Julie Pennington-Russell, a married mother of two, was voted on Sunday (June 17, 2007) to become senior pastor of 2,700-member First Baptist Church of Decatur, Ga. She will begin her ministry with First Baptist on Aug. 19.
Pennington-Russell, 46, has been serving as the senior pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Waco, Texas since 1998. She claims that Calvary was the first Baptist church in Texas to call a woman as a senior pastor.
The Southern Baptist Convention’s current Baptist Faith and Message (BF&M) – the denomination’s confession of faith – adopted and revised in 2000, limits the office of pastor to men “as qualified by Scripture.” Not surprisingly, Pennington-Russell expressed strong disagreement when Southern Baptists adopted the revised BF&M in 2000. Note that while top church officials oppose female pastors, the wording in the SBC confession does not prohibit women from leading individual churches if their local congregation so chooses.
Dr. Albert Mohler: “A look at Julie Pennington-Russell’s education, experience, and related qualifications would appear to qualify her for a major pulpit … except for the fact that she is a woman. On that point both sides in the controversy over women in ministry should agree…..Those opposed to the service of women in the pastorate are not arguing that women are less articulate, less bright, less winsome, less caring, or less educated. Gender is the issue.”
Dr. Mohler is right. Given the prominence of First Baptist Church in Decatur, GA within the Southern Baptist Convention’s history, Pennington-Russell is sure to become a leader among moderate and liberal Baptists. It is crucial that pastors “on the fence” be well-versed in the biblical support of a male-only eldership and the consequences of compromise on this crucial issue.
Read the whole report from The Christian Post.