Large Baptist church picks woman pastor - AJC.com

A BAPTIST BREAKTHROUGH: Large Decatur church picks woman as pastor | ajc.com: "Growing up, Julie Pennington-Russell believed it was wrong for women to lead Baptist churches. At seminary, she would wake up early and pray 'for all those poor, misguided women who thought God was calling them to be pastors.'

Today Pennington-Russell finds herself at the forefront of those challenging sexism in the pulpit. She becomes senior pastor Aug. 19 at Decatur's First Baptist Church %u2014- now the nation's largest Southern Baptist church with a female senior pastor, according to those who track such issues.

The Southern Baptist Convention long has said the Bible doesn't allow women to be pastors. But the 2,700-member Decatur church also is affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, a national organization for moderate Baptists, which accepts women as pastors."