WHEREAS, Both men and women are created in the image of God, sharing equal value, dignity, and worth, and are commissioned by God (Genesis 1:26–28); and
WHEREAS, Scripture calls women to obey Christ’s Great Commission and demonstrates women are crucial and indispensable to His mission (Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:8; 2:17–18); and
WHEREAS, Shiphrah and Puah protected the children of God (Exodus 1:15–20), Miriam proclaimed the glory of God (Exodus 15:20–21), Rahab saved her family from certain death (Joshua 6:22–25), Deborah judged God’s people (Judges 4:4–9), Jael delivered Israel (Judges 4:17–22), Hannah prayed for and dedicated her child to God (1 Samuel 1:10–11), Huldah prophesied God’s judgment and mercy (2 Chronicles 34:22–28), Ruth and Naomi exemplified loyalty to God (Ruth 1:16), and Esther risked her life for the sake of the people of Israel (Esther 4:16); and
WHEREAS, Anna proclaimed the arrival of the Messiah (Luke 2:36–38), and many women, including Mary Magdalene, Mary, and Salome, followed Jesus and financially supported His earthly ministry (Mark 15:40–41), remained with him through His crucifixion (Matthew 27:55–56), and were commissioned as the original witnesses to and proclaimers of His resurrection (Matthew 28:1–10); and
WHEREAS, Lois and Eunice cultivated a biblical legacy in the family (2 Timothy 1:5, 3:14–15), Phoebe served the church and contributed to its mission (Romans 16:1–2), Lydia and Priscilla provided their homes for the churches’ gathering (Acts 16:14–15, 40; 1 Corinthians 16:19), Priscilla supported the apostles and clarified Christian doctrine (Acts 18:18, 26), Euodia and Syntyche were gospel co-laborers (Philippians 4:2–3), Philip’s daughters prophesied (Acts 21:9), and God commanded women to pass their faith through the generations (Titus 2:3–5); and
WHEREAS, Baptist women like Ann Judson, Henrietta Hall Shuck, and Charlotte H. White were among the earliest missionaries commissioned by the Triennial Convention, and Southern Baptist women like Annie Armstrong, Lottie Moon, and many others spent their lives propagating the gospel for future generations; and
WHEREAS, The Baptist Faith and Message states 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” (Article VI), and that “It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and of every church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations [and] to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness” (Article XI); and
WHEREAS, The Southern Baptist Convention affirmed the gifts, ministries, and value of women in the kingdom of God in our 2018 resolution “On The Dignity And Worth Of Women”; and
WHEREAS, Women today serve courageously, sacrificially, and selflessly in our Southern Baptist churches and entities, and in a multitude of contexts around the world, through praying, giving, and obeying the Great Commission of our only Lord Jesus Christ; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 13–14, 2023, praise God for his authoritative call to all Christian women to fulfill His Great Commission, for His providential guidance of the multitudes of women who have faithfully served our Lord Jesus throughout history, and for the Holy Spirit’s continuing call to women to edify His church in a plenitude of unique, critical, and indispensable ways; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we affirm God sovereignly granted to women their intrinsic worth, gifting, and dignity for the purpose of His own mission and glory, and that we express our gratitude to the countless women who serve among us as missionaries, writers, apologists, teachers, mentors, and leaders, both volunteer or professional, and that we celebrate their absolutely vital and too often unrecognized contributions to the expansion of His kingdom; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we as Southern Baptists see and honor the works that women today are doing in homes, churches, communities, workplaces, and on the global mission field to further the kingdom of God, and most importantly, we affirm that the God who sees will reward for eternity the beautiful works women do by His grace, in His name, and for His glory; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage pastors to equip women in their congregations “for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12); and be it further
RESOLVED, That we exhort all Southern Baptists to work together to commission, train, and support women to go and make disciples while serving courageously, giving sacrificially, and praying continuously, in order to effectively impart the faith to the next generation; and be it finally
RESOLVED, That we commit ourselves to cultivating an environment within the Southern Baptist Convention where women are fully respected, valued, and mobilized as co-laborers for the fulfillment of Christ’s Great Commission and the glory of the Triune God.