Wood emphasized that “there’s not a time, at least that I know of, that a woman has stepped onto the stage here at Saddleback to preach that she’s not had the blessing of all the elders here at Saddleback. And in particular, when Stacie, my wife, teaches and uses her spiritual gift, there is a sense in which she’s being empowered from me as the lead pastor, from the elders of the church, to exercise her spiritual gift.”
Warren Made the Decision To Make Stacie a Teaching Pastor
Wood conceded that Christians are living through a “very hot, intense time in our culture in so many different ways” and encouraged Christians to treat one another with love. Wood also shared that he understands if some attenders disagree with the elders and feel led to find a different local church.
“We will bless you as you go to another church. But in all things, we’ll love each other. We’ll love you as you go. We’ll love you if you stay. This is a family,” Wood said. “We’re trying to accomplish God our Father’s work here on planet Earth. We’re trying to do our very best to obey what the Bible teaches.”
Wood shared that he and Warren have spent hours discussing this issue. In fact, Warren was the one who made the decision to appoint Stacie as a teaching pastor at Saddleback Church before transitioning out of his role last year.
“Even if you don’t see it eye-to-eye, know that I love you, that I care about you, and I’m doing my very best to equip you, to help our church stay true to what the Bible teaches, and love one another and the process,” Wood remarked.
Wood said that Saddleback Church wants to do our “very best to obey what is black and white, and to continue, as we hold these non-essentials, to hold them with love, yet at the same time to hold them with clarity and allow God to continue to move us forward.”
Wood expressed gratitude for the opportunity to lead Saddleback Church during this season, calling it a “historic moment.”
“The global church is looking for good Bible-believing examples of empowering women for ministry,” Wood said. “So Saddleback, we want to lead the way in that conversation. If we can be a part of mobilizing and empowering a whole generation of women, we would love nothing more than to lean into that conversation and empower women for ministry.”
“We also want, in this very vital season, as so many churches are drifting from the authority of Scripture, we want to stay anchored in God’s Word, obedient to his voice, listening to what he says all the way from Genesis to Revelation in this wonderful book that he’s given to us—to submit to it and say, God, whatever you ask of us, you have our ‘yes’ and to trust him to continue to lead us and guide us,” Wood concluded.
