Stacie Cloud Wood is an American preacher, a motivational speaker, and a fitness enthusiast. She is the wife of Andy Wood, who succeeded retiring pastor and bestselling author Rick Warren at Saddleback Church. Saddleback is an influential megachurch that, until recently, was under the umbrella of the Southern Baptist Convention. Stacie Wood served as a teaching pastor, stirring controversy with the SBC, an institution that believes women should not be allowed to preach.

Wood was born on October 14, 1982 in South Carolina and grew up in a typical ‘all American’ family. She said she found Christ as a child and built her life around Christianity. She attended the University of Charleston Southern University, where she met her husband, Andy. In 2009, they established South Bay Church in California, which became Echo Church in 2018. Echo became one of the fastest growing churches in the United States with more than 2,600 regular attendees.

In September 2022, Rick Warren handed Saddleback Church over to Pastors Andy and Stacie Wood. Saddleback is a household name in American evangelical Christianity and has more than 23,000 members and 12 locations in Southern California. Stacie has delivered several sermons, including “The Beauty In The Broken,” “What Is My Role,” “From Pain To Purpose,” and “Walking Through Grief.”

“The church should be a place where both men and women can exercise those spiritual gifts,” her husband told the Associated Press. “My wife has the spiritual gift of teaching, and she is really good. People often tell me she's better than me when it comes to preaching, and I'm really glad to hear that.”

However, despite the support of her husband, her natural talent as a speaker, and her desire to spread her faith, Wood has recently found herself without a flock. In February 2023, the SBC expelled Saddleback Church, which was one of its largest congregations, due to its appointment of a female pastor. According to the statement from SBC: “While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by scripture.”

Saddleback was among five churches with female pastors who were deemed “no longer in friendly cooperation” with the SBC.