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SBC President's Page - Press Release
Southern
Baptist Convention
Statement
of the President
Frank Page
on women in the ministry
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TAYLORS, S.C., July 12, 2006--“The
issue of women in ministry is contentious in some circles,
but not of great impact in Southern Baptist life. Only about
35 of our 43,500 churches have a woman as pastor, amounting
to less than one-tenth of one percent of SBC congregations.
“I believe that while
both men and women are gifted for service in the church,
the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture,
a position that affirms the Baptist Faith and Message 2000,
Article VI. The Church.
“I believe also that God calls women to minister
in a variety of capacities and roles in His service. Women
make up about half of our foreign missionary force, work tirelessly
in local churches and serve in key leadership roles as trustees
and denominational servants with our SBC entities.
“Recently, I was alerted to the attention
some have given to my dissertation, written in 1979-1980, which
asserted women can serve as pastors. Long ago, I abandoned
that position after the Holy Spirit instructed me otherwise in
my study of Scripture.
“In my thirty years
as a pastor, I have not ordained a woman to the Gospel ministry
nor to service as a deacon. However, my wife and I have labored
side-by-side with women and men to minister to others, disciple
Believers and to share about Jesus with the lost.
“I remain enthusiastic about God’s
plan for the Southern Baptist Convention, and am thankful for
the opportunity He has given me to contribute to the strengthening
of our cooperation in carrying the Gospel to the world.”
The Southern Baptist Convention
is America’s
largest evangelical denomination, having more than 16.2 million
members in over 43,500 churches nationwide.
-- END
--
For media
inquiries or to request an interview
contact Dr. Kenyn Cureton, Vice President for Convention Relations
at (615) 782-8610,
or by e-mail at kcureton@sbc.net.
Visit our Web site at www.sbc.net.
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