Andi and I are currently at Dallas Love Field Airport, waiting for our flight back to our favorite place on earth – Graefenburg. We are grateful for the support of Graefenburg Baptist Church, which makes it possible for us to attend these important annual meetings each year. We were present for every moment of the 167th Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, from the first strike of the gavel to the last. Below is a summary of what took place during our time in Dallas.
CELEBRATION
As is always the case, there is so much to celebrate from this year’s meeting that I could hardly take the time or space to describe it all. Here is just a sampling:
IMB Sending Celebration
The IMB Sending Celebration is always a highlight of the annual meeting, and every Southern Baptist should experience it at least once. This year, 58 new missionaries were commissioned to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations.
Because many of these missionaries are heading to regions that are hostile to the gospel, most cannot have their identities publicly revealed for security reasons. Still, the messengers are given the privilege of hearing a brief bio and then praying over their specific requests as they are sent out. This is a beautiful picture of what Southern Baptists can accomplish through cooperation: faithfulness to the Great Commission and support for those who give up everything to go.
Additionally, Dr. Paul Chitwood, president of the International Mission Board, reported that 1,600 missionaries are currently in the pipeline, awaiting deployment – a number significantly higher than just a few years ago. Dr. Chitwood is a man of deep integrity and sincere devotion to Christ. I am grateful for his leadership at the IMB.
Resolutions
Every year at the Annual Meeting, messengers vote on a slate of resolutions presented by the Resolutions Committee. These are non-binding statements, but offer a general consensus on what Southern Baptists belief about a host of cultural and theological issues. This year, messengers adopted 8 resolutions, including banning pornography, reversing the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, standing against chemical abortion pills, and the predatory nature of sports betting.
The Resolutions Committee was chaired by Dr. Andrew Walker, who spoke a few years ago at the GBC Adam Hyatt Lectures for Critical Christian Thinking. His knowledge of the issues and communication from the platform was done exceedingly well. The resolutions were “exceptionally conservative” and yet passed overwhelmingly with little debate. Concerning this, Walker said, “Anyone who saw the actual votes themselves saw that these were not really close votes by any stretch. They were passed with, I think, basically unanimous support, which I think is a healthy reflection where the theological consensus is of the SBC. So, I was very pleased with what transpired today.”
Anniversaries
Messengers recognized and celebrated two important anniversaries: the 100th anniversary of the Baptist Faith & Message and the 100th Anniversary of the Cooperative Program. Since its inception in 1925, the Cooperative Program has facilitated the investment of over $20 billion toward Great Commission efforts. In a resolution entitled “On the Centennial Anniversary of the Cooperative Program”, messengers affirmed the Cooperative Program as “a missions-funding strategy God has blessed to support and strengthen Southern Baptist efforts to share the Gospel throughout the world.”
Likewise, the Baptist Faith & Message had its own resolution, reminding Southern Baptists that the BFM2000 is “a faithful summary of biblical doctrine in the Baptist tradition and commends this confession as consistent with the broader stream of historic Christian orthodoxy as articulated in the early creeds of the church.”
Baptisms
In 2024, Southern Baptists baptized more converts than in any of the previous seven years. The total number of baptisms was 250,643 – an increase of over 10% from 2023 and the highest total since 2014. Many state conventions saw staggering percentage increases. For example, the Wyoming Southern Baptist Convention saw a 63.7% increase. The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention saw a 45% increase. And the Baptist Convention of New York saw a 38% increase. Praise the Lord for these encouraging numbers!
CONSIDERATION
This year’s Annual Meeting presented three somewhat controversial issues for messengers to consider and decide:
- A motion to abolish the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). This is one of the entities of the SBC.
- An attempt to secure 990-type financial transparency from our various entities.
- A return of the “Law Amendment” motion seeking to add a constitutional amendment that requires churches to only affirm or hire men as pastors.
ERLC Vote
Over the past several years, various motions have been made to defund or abolish the ERLC. The reasons are multi-faceted, but many concerns stem from decisions made during Russell Moore’s presidency (2013–2021), which left a portion of the SBC unsettled. Additionally, some continue to question the current direction of the ERLC under President Brent Leatherwood. At last year’s meeting, an unexpectedly large number of messengers voted in favor of abolishing the ERLC, though the motion ultimately failed. This year, a similar motion was presented, and the results were nearly identical: 57% voted against abolishment, while 43% voted in favor.
I voted against abolishing the ERLC because I believe it represents a vital aspect of what it means to be Baptist. First, religious liberty remains a foundational and indispensable cause for Baptists, one that has defined our identity from the very beginning. Second, we are living in a time when it is more important than ever to have Baptistic convictions and principles clearly articulated in Washington. Surely now is not the time to abandon our post!
I agree that the ERLC has made some questionable decisions and published some concerning content in recent years. Like all of our entities, it must remain attentive to the voice of Southern Baptists and be willing to make course corrections when needed. However, reform is quite different from abolishment.
