Andi and I were unable to attend the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando, FL this year, but thanks to the blessing of livestream, we were able to watch it in its entirety from home. It’s worth noting that a livestream viewing cannot compare to being with 12,000 Southern Baptists over the course of two days to worship, discuss, and pray for the future of our Convention. We missed it and hope to be back next year in Indianapolis.
The meeting was on June 9-10, 2026. Here is a summary of the primary issues discussed in Orlando this year:
Truth and Unity Amendment
Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, introduced a motion called the “Truth and Unity Amendment.” This motion sought to add a sixth enumerated item to Article III of the SBC Constitution, which determines how a church can be in friendly cooperation with the SBC. The amendment states that a cooperating church is not in friendly cooperation if it acts to:
“…affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor/elder/overseer, specifically preaching to the assembled congregation.”
A few days before the Annual Meeting, Mohler announced on “X” that he would slightly adjust the wording of his motion at the meeting. Instead of his original wording that said, “such as preaching to the assembled congregation, he changed it to “specifically preaching to the assembled congregation.” Mohler noted the language was intentional; by using “specifically” rather than “such as”, he attempted to address concerns that the amendment would be weaponized to limit roles for women in ministry beyond the pastoral office.
There was little debate from the floor on the motion since a messenger “called the question” right from the start, and that was overwhelmingly approved by the messengers (“calling the question” means that all debate immediately stops and a vote is taken on the motion). It appears that the messengers were tired of debating this, since a motion of this kind has been before the Convention for the last three years.
The amendment received very strong support in voting, receiving 74.66% affirmation and clearing the required two-thirds supermajority on its first vote. Because constitutional amendments require approval at two consecutive annual meetings, it will also need to be affirmed at the 2027 Annual Meeting in Indianapolis.
It should be noted that, despite what you might read in the media, this amendment brought forth nothing new in terms of Southern Baptist theology or practice. Our statement of faith, the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, has long said that “the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.” Most of the 25% who voted against the amendment did so not because they disagreed with the theology, but because they saw it as unnecessary or potentially misapplied.
International Mission Board (IMB) Milestone
Southern Baptists commissioned and sent 63 new missionaries to the ends of the Earth with the gospel during the “Sending Celebration” of the meeting. They join over 3,500 IMB missionaries around the world, all of whom are supported by Southern Baptists through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. In addition, Paul Chitwood, President of the IMB, announced that the missionary pipeline is “exploding” and has experienced a 500% increase over recent years. Praise the Lord for this commitment to the Great Commission!
But the most memorable aspect of the IMB this year was the 51% Cooperative Program allocation that was finally achieved. This year’s Cooperative Program Allocation Budget set aside 51% of all CP dollars for the IMB. That benchmark was 16 years in the making. Here’s why…
In 2010, Andi and I were in Orlando, FL for the Annual Meeting. During that meeting, a Great Commission Resurgence Task Force made the recommendation to increase CP allocation to the IMB to 51%, which would require the Executive Committee and SBC entities to reduce their CP allocation. The recommendation was approved by the messengers – and I will never forget Dr. Mohler’s memorable statement from the platform when he said, “we are here to do something rather than nothing.”
However, after 15 years, that 51% had never been reached; the allocation maxed at 50.41% starting in 2014. The reason for the delay was multi-faceted, including a decline in CP giving, a financial crisis in 2015, and costs related to the sexual abuse