Beth Moore Leaves Southern Baptist Convention and Announces Retirement from Living Proof Ministries

Beth Moore, a popular Christian author and Bible teacher based in Houston, has decided to leave the Southern Baptist Convention, according to a Houston Chronicle report from March 2021 that cited a Religion News Service article published that Tuesday. In the article, Moore said, “I am still a Baptist, but I can no longer identify with Southern Baptists.” The Chronicle described the Southern Baptist Convention as the largest coalition of Baptist churches in the United States and noted that the denomination has been dealing with controversies over sexual abuse, race, and the role of women in ministry.

The Chronicle reported that her departure landed “like a bombshell” in churches where her Bible lessons are widely studied. Christian author Diana Butler Bass compared Moore’s departure on Twitter to Prince Harry leaving the royal family. The report said Moore loves many Southern Baptist people and churches but does not identify with some elements of the denomination’s heritage that, in her view, have not remained in the past. It also noted that Moore is an outspoken advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and has spoken about her own experience as a young abuse survivor. Earlier, at a conference in Grapevine on Oct. 3, 2019, she had called for changing the roles of women in Southern Baptist churches. The report was updated March 11, 2021.

A later Christianity Today article, which did not carry a date in the material provided, described Moore as having left the Southern Baptist Convention, a denomination that had been a central part of her identity and ministry. It said she described leaving as feeling like “falling off a cliff” without knowing whether anyone would catch her, an experience of uncertainty that she described as isolating. That account attributed the tension with many within the denomination to two areas: her criticism of political engagement and her advocacy for abuse survivors. The article said she has found a new church community within the Anglican tradition.

Christianity Today also reported that Moore has led Living Proof Ministries for three decades. She plans to hold her last major event in Nashville next spring. Moore, who is 70, says she will still accept some speaking engagements. She has expressed a desire to pass the torch to younger leaders.