Southern Baptist Convention Debates Women's Roles and Sexual Abuse Reforms

The Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Indianapolis sees over 10,000 representatives debate banning women pastors and address ongoing sexual abuse issues. Demonstrations supporting women in ministry and political interventions by Donald Trump and Mike Pence highlight the event. Financial crises due to legal battles also plague the convention.

More than 10,000 messengers convened in Indianapolis for the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting, where significant debates on women's pastoral roles and sexual abuse reforms took center stage. On Wednesday, representatives will vote on a constitutional amendment to ban churches with women pastors, from lead to associate roles.

Early Tuesday, a small group of women demonstrated outside the Indiana Convention Center in support of female clergy. Rev. Meredith Stone, executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry, emphasized, "I hope that people know women have equal value and can be pastors."

Politics played a role with former President Donald Trump addressing a nearby conservative group through video, while former Vice President Mike Pence was set to speak at another sideline event. The convention also grapples with implementing abuse reforms, with financial woes stemming from ongoing legal defenses.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)