Missouri Baptists have a chance this fall to help restore pro-life protections in our state, and we can’t waste it.
In 2019, Missouri lawmakers approved a “trigger law” that would automatically ban abortion in Missouri if the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. So, when the Supreme Court actually overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, Missouri became the first state in the nation to ban abortion completely within its borders.
But in 2024, the situation in Missouri changed drastically when a slim majority (51.742 percent) of Missouri voters supported a constitutional amendment that enshrined a so-called “right to abortion” within the state’s Constitution.
This year, on Nov. 3, voters are being asked to consider Amendment 3, a Missouri ballot initiative that aims to restore pro-life protections within our state.
God is “giving Missouri voters a second chance to get this right,” Pastor Phil Hopper of Abundant Life Church in Lee’s Summit said during an online briefing on Amendment 3, Sept. 1. During the Zoom briefing, Hopper joined Pastor Chris Williams of Fellowship Church, Greenwood, who hosted the meeting, as well as Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Executive Director Wes Fowler.
“Abortion is first and foremost not a political issue,” Hopper said. “It is a biblical issue. It is a moral issue.”
“What we’re really asking every Missouri pastor to do is to preach on this issue,” he added. “Prepare your church to vote on this issue, to be the salt of the earth …. This is the greatest sin of the nation today, and we need to stand in the way.”
Williams echoed this call to action. “Amendment 3 is on the ballot, and we have an opportunity to speak for life, to strengthen parental rights, to protect children, to lead our churches, and to bring clarity and courage into Missouri. …
“Our biggest problem,” he added, “is that most evangelical Christians don’t go out to vote, particularly on these sort of midterm elections. We need to mobilize people, and the church has the numbers sitting in the pew. We just have to engage them to do it.”
He encouraged Missouri Baptists to register to vote if they haven’t done so yet. The deadline for registering to vote in the November election is Oct. 8.
Fowler agreed that Missouri Baptists can make a significant difference in the election, if they only go to the polls and vote. He added that, while Amendment 3 isn’t perfect, it will save many unborn babies and protect the unborn in most instances. Moreover, its a huge improvement on Missouri’s current enshrinement of abortion-on-demand.
“Abortion,” Fowler said, “is the anti-gospel,” and Missouri Baptists should oppose it. “The gospel is all about life, and abortion is all about death. The gospel says every life is worth saving, and abortion says that some lives have no value at all. The gospel saves those who are guilty. … Abortion kills those who are innocent. The gospel says, ‘I’ll die for you,’ and abortion says, ‘You can die for me.’”
Fowler also noted resources that Missouri Baptists have provided, including a brochure on Amendment 3 created by the MBC’s Christian Life Commission. Access the brochure here: https://media.mobaptist.org/public/clc/clc-brochure-2026.pdf.
Additionally, a resource created by Missouri Baptist attorney Mike Whitehead, who serves as legal counsel for the MBC, highlights the freedom that pastors have to speak about Amendment 3 and similar issues in their churches.
“Now is the time for courage,” Whitehead writes, “Pastors have the God-given right to proclaim the sanctity of human life from the pulpit—and to urge their members to vote YES on Amendment 3. The legal risk to church tax-exemption has been greatly overstated when it comes to legislation and ballot initiatives. You have more freedom than you may have been told.”
This resource can be accessed online at https://mbcpathway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Amend3_Handout.pdf.
Watch the Sept. 1 Zoom Briefing on Amendment 3 by clicking here. After clicking the link, the video can be accessed with this passcode: 5q8Z.q$G.
On Sept. 27 at 4 p.m., Fellowship Church, Greenwood, is also holding a citywide rally on Amendment 3. Pastor Chris Williams will be joined by guest speakers Phil Hopper, Doug Richey, and Dillon Neely. No registration is required to attend the event.
