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Some critics fear the SBC's decision will have a chilling effect on other Protestant denominations.A week before the SBC gathering, the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) voted that only men can hold the office of elder. In the coming months, individual CMA congregations will vote either to replace women elders or leave the denomination.Not all Protestant denominations consider women pastors unbiblical. Women represent about 10 percent of ordained clergy in U.S. Protestant churches, according to Paula D. Nesbitt, author of The Feminization of the Clergy in America (Oxford Press, 1997). The Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ, and the Evangelical Covenant Church have ordained women clergy since the 1970s. Denominations from the Wesleyan/Holiness tradition have ordained women pastors since the 19th century.The ban also could affect Southern Baptist seminary enrollments, although many seminaries still encourage women to pursue degrees in a variety of ministry roles, including missions, counseling, and training for staff positions under the authority of male senior pastors. Midwestern Seminary offers women courses in public speaking and leadership skills instead of the preaching and pastoral leadership classes required for men.

The debate surrounding gender roles has further divided moderate Baptists from the majority conservatives, although SBC president Merritt does not foresee a split."The Bible is clear that the pastorate is for men alone, but that doesn't mean that women are less than men, or that they have less of a contribution to make to the kingdom of Christ," says Merritt, who has women on the staff of his 12,000-member church in Snellville, Ga."Our churches would come to a standstill without the service and participation of women. We appreciate and affirm their many gifts and contributions to the ministry."

See our roundup of the media coverage of the Southern Baptist Convention in the June 15 ChristianityToday.com Weblog.The Southern Baptist Convention has a site for the annual meeting (which contains press releases, the text of the resolutions passed, audio and video clips, and other resources) and another for the Committee on the Baptist Faith and Message.Past Christianity Today articles on the Southern Baptist Convention include:Can I Get a Witness? | Southern Baptists rebuff critics of Chicago evangelism plan. (Jan. 14, 2000)Submission Rejected | State convention counters SBC marriage statement. (Dec. 6, 1999)Southern Baptists Take Aim at Urban America (July 12, 1999)Patterson's Election Seals Conservative Control (July 13, 1998)Southern Baptists Take Up the Mormon Challenge (June 15, 1998)Calvinism Resurging Among SBC's Young Elites (Oct. 6, 1997)

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July 10 2000, Vol. 44, No. 8