ordain Rev. Brenda Cohen as a pastor. Therefore, it is with deep regret that we, the Executive Committee, make a motion to disfellowship with FBC Gainesville.”
Several messengers at the March 12 meeting spoke for and against the motion. Senior Pastor Ray Johnson was given permission to speak to the motion as the proceedings began. He shared his lifelong commitment to Baptist life and ministry, shaped by Baptist churches, education, mission work and pastoral service. He affirmed that the Holy Spirit has historically empowered both men and women for ministry and noted his church has recognized this in the ordination of several women.
“The disagreement with the association is not about rejecting Scripture but about differing interpretations of it.”
Johnson stated that the disagreement with the association is not about rejecting Scripture but about differing interpretations of it. He argued that disfellowshipping the church based on a doctrinal statement — rather than a clear biblical command — goes against Baptist tradition, where confessions guide but do not govern. He reminded the association that all Christians interpret Scripture imperfectly and should approach one another with grace rather than punitive action. He respectfully asked the association to reject the motion to disfellowship First Baptist Church of Gainesville and to choose unity, humility and trust in the Spirit’s leading.
Those in favor of the motion to dismiss argued that biblically, theologically and historically, Baptist churches should not have women as pastors. The defining argument was that the SBC voted to adopt Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as its official faith statement and that the local association stands by that commitment. In 2025, the NCFBA voted to accept any faith statement adopted by the annual national SBC messengers as the official faith statement of the association. First Baptist Church had opposed that motion. A year later, FBC was disfellowshipped.
This was not the first time the NCFBA tried to remove a member church. In 2000, Parkview Baptist Church ordained a woman to the gospel ministry. The church was brought before the Credentials Committee as being out of fellowship with the NCFBA because the national convention had adopted the Baptist Faith and Message 2000. At the 2001 annual meeting, the NCFBA voted to retain Parkview Baptist Church as a member church by a vote of 133-121. Five churches left the association as a result.
The controversy over women in ministry precipitated several attempts over the next 25 years to remove First Baptist and Parkview Baptist from the association. Each attempt failed until the foundation was laid to finally break fellowship with FBC.
After First Baptist was voted out of the association, two African American congregations also were charged with having women as pastors. The motions to exclude those churches from fellowship were referred to the Executive Committee for review.
On April 26, 2026, in response to the North Central Florida Baptist Association’s actions, First Baptist Church of Gainesville voted to withdraw fellowship from the NCFBA, the Florida Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention. A historic, faithful Southern Baptist church broke ties with the denomination she supported for 150 years.
Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, recently warned the SBC has reached a “breaking point” over the issue of female pastors. He urged approval of an amendment at the June annual meeting that states “the role of pastors is for men alone.”
Mohler is correct. The SBC is breaking fellowship with its historic churches, its faithful supporters and its emphasis on missions and evangelism. First Baptist Church, Gainesville, Fla., is the most recent example.
Gregory Magruder serves as church administrator at First Baptist Church of Gainesville, Fla.