Andy Stanley on Saddleback Being De-credentialed by the SBC

In his June 30, 2024 message "Broken and Grateful," Andy Stanley–founder and preacher for the North Point Ministries megachurch network–decried biblical "fundamentalists" who foster an "insider-focused" mentality. As an example, Stanley called out the Southern Baptist Convention for finding that Rick Warren's Saddleback Church is not in friendly cooperation with the Convention.

Stanley said: 

Last year, [Rick Warren's] denomination [the Southern Baptist Convention] kicked him out of the denomination: for something immoral? No. Something illegal? No. Something that had to do with money? No. Because he had some addiction? No. They kicked him out because he had the nerve to ordain three female staff members, who were functioning as pastors … and they kicked him out of the church. You don't get any more insider-focused than that.

I'm one of the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention who voted to uphold the SBC Executive Committee's decision that Saddleback is not in friendly cooperation with the Convention. We voted the way that we did because we do not think that ordaining women as pastors is consistent with the New Testament instructions concerning church leadership, therefore the influence that Saddleback's messengers to the Convention or the decisions made by missionaries from Saddleback sent out by the International Missions Board or North American Mission Board of the SBC would not necessarily be in line with what we believe the New Testament to teach about church leadership.

We did not kick Rick Warren out of any church, nor does the SBC have the authority to do so. We did not make any pronouncement concerning Rick Warren's spiritual state, nor does the SBC have the authority to do so.

Yesterday, while visiting family out-of-state, I joyfully worshiped at a Presbyterian church. The Presbyterian church practices infant baptism. I believe that they are wrong to do so, but I felt no need to even mention it to anyone there. But if a member church of the SBC started practicing infant baptism, we would not allow that church to remain as cooperating members of the Convention, because the way that this ordinance of Christ is conducted [as applying to only infants or applying to believers only] is an important enough issue (with important enough implications) that denominational resources must be spent in cooperation with congregations that agree about the proper subjects of baptism.

Regarding these sorts of issues (whether women pastors or infant baptism), there are certainly other parachurch ministries that can be done across denominational lines and there are opportunities for worship with brothers and sisters in other denominations. But believing that certain second-order issues can form appropriate denominational boundaries does not necessarily make someone sinfully "insider-focused".