The Southern Baptist Convention has refused to welcome Saddleback Church back into its fold.

Retired pastor Rick Warren, author of “The Purpose Driven Life,” is intensifying a media blitz in what he acknowledges may be a lost cause.

The Southern Baptist Convention says that Saddleback Church is appealing its ouster from the denomination for having women pastors on staff.

Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, was one of five churches expelled by the Southern Baptist Convention for having women pastors on staff.

The Southern Baptist Convention has ousted its second-largest church — Saddleback Church — for having a woman pastor.

Last month, Andy Wood took the reins of California-based Saddleback Church from founding pastor Rick Warren, a bestselling author and influential figure in evangelical Christianity.

The Southern Baptist Convention has voted overwhelmingly to create a way to track pastors and other church workers credibly accused of sex abuse.

The Southern Baptist Convention has tamped down a push from the right at its largest meeting in decades, electing a new president who has worked to bridge racial divides in the church and defeating an effort to make an issue of critical race theory.

Megachurch pastor Rick Warren has announced his retirement after 42 years of leading Saddleback Church in Southern California.