A Paducah church was expelled Tuesday from the Southern Baptist Convention because its senior pastor is a woman.
The Associated Press reports that the decision came in a closed-door session towards the end of the SBC’s two-day meeting in Nashville. Immanuel Baptist Church called on Rev. Katie McKown to serve as the house of worship’s senior pastor in February 2023.
That went against the national church leadership group’s statement of faith, which “restricts the role of pastor to men only.”
Immanuel Baptist Church posted a statement on its social media channels in the wake of the SBC’s announcement Tuesday, saying it stood behind McKown and citing tenets that stress the importance of autonomous decision-making for both congregations and individuals.
“The life of Immanuel is informed by the autonomy of the Church and the priesthood of all believers,” the statement reads. “We share our affirmation and support of the decision to call Rev. Katie McKown to serve with and among us.”
Three other Baptist congregations were expelled during the same session, two for failure to comply with the denomination’s sexual abuse policy and one for a lack of financial contributions to the SBC.
This marks the latest in a series of expulsions by the SBC, according to the Associated Press.
Among the most notable was California’s Saddleback megachurch in 2023, where women also served in prominent leadership roles. The group also expelled Louisville’s Fern Creek Baptist on similar grounds last year.
Immanuel Baptist Church also said in its statement that it is offering prayers that the SBC be “blessed with wisdom and discernment as it moves forward.”
Editor's note: Immanuel Baptist Church is an underwriter with WKMS.
