William E. Wolfe has spent more than a decade in and around the Southern Baptist Convention, moving from a young member in a Washington D.C. church to a visible figure arguing for what he calls conservative reform. His story in the SBC blends personal religious conviction with the instincts of a political operative who spent years in federal government and advocacy work.
Early Involvement with the Southern Baptist Convention
Wolfe’s Southern Baptist life took root in Washington D.C., when he began attending Capitol Hill Baptist Church, a flagship congregation in the nation’s capital. There he:
- Was baptized into the church
- Attended for roughly ten years
- Completed the church’s Pastoral Internship program
- Entered conversations about church reform and revitalization through Capitol Hill’s connection to the 9Marks ministry
Capitol Hill Baptist, pastored by Mark Dever, occupies an outsized place in contemporary SBC life. The church is known for a strong focus on “biblical ecclesiology” and the language of “healthy churches.” Through 9Marks, it exports that model to pastors and congregations across the denomination. Wolfe’s formation happened in that ecosystem.
Seminary Education
From D.C., Wolfe moved to Louisville, Kentucky, to study at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, one of the SBC’s six seminaries and a flagship institution for conservative Southern Baptists. During his time there, he:
- Completed the Presidential Internship program under seminary president Albert Mohler
- Relocated specifically to finish his theological education in person
- Stepped more deeply into theological debates that already divided the wider SBC
Southern Seminary presents itself as a conservative success story after previous institutional battles. Wolfe came of age in the era when that story was the norm, not the controversy.
Growing Concern About SBC Direction
Wolfe’s misgivings about the Southern Baptist Convention sharpened while he was working in Washington. In his public comments, several themes recur.
Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC)
He often singles out the SBC’s policy arm, arguing that the ERLC failed to represent rank-and-file Southern Baptists on key political issues. From his vantage point in D.C., the gap between national advocacy and grassroots expectations looked wide.
Theological drift
He warns about what he sees as progressive ideas seeping into SBC entities, including seminaries and agencies. Terms like “drift” and “compromise” appear frequently in his assessments.
Cultural engagement
He argues that SBC leadership has not fully faced down what he regards as threats from secular culture and elite institutions. The subtext is that denominational leaders speak too cautiously in the face of cultural change.
These criticisms eventually culminated in the launch of the Center for Baptist Leadership in 2024, which Wolfe built as a home base for his reform agenda.
Key Issues and Positions
Inside SBC life, Wolfe has planted flags on several of the denomination’s most contested issues.
Critical Race Theory and racial justice
Wolfe has been one of the louder voices opposing what he sees as the influence of Critical Race Theory in SBC life. The 2019 Resolution 9, which addressed CRT and intersectionality, became a reference point for his critique. He argues that these frameworks are incompatible with biblical Christianity and that their adoption has harmed SBC institutions, particularly the seminaries.
Women in ministry
He defends complementarian theology, which limits the office of pastor and the primary teaching role in the gathered church to men. Wolfe has weighed in on debates over churches with female pastors or ministry leaders and whether such churches should remain in friendly cooperation with the SBC.
Institutional reform
Through the Center for Baptist Leadership, Wolfe calls for significant changes in how SBC entities operate. He argues that the convention needs leadership willing to restructure and redirect denominational boards, commissions, and agencies.
Conservative mobilization
Wolfe also focuses on turnout. He urges conservatives to attend SBC annual meetings, register as messengers, and participate in elections and votes that shape the future of the convention.
The Center for Baptist Leadership’s SBC Focus
When Wolfe launched the Center for Baptist Leadership in 2024, he framed it explicitly as a project focused on Southern Baptist revitalization. The organization’s work includes:
- Publishing commentary and analysis on SBC issues
- Hosting a podcast centered on denominational disputes and priorities
- Encouraging conservative participation in SBC governance
- Scrutinizing decisions by SBC entities and leadership
- Pressing for changes in seminaries and other core SBC institutions
The through line is clear. CBL exists to pull the SBC in a more sharply conservative direction and to amplify voices that share that aim.
SBC Annual Meeting Involvement
The Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting each June serves as the main arena for Wolfe’s organizing. These gatherings decide budgets, elect officers, and debate resolutions. Wolfe:
- Promotes conservative attendance and messaging ahead of the meetings
- Offers running commentary on resolutions, elections, and platform fights
- Uses the convention floor and its side events as places to build networks and support for his positions
In this setting, he functions as both commentator and participant.
Relationship with Other SBC Figures and Networks
Wolfe’s work connects to a series of overlapping conservative Baptist efforts.
Founders Ministries
Tom Ascol, president of Founders, sits on the advisory board of the Center for Baptist Leadership. Founders has long promoted Reformed theology and a harder-edged conservative posture inside the SBC, making it a natural ally.
Conservative Baptist Network
While no formal merger exists, the Conservative Baptist Network and CBL work along similar lines: mobilizing conservative Southern Baptists, criticizing denominational leadership, and seeking to steer the convention’s direction.
Seminary connections
Through his time at Southern Seminary and his internship under Albert Mohler, Wolfe has ties into SBC theological education. At the same time, he has criticized what he views as inadequate conservatism even in institutions that present themselves as firmly conservative.
Public Perception Inside the SBC
Reaction to Wolfe within Southern Baptist life splits along familiar lines.
Among conservatives
Supporters see him as a necessary truth-teller who names problems they believe others ignore. They credit him with pushing the conversation back toward what they consider biblical fidelity.
Among moderates and progressives
Critics, including outlets like Baptist News Global, describe his rhetoric as divisive or extreme. They argue that his approach deepens factionalism and narrows the space for cooperation inside the convention.
Among denominational leadership
Official SBC entities rarely respond directly, yet the issues Wolfe raises mirror broader tensions that already exist. His presence highlights fault lines rather than creating them from scratch.
Theological Emphases
Wolfe’s work around the SBC reflects a clear set of theological priorities:
- Complementarianism and male-only pastoral leadership
- Strong claims about biblical inerrancy and authority
- Traditional sexual ethics
- Opposition to what he terms “social justice” frameworks
- Heavy emphasis on doctrinal clarity and confessional certainty
These emphases track with the SBC’s doctrinal statement on paper, even as members disagree about how those principles apply to contemporary debates.
Impact on Southern Baptist Discourse
Whatever one thinks of his project, Wolfe has had an effect on how Southern Baptists talk about themselves.
He has:
- Elevated certain controversies and made them harder to ignore
- Helped organize conservative participation in denominational processes
- Created a platform through CBL for like-minded pastors and lay leaders
- Inserted his analysis into ongoing debates about the SBC’s future
The result is a louder and more visible conservative reform wing within the convention.
Ongoing Areas of Engagement
Wolfe shows no sign of stepping back from SBC life. His ongoing involvement includes:
- Regular commentary on denominational news
- Podcast episodes featuring SBC pastors and activists
- Analysis of decisions made by SBC entities
- Advocacy around leadership elections and resolutions
- Arguments for robust local church authority within SBC structures
Conclusion
William E. Wolfe’s story in the Southern Baptist Convention runs from baptism at Capitol Hill Baptist Church to executive leadership of the Center for Baptist Leadership. He presents himself as a guardian of biblical faithfulness and conservative doctrine in a denomination he believes needs serious reform.
Through his organizing, commentary, and institutional critiques, he has become one of the more visible figures in current SBC debates, helping shape how Southern Baptists argue about power, theology, and the future of their own denomination.
Leave a Reply