For his part, Andy Wood told the Baptist Press in Nov. 2022 that while it was not his desire to leave the SBC, he nevertheless anticipated the number of female pastors on the Saddleback staff to continue to grow.
“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,” Wood said at the time. “I’m serving as the lead pastor and one of our Saddleback overseers while Stacie is serving as one of our teaching pastors.”
Around the same time, Wood told the Associated Press that “the church should be a place where both men and women can exercise those spiritual gifts.”
Making a distinction between the role of an overseer and the gift of teaching, Wood expressed his belief that this conviction did not constitute a conflict with Saddleback’s denominational affiliation.
The Credential Committee and Executive Committee have now decisively indicated that they disagree.
ChurchLeaders has reached out to Saddleback Church for comment and will update this article in the event of their reply.
