“We Are Not Going Home:” A Look Inside The Relationship Between Women And The SBC
It was the shot heard round the Bible Belt when pastor John MacArthur targeted Beth Moore at an event meant to celebrate MacArthur’s 50 years in ministry. MacArthur and a panel of his cronies were playing a word association game when he was given two words: “Beth Moore.”
Beth Moore, an evangelist and female bible teacher, is often cited as an example of women who have gone farther than the men of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) are comfortable with. At the mere mention of her name, MacArthur responded with “go home.”
“There is no case that can be made for a woman preacher — period, paragraph, end of discussion,” MacArthur then added. His audience responded in kind with laughter and applause, but the internet was less accommodating.
The current president of the SBC, J.D. Greear, addressed Moore on Twitter, affirming that she is “welcome in [their] home any time.”
“All that good ole boy chortling and back slapping, made my stomach sick,” tweeted contemporary Christian singer, Nichole Nordeman. “What a disappointing witness for a man whose influence has been so broad. Sometimes God lets us tell on ourselves.”
Kirsten Powers, a writer for USAToday and political analyst for CNN, added that she wished she “could pretend to be shocked by their misogyny” and “‘unchristian’ behavior on the part of these men.”
“I did not surrender to a calling of man when I was 18 years old. I surrendered to a calling of God. It never occurs to me for a second to not fulfill it,” Moore responded. “You don’t have to let me serve you. Whether or not I serve Jesus is not up to you. Whether I serve you certainly is. One way or the other, I esteem you as my sibling in Christ.”
Christian writer Annie F. Downs praised Moore for her influence on women: “So many of us lead because you have led us. So many of us pray on our knees because you kneel on every stage. We won’t forget who showed us Jesus.”
Even so, there have long been detractors of women’s involvement in the church. Back in 2016, Josh Buice wrote an article entitled “Why Your Pastor Should Say “No More” to Beth Moore,” in which he presents the biblical case against women being involved in ministry.
His first point is that Moore violates boundaries set by the apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 2:12: “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” Buice elaborates by saying that “the point of the Bible is clear, women are not permitted to have authority over men” and that it is not possible to teach the bible without authority.
Furthermore, Buice calls out Moore’s theology. He asserts that Moore encourages her followers to spiritualize biblical lessons and open their minds to whatever message God intends for them, even when that does not line up with what the original author intended.
Rather, Buice says that “We should not be teaching people to empty their minds or open their minds while they listen for the voice of God. God has spoken clearly and we can see what God has said as we read the Bible.”
“To allow women to go through church-sponsored Beth Moore studies and gather for simulcast studies is to open the doors of the church to unbiblical and dangerous teaching,” concluded Buice. “Pastors, guard the doors and educate the people to exercise biblical discernment.”
Almost four years later, Moore is subject of another attack, and this time, scripture might just be on her side.
In “Voice: MacArthur on Moore and women in ministry,” writer Todd Still takes a theological look at whether or not there is a basis for women’s involvement in ministry.
Countering MacArthur’s statements, Still establishes that there was prominent female involvement in ministry, prophecy, and the life of Christ himself. In Judges 4:4, Deborah was a prophet who served as the judge of Israel. In Romans 16, Paul recounts some involved in his missions, many of whom were women: Phoebe, Priscilla, and Junia, to name a few.
Still goes on to note that that when Jesus rose from his grave, it was Mary and Mary Magdalene who shared the news. His central message is that while one can interpret the bible as standing against female preachers, the case can be made in both directions.
This begs the question: what does the church tell its people and how is that changing? Growing up as a girl in exclusively SBC churches, it never escaped my notice that women were viewed differently than men.
In my formative years, my mother was the spiritual nucleus of my family. When it was time to go to church, she made it her job to make sure that my older sister and I were awake, and more importantly, dressed. Sunday church was a big deal — in those days, at least.
Over the years, my mother was involved in various aspects of ministry. I was eight years old when my mother took on the job of interim children’s ministry director at the church we were attending. The previous director, also a woman, left when her husband got a new job, and since my mother had worked at the church for around a year, she was given her responsibilities.
My mother tirelessly did everything asked of her. I distinctly remember how on Wednesday nights after church, we would stay an hour or two after all of the other members left. One such night, my mother had purchased me a new Bratz doll, but I wasn’t allowed to open it until I got home so that I wouldn’t lose the detachable shoes.
My sister and I sat in the staff lounge, staring at my doll and waiting to go home. When I was young I never understood what I do now: my mother was the only one who bothered to work late.
Thereafter, the church announced that they had found a new children’s minister. Note the terminology: a new children’s minister. The sting of being replaced rested in how she was told, via a church announcement, alongside the rest of the church.