To be fair, some who supported the motion to abolish expressed that their goal was not necessarily to eliminate the ERLC but to send a strong and unmistakable message – that significant change is needed. Because abolishing an entity requires a second vote at the following Annual Meeting, their hope was that the ERLC would demonstrate a clear shift in direction over the next year, such that messengers would no longer feel the need to vote for abolition in 2025.
I appreciate that sentiment, but I’m opposed to that approach. I don’t want to abolish, I want to improve. So, I cannot in good conscience vote for one thing while simultaneously hoping that very thing doesn’t actually happen. I was pleased with the result of the vote. However, Brent Leatherwood and the ERLC staff need to understand that 43% of messengers voted to abolish. That means the ERLC needs to listen more intently to what Southern Baptists are saying.
Financial Transparency
In recent years, financial transparency and accountability have become major concerns for many messengers, driven in part by reports of unwise spending decisions and ongoing questions primarily related to the North American Mission Board (NAMB).
For the third consecutive year, a motion was introduced calling for SBC entities to either complete an IRS Form 990 or provide all the equivalent information typically included in that form. The goal is to give messengers a clear view of how funds are being used across our entities, including details such as salaries and other expenditures.
Dr. Jeff Iorg, president of the SBC Executive Committee, spoke against the motion. He asked for messengers to approve the Business and Financial Plan as written without any amendments for increased transparency. Iorg said, “We have First Amendment protections from such invasive reporting as is required by the 990. We stand on that today and assure you that we are not trying to hide behind that ruling but we are instead defending that ruling and upholding that ruling and wanting to stand within it.”
Iorg reminded the messengers that the SBC is built on the trustee system, and that financial transparency and accountability are happening at the trustee level. He said, “You already elect over 500 of your fellow Southern Baptists as trustees to maintain the accountability of the finances of this convention, and there is no outcry from the trustees who have this information; no one is claiming from their groups that this information needs to be released because it’s inappropriate and only been hidden for wrong reasons.”
The motion to amend the Business and Financial Report for 990-level transparency failed. On this issue, Southern Baptists were more persuaded by Dr. Iorg’s comments as President of the Executive Committee than by the concerns raised on the floor. I followed Dr. Iorg’s advice in my vote because I trust our system and the trustees we elect.
Speaking of which, the process for electing trustees to an SBC entity is a thorough one. Our Committee on Committees nominates the Committee on Nominations, and messengers approve those nominations. Then, the Committee on Nominations nominates the trustees, and messengers approve those nominations as well. In other words, Southern Baptist trustees are chosen by Southern Baptists after being nominated by a group of Southern Baptists who were themselves nominated by a group of Southern Baptists!
Law/Sanchez Amendment
A motion to approve the “Law Amendment” returned this year after being defeated by messengers last year in Indianapolis. The motion was brought forward by messenger Juan Sanchez. This amendment sought to add a sixth identifier to Article III, subparagraph I of the SBC Constitution and By-Laws, stating that a church is only in friendly cooperation with the SBC if it “affirms, appoints, or employs only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.”
The motion failed to reach the required supermajority of 66%.
As was the case last year, the reason for the failure has nothing to do with the commitment of Southern Baptists to complementarianism. Article VI of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 describes the two offices of the church – pastor/elder/overseer and deacon. It also says, “While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.” So, if Southern Baptists are convictionally committed to only men as pastors, why did the motion fail?
I think for two reasons. First, there are still many who believe that our statement of faith is sufficient to handle the issue of women pastors in our churches. Since our Constitution already says that a church must “closely identity” with the BFM2000 to be in “friendly cooperation” with the SBC, some do not see a need to keep adding identifiers in our governing documents. That was my position last year, and I still remain concerned that future issues will cause messengers to want additional identifiers in our governing documents that are already plainly stated in our statement of faith.
Second, Dr. Iorg also spoke against the motion from the platform, warning against legal battles that might ensue if we “take the issue out of the hands of theologians and pastors and put it in the hands of attorneys.” This time, I found Dr. Iorg’s commentary to be unconvincing. If legal battles were the concern, then why do we have any identifiers at all?
Thus, I reversed my vote from last year and voted in favor of the amendment this year. A significant reason for the change in my vote was due to the inaction of the Credentials Committee concerning NewSpring Church this past February. NewSpring is openly egalitarian with a female teaching pastor who regularly preaches. For reasons that baffled most Southern Baptists, the Credentials Committee maintained that NewSpring closely identified with our BFM2000. It was a mistake and caused many messengers, like myself, to rethink their vote.
Now that the motion has failed, we still have work to do in clarifying for the Credentials Committee what the Convention expects of them. I continue to believe that our statement of faith is sufficient – provided the Credentials Committee applies it consistently. Only time will tell.
What a privilege to be a part of this convention of churches! Next year, the meeting will take place in Orlando, FL. I have a hunch the kiddos might make that trip with us!
