Southern Baptist Churches Fight Expulsion Over Women Pastors.

The Southern Baptist Convention has expelled five churches, including Saddleback Church, for having women pastors, citing that the office of pastor is reserved for men according to their official statement of faith. Fern Creek Baptist Church, one of the expelled churches, is appealing the decision and believes that Baptists should be able to agree to disagree while making a common cause for evangelism. The issue of women in ministry has long been debated among Southern Baptists, and some members question whether there are other agendas at play, such as diverting attention from the denomination's struggles to address a sex abuse scandal or pushing the conservative denomination even further to the right.