LAKE FOREST, Calif. (AP) — On a recent Sunday morning, in the sanctuary of Saddleback Church, Lead Pastor Andy Wood opened with a shout-out to the congregation’s newest female teaching pastor – his wife Stacie Wood.
It has been about a month since Andy Wood, 41, succeeded Pastor Rick Warren, author of the blockbuster bestseller “The Purpose Driven Life” and one of the most renowned figures in evangelical Christianity, who founded Saddleback in California’s Orange County nearly 43 years ago – before Wood was born. Today, it’s a multi-site ministry reaching about 40,000 people worldwide. Despite the difference in age and experience, what Warren and Wood have in common is their commitment to a global church and nurturing female pastors.
Speaking with The Associated Press, Wood outlined his grand vision to build on Warren’s legacy and take Saddleback to the biggest cities in the U.S. and the world. He said he’ll encourage men and women to preach — an approach at odds with the male-leadership policies of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the country, with which Saddleback has been aligned since its inception.
Wood has also had to deal with allegations of authoritarian leadership and hostile church mergers in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he led Echo Church, a 3,000-strong multi-site congregation, for the past 14 years. He has denied those allegations and was cleared by the search firm that Saddleback retained for the hiring process.
The SBC was one of Echo Church’s supporters, which now adds to the awkwardness of Saddleback’s position on female pastors.
In 2021, Warren ordained three women as pastors, prompting the denomination to consider expelling the megachurch — the second largest in its fold. Warren made an emotional speech in June at the Southern Baptists’ annual convention in Anaheim standing by his ordination of women. He told delegates who debated the issue, “We have to decide if we will treat each other as allies or adversaries.”
Wood told the AP that the Bible “teaches that men and women were given spiritual gifts by God.”
“The church should be a place where both men and women can exercise those spiritual gifts,” he said. “My wife has the spiritual gift of teaching and she is really good. People often tell me she’s better than me when it comes to preaching, and I’m really glad to hear that.”
Wood expressed gratitude for the SBC’s partnership at Saddleback and Echo and hopes that it would continue. He wants to ensure that on his watch, Saddleback “is empowered for men and women to lead.”
“I’m not looking to engage in denominational battles,” he said. “I’d really like to be a unifier of people – to help, love and support pastors in the SBC.”
Wood’s interest in honoring Warren’s legacy is a positive sign, said Scott Thumma, professor of the sociology of religion at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace who has studied megachurches.
