I’m sure it’s some Holy Spirit work that the “State of Women in Baptist Life” 2025 report was released in the same month as the film Wicked: For Good. The second half of the saga of two electric women is…
BWIM research shows 6 markers of congregations that empower women
“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…
Kansas City church rebrands for inclusion
A Baptist church in Kansas City has rebranded itself to declare both its adherence to denominational roots and its identity as an open and affirming congregation. Holmeswood Baptist Church is now Holmeswood Church with a prominent tagline: “Baptist Roots, Inclusive…
New Book Unearths The Lost Leadership Of Women During Early Christianity
The information we have about the role of women in ancient Christianity is limited. Among the male disciples, only two prominent figures stand out: Mary and Mary Magdalene. Overall, women’s participation in church leadership has been restricted, and the appointment…
An open letter to my mentor, Gina M. Stewart
Look at what the Lord has done. In 1995, with uncertainty and holy boldness, you answered God’s call to serve as pastor of your home church. In doing so, you became the first African-American female to lead an established Black…
Florida church ordains four women for ministry on same day
While some Baptist churches are actively running away from any hint of supporting women in leadership, a Florida Baptist church recently ordained four women as ministers on the same day. In a Sept. 21 service filled with pageantry, liturgical readings…
In Texas, is ‘shepherd’ another word for ‘pastor’?
The quest for absolute purity in opposing women carrying the title “pastor” is now dividing the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, the conservative breakaway group formed in 1998. SBTC was formed as an alternative to the Baptist General Convention of…
Dear men who support women in ministry (part 2) …
In 2024, the Survey Center on American Life revealed a significant shift: More Gen Z women are disengaging from the formative religion of their youth than are Gen Z men. This marks a notable reversal from the three previous generations,…
SBC’s attack on women as leaders is ‘historic,’ Beth Allison Barr says
The Southern Baptist Convention’s current attempt to put women in their place “is one of the harshest measures against women in ministry” in history, according to Baylor University history professor Beth Allison Barr. “If you follow church history, this is…
Daughter of Adrian Rogers claims her father’s anointing and mantle
On Monday, June 9, Gayle Rogers Foster spoke at the Southern Baptist Convention Pastors’ Wives and Women in Ministry Conference. She is the daughter of Adrian Rogers, the late pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., and one of…
Will the SBC keep Lakepointe after kicking out Saddleback?
Given how often Dallas megachurch pastors have been in the news for abuse scandals or for run-of-the-mill sacralized misogyny over the past year, it’s only fitting that the Southern Baptist Convention would host its 2025 annual meeting in Dallas. When…
Documentary short film on SBC and women now available free online
An acclaimed documentary on the crisis around women in ministry in the Southern Baptist Convention has become available for free viewing just days before the denomination’s 2025 annual meeting in Dallas. The YouTube release of Hold the Line is especially…