Journal: Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry
Volume: JBTM 17:1 (Spring 2020)
Article: A Discussion on Women in Ministry in the Southern Baptist Convention
Author: Anonymous

JBTM 17:1 (Spring 2020) p. 87

A Discussion on Women in Ministry
in the Southern Baptist Convention

At the 2019 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, the Cooperative Program stage hosted a panel discussion on women in ministry. Moderated by Amy Whitfield, the panelists were Kathy Litton, director of Planter Spouse Development at the North American Mission Board; Jeana Floyd, wife of SBC Executive Committee President and CEO Ronnie Floyd; and Katie McCoy, assistant professor of theology in Women’s Studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The following is an edited transcript of their discussion.

Amy Whitfield: Last year (2018) marked the 100^th anniversary of women as messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). At the Convention’s annual meeting in Dallas, we passed a resolution, “On the Dignity and Worth of Women.” That statement called upon women “to serve in diverse capacities to advance the gospel.” What does that look like in day-to-day life, and how do you see Southern Baptist women serving in a wide range of ministry roles?

Kathy Litton: At the North American Mission Board (NAMB), one of our denominational strategies is planting churches. I see a generation of planter spouses who are going to extremely lost cities with very anti-Christian or secular cultures, and planting churches. They sacrifice as they go to difficult places and are involved in a different way than at traditional churches. The church planter’s wife participates in strategy, leadership development, and the evangelism program. She is all in. This is a courageous, committed generation.

Jeana Floyd: I speak from the viewpoint of a pastor’s wife. At our previous ministry, Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas, we had wonderful women on our staff in very critical positions. I also had the opportunity to mentor our staff wives, seeing those women not only walk alongside their husbands but also in their various fields inside and outside the church, to fulfill a ministry of leadership in whatever God had called them to do.

Katie McCoy: At Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS), we see women launch into a variety of different ministries—

JBTM 17:1 (Spring 2020) p. 88

overseas mission work, organizational service and leadership, advocacy, denominational life, girls’ and women’s ministers, discipleship, and evangelism. We also have women who go on to do further study and become scholars and authorities in their fields. We get to see women at the preparation stage before they launch.

AW: Kathy, women are doing a lot of things in our churches and ministries. When we consider the contributions of women thr...