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Saddleback Church, One of the Largest in the SBC, Ordains Its First Female Pastors

Several people slammed Mohler for quoting from a slave owner to support his position. Charles Holmes Jr., HBCU College Director at The Summit Church (pastored by SBC president J.D. Greear) in Durham, N.C., retweeted Mohler’s post, saying:

Somehow this guy was able to see the “error” of women preaching in church worship, but wasn’t able to see his own error of owning slaves in church worship!!??? Get out of here man. The hypocrisy baffles me. Also I’m not taking theological lessons from someone who owned people.

Tom Buck and Dwight McKissic, both pastors in the SBC, responded to the Saddleback’s news very differently. 

Phil Vischer and Beth Moore saw the irony of posting tweets critical of women on Mother’s Day, and they pointed this out to Greenway and Mohler, respectively. Moore recently left the SBC for a variety of reasons, one of which was the denomination’s posture toward women in ministry.

Saddleback Church Carries On

As of this writing, Saddleback Church has not issued a formal statement about its decision. On the day when Petty, Edwards, and Puffer were ordained, the church also celebrated the commissioning of three new male elders, as well as the appointment of Pastor Johnny Baker as the new global leader of Celebrate Recovery. Baker’s father, John Baker, was the founder of Celebrate Recovery and passed away in February of this year.