After being tossed aside, my mom accepted another children’s ministry job, but her enthusiasm waned, and she decided to return to being a stay-at-home mother. Church became a chore. Every member of my family wanted something different out of it, so it wan’t long before we stopped going altogether.
Katie Hambrick, my sister, grew up side by side with me in the realm of the SBC, but her experience differed on a fundamental level. Hambrick is four years my senior, making her somewhat removed from the children’s director debacle.
Being a middle-schooler during that time, Hambrick was welcomed into the world of women’s bible studies, and she discovered a preacher whose influence redefined her life: Beth Moore.
“I participated in my first Beth Moore bible study, Daniel, when I was 12. I remember her stories and how passionate I got — she was my first female preacher,” Hambrick stated. “However, I was disappointed to hear that she would not call herself a preacher, and that male ministers would not call her one either. I was told that women could not do that.”
Hambrick remained involved in the church throughout her high school years, and she attended Shorter University, a Baptist college, prior to transferring to Kennesaw State University (KSU). She aspired to become an English professor, until she began working at the nursery at First Baptist Church of Marietta.
“I was serving as a Children’s Ministry intern at First Baptist Marietta in Georgia after working in the nursery for a year. I took it because I thought it would be a nice summer gig — I was a senior in college and needed more on my resume. I quickly learned that ministry gave me life, and I had a passion for the local church.”
Hambrick followed her passions to Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina. She found acceptance in another Baptist organization, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), which exists due to a split with the SBC over the subject of women in ministry. Even so, Hambrick was not safe from the misogynistic views prevalent in ministry — she found herself transferring universities and losing a portion of her scholarship.
“A male professor told me that the only reason anyone paid attention to me was because of my body,” explained Hambrick. “As I approach my last semester of divinity school, I am grateful for my time since I transferred to Wake Forest. In seminary, you are not just studying facts — you are exploring your innermost being.”
Hambrick found a church home at Myers Park Baptist in North Carolina, having spent several years as an children’s ministry intern before transitioning into a role with the youth ministry. On her transition, she added “I have such a passion for the local church that I want to be involved in every part.”
When confronted with the ire that Beth Moore has faced, Hambrick minced no words: “The comments made to Beth Moore are not new. Men have tried for centuries to help women ‘know their place.’”
“Women were the first witnesses of the gospel; we, as ministers, are following in the footsteps of Mary Magdalene, Priscilla, Lydia, and so many who have proclaimed the Gospel and not gone home when they were told to. I think of the woman in Luke, who suffered from Endometriosis. She was seen as unclean and was not allowed in the city, but she knew of Jesus, had faith in his strength, and was determined to get to him. And by touching his robe, she was healed. Her faith taught us that we need only touch his robe for the impact to be made.”
Of the women who followed the call of ministry before her, Hambrick does not withhold praise. “Without the support of my mentors, I could not make it in ministry. They carry me when I don’t think I can go anymore. They have walked this road, and they know the struggles before they happen.”
The first of these mentors, aside from our mother and Moore herself, was Lauren Mills, Hambrick’s former boss. She recruited Hambrick to work in the nursery after meeting through the Phi Mu chapter at KSU. Since then, their friendship has grown, with Hambrick interning for Mills, and Mills hiring myself to work in the nursery as well.
Mills had a different upbringing than Hambrick did. She grew up as a pastor’s kid in churches that were duly aligned, meaning that they give both to the SBC and CBF.
“Women were deacons, women took up the offering, women taught adult Sunday school classes. Women were ministers,” Mills told me. “Because I was always involved in churches that were involved with CBF, it was never talked about that women couldn’t be ministers.”
It wasn’t until Mills hit college that she discovered that all Baptists did not have the same theology. Like Hambrick, she attended Shorter University, then Shorter College. At Shorter, Mills initially had no intention of going into ministry — her major was early childhood education — but after a period of distance from god, she felt the call into ministry.
“When I started telling people that I was going to go to seminary, I first experienced pushback that women could not be ministers. And interestingly enough, someone said ‘Why can’t you be more like Beth Moore? Beth Moore refuses to call herself a pastor. Beth Moore refuses to call herself a minister. She said she is only a teacher of women. Why can’t you just be like her and be a teacher of women?’”
Mills ignored her detractors, and with the support of her family, she found a welcoming community at Mercer University, where she studied for seminary. There, she found fellowship with like-minded people and made the connections that led her to her current role as minister to children at First Baptist Marietta.
Given that “always been passionate about kids,” Mills felt the calling to serve in that capacity in the local church. She did admit that it is more common in SBC churches for women to be involved in ministry serving children.
