In recent years, many churches have taken deliberate and often commendable steps to clarify their theological convictions regarding church leadership. For those who hold to a complementarian understanding of Scripture—that the office of pastor/elder is reserved for qualified men (1 Timothy 2:12; 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9)—this has meant reaffirming biblical boundaries and celebrating the distinct yet equally valuable roles of men and women in the church.
However, a more subtle challenge is emerging—one that doesn’t overtly deny biblical teaching but works around it through rebranding. Increasingly, churches are sidestepping biblical qualifications by renaming pastoral roles with titles like “Director,” “Ministry Lead,” or “Coordinator,” placing unqualified individuals—often women—into functional pastoral roles without the title. While these churches may affirm complementarian doctrine on paper, they undermine it in practice.
The Importance of Titles
Titles in ministry are not arbitrary labels; they communicate function, responsibility, and authority. The New Testament does not use titles casually. Elders and overseers are given that designation not just as a status symbol, but as an indication of their spiritual authority, shepherding responsibility, and theological accountability (1 Peter 5:1–4; Acts 20:28).
When churches assign pastoral functions—like teaching, spiritual oversight, or shepherding a specific ministry—to someone without applying the title “pastor,” they risk communicating that function does not follow form. This creates confusion in the body and can blur the lines God has drawn in His Word.
A Shortcut with Consequences
This trend often arises from a good desire: to include gifted women or other unqualified individuals in significant ministry roles. But rather than training, discipling, and affirming those who meet the biblical qualifications, the church takes a shortcut. Instead of honoring the office of elder/pastor by preserving its integrity, the title is avoided, while the function is quietly reallocated.
This isn’t merely a semantic problem—it’s a theological one. When Scripture gives qualifications for elders (1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9), it roots them in creation order and the nature of authority in the church. Avoiding those qualifications through retitling undermines Scripture’s authority and the local church’s witness.
How This Impacts the SBC: The Strength and Limit of the Law Amendment
This growing trend has real implications for the Southern Baptist Convention.
The SBC is a voluntary association of autonomous churches that agree on a shared confession and cooperate for the sake of mission. While churches are free to govern themselves, the convention sets standards for cooperation, particularly in matters of ecclesiology. That’s why the BF&M 2000 clearly states, “the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”
The Law Amendment, heading to a second vote at the 2025 SBC annual meeting, is an important and necessary step in reaffirming our biblical convictions. It rightly clarifies that cooperating churches must not affirm, appoint, or employ women as pastors. It draws a line in the sand, giving our convention a clear standard tied to Scripture and our confessional identity.
We should be thankful for the Law Amendment. It provides needed clarity in a time of confusion. But we must also acknowledge its limitation: it addresses the use of the title “pastor,” but not the exercise of pastoral function or authority under different titles.
This is where further reform is needed.
A Proposal for Further Reform: Clarifying by Function, Not Just Title
To preserve the spirit and theological intent of the Law Amendment, a further amendment to the SBC Constitution could be introduced to address this loophole directly. Such an amendment might read:
“A church which affirms, appoints, or employs a woman in any position that exercises any function or authority reserved for the office of pastor/elder/overseer—such as authoritative teaching to the gathered church, spiritual oversight, or the shepherding of souls—regardless of title, is not in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention.”
This proposed language would reinforce the Law Amendment by applying biblical principles to both title and function, consistent with the pattern of pastoral leadership outlined in Scripture. It would help protect the integrity of our ecclesiology and prevent churches from complying in name while compromising in practice.
Needed Reform Beyond Amendments
Beyond constitutional changes, the SBC must continue to:
- Strengthen Doctrinal Accountability – Evaluate churches not just on what they say or title, but what they do. Functional egalitarianism under a different name is still egalitarianism.
- Equip Churches Theologically – Many churches are simply unaware of what Scripture teaches about the office and function of pastors. Our entities and seminaries must teach ecclesiology clearly and boldly.
- Celebrate Lay Ministry – Women and unordained men can—and should—exercise significant ministry in the life of the church. But when the only path to affirmation is to stretch the biblical definition of pastoring, we’ve lost our way.
Conclusion: Real Faithfulness, Not Just Symbolic Wins
We must make clear: upholding biblical qualifications for pastors does not devalue the indispensable contributions of women in the church. God has gifted His daughters for ministry (Romans 16:1–2; Philippians 4:3), and there is much work to be done that is not confined to the office of elder. But when we redefine roles in a way that bypasses Scripture, we blur God’s design and bring confusion to His people.
The Law Amendment is a good and necessary step, and Southern Baptists should strongly support it. But it is not the end—it must be the foundation of a broader return to biblical clarity, ecclesiological conviction, and theological courage.
We need not only the right titles but the right practices. We need not only confessional alignment but functional obedience. We need not only truth in print, but truth in action.
Let’s not settle for appearances. Let’s pursue real, lasting faithfulness.
Doctrine and Mission 
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