Saddleback Church, the Southern California megachurch founded by best-selling author Rick Warren, is appealing its ouster from the Southern Baptist Convention for having women pastors on staff, according to the denomination.
Saddleback is asking the annual meeting of the SBC, which convenes next month in New Orleans, to overturn a February decision by the denomination’s Executive Committee to expel it.
The committee said Saddleback “has a faith and practice that does not closely identify with the Convention’s adopted statement of faith, as demonstrated by the church having a female teaching pastor functioning in the office of pastor.” That was an allusion to Stacie Wood, wife of Lead Pastor Andy Wood, who holds the role of teaching pastor….