“They see children’s ministry as babysitting and changing diapers and buying crayons and having a good VBS,” Mills suggested. “They don’t see it as equal or as important, though actually, I would argue that it’s more important, because it acts as the foundation on which the adults will have their faith.”
Mills feels that children’s ministry is an essential part of the church and that it is just as much about equipping the parents to be “faith-influencers” to their children as it is about teaching the children themselves. Discounting that aspect of ministry does a disservice to the church, something that Mills has learned over her decade of ministry and through becoming a parent herself.
Overall, Mills feels blessed to serve at a church that welcomes her. On Oct. 27, Bill Ross, senior pastor of First Baptist Marietta, gave a sermon on what it means to be good; in this sermon, he addressed the comments MacArthur made toward Moore.
“We have women who are deacons. We have women who are leaders. There are those who will say, ‘no that’s not biblical.’ And I’ll say ‘yes it is. Have you read the bible recently? Do you see how god uses women?’” Ross stated, pointing out that women were the first evangelists. “And what I would say to Reverend Mills, who is one of our ministers, is welcome home because First Baptist Marietta is a place for women in leadership.”
Mills expressed sympathy towards other females in ministry, adding that her advice to a female considering ministry is as follows: “There is a needed place for you in church. It may not be always roses. You may have someone sit in your office and say that they do not think women should be ministers, but that doesn’t mean that god hasn’t called you. Find a seminary and a support network that will hold you accountable and affirm your calling.”
“While in college I was told not to be like Beth Moore, now she is calling herself a minister. Even though I don’t agree with Beth Moore’s theology 100%, I pray for her. I pray that she has thick skin and that she is able to do what god has called her to do, because she is needed in the SBC and in the world.”
Likewise, Hambrick found another mentor in her next boss: Carrie Veal, minister of children and community life at Myers Park Baptist. Hambrick began working for Veal in 2017 after beginning seminary.
As Mills and Hambrick did, Veal grew up in the Baptist church, though she attended catholic school.
“As a child many of my teachers and leaders at church were female. While they were not ministers, they were very active in ministry,” Veal said. “I had a male minister tell me I had gifts for ministry, and it seemed to him that I was passionate about young adults being included.”
“I have to admit that part of my desire to go into ministry came from someone telling me that women could not do that — I was not one who liked to be told I could not do something.”
Beyond that rebellious streak, Veal’s entrance into ministry came from feeling that church was her safe place, even when she found herself in situations of adversity. Her ministry is rooted in the belief that church could be better and that she could be a part of that.
In becoming a minister, Veal was forced to confront the same struggles as my mother, Hambrick, and Mills; the same minister who pointed out her gifts for ministry, refused to ordain her. Though she has since found acceptance elsewhere, these experiences instilled in her a desire “to connect with younger minsters to help them know they are not alone.”
“Even in the best church, with the best minister, in the best town, ministry can be isolating , and as a woman there will always be more men, so it is important all along the way to connect with women who are serving in churches,” Veal stated. “May no one ever forget it was the women who went to the tomb, encountered the risen Christ, and spread the words.”
Veal stresses the importance of sisterhood; be there for each other and stand up for what is right.
While working with Veal at Myers Park, Hambrick found another mentor, Chrissy Williamson. When she and Hambrick met, she was serving as an associate pastor at Myers Park. She has since transitioned to a senior pastor role at Greystone Baptist in Raleigh.
Williamson and Hambrick bonded during a time in the latter’s life where things had gone south; she was transferring from Gardner-Webb to Wake Forest and moving to Charlotte. Williamson opened her family home to Hambrick, and until Williamson accepted the position in Raleigh, Hambrick resided with her family.
For Williamson, ministry was second nature; her mother had been a music minister, which set the precedent for her awareness of women taking active roles in the church.
This led Williamson to decide at the age of 15 that she wanted to go into ministry, intending to become a foreign missionary before falling in love with the work of the local church.
Williamson’s ministry is about growth; she loves learning and expanding professionally. Additionally, she stresses taking all available opportunities for growth. Being a rare case of a female senior pastor at a Baptist church, Williamson attributed her progression from youth minister to associate minister and so on to a willingness to take on new challenges.
“Do it. Be confident, be yourself, and don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t handle it,” Williamson urges those contemplating their own involvement in ministry.
In a similar vein, Hambrick echoes her mentors’ advice, pleading to Moore and other female believers: “As it says in Esther 4:14, we have come for a time like this. God never intended for his daughters to be silenced. It is a hard road, yes — you will struggle to find your voice, but there is hope. There are people waiting to embrace you and love you — people who believe in you. More importantly, god is there. God is waiting for you to answer the call. You are not alone. Do not go home.”
