Later in the meeting, Warren made a surprise appearance, defending Saddleback Church by reading what he called a “love letter” to the SBC.
Warren said, “I really am grateful if this is my last convention.” He went on to explain that it was because of Southern Baptist polity that he was able to serve one church for his entire life. After Warren cited multiple achievements of Saddleback Church, he encouraged the SBC “to finish the task, and that will make God smile! Thank you everybody. I love you.”
Following Warren’s address, the Credentials Committee announced that they were rescinding their recommendation regarding the church, leaving Saddleback’s fate as an SBC church still uncertain.
Saddleback Church Allows Women To Preach; Plans To Remain in the SBC
In an article published last Thursday (Oct. 27), the Baptist Press shared that Wood believes the number of women pastors will continue to grow at Saddleback Church. Nevertheless, he isn’t planning on leaving the SBC.
Baptist Press reports that although Saddleback Church has its differences with other SBC churches regarding the role of a pastor, this disagreement doesn’t require a break in fellowship.
Wood said, “Stacie and I are grateful to be called to serve at Saddleback Church. We are not co-pastors but rather have unique roles on staff. I’m serving as the lead pastor and one of our Saddleback overseers while Stacie is serving as one of our teaching pastors.”
In fact, Stacie just preached a message titled “The Courage to Slow Down” in October.
Wood told the Associated Press that he believes “the church should be a place where both men and women can exercise those spiritual gifts.”
Wood went on to express that Stacie 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, who was cleared of an alleged “pattern of abuse” while he was the pastor at Echo Church, stated, “We believe pastoring and teaching are functions and spiritual gifts to be exercised in the church by both men and women. The function of teaching and pastoring is not necessarily synonymous nor exclusive from the office of overseer.”
