After Southern Baptists took the latest steps to restrict women from serving in pastoral roles, leaders of the 2.5 million-member Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC) reaffirmed their denomination’s commitment to women in ministry this week.
In a statement shared with Good Faith Media, Rev. David R. Peoples and Rev. Thomas L. Bowen said, “We offer a different witness grounded in Scripture, shaped by the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, informed by the rich tradition of the Black Church, and animated by the conviction that God calls whom God calls.”
Peoples serves as PNBC president, while Bowen is PNBC general secretary.
“Throughout Scripture and throughout the history of the Black Church, women have preached, taught, organized, led, and transformed communities in the name of Jesus Christ,” Peoples said. “We celebrate their gifts and remain committed to creating space for all whom God has called into ministry.”
“We celebrate the women who have gone before us and remain committed to opening doors for those who will follow,” said Rev. Dr. Jacqueline A. Thompson, Second Vice President of PNBC.
Denominational leaders expressed the belief that denying “the call of women to pastoral ministry is to lose the plot of the Gospel and commit an unforced error of exclusion that further fractures the already broken Body of Christ.”
The leaders of the predominantly African American denomination stated that the “Black Church would not be what it is without the faith, leadership, sacrifice, and spiritual wisdom of women.”
They added, “Their contributions are not secondary to the mission of the Church; they are essential to it.”
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the PNBC was formed in 1961 to advance the worldwide fight for human freedom. Known as the denominational home of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the PNBC continues to advance the causes of voting rights, education, economic empowerment, universal human rights, and total human liberation for all people.
More information about the PNBC is available here.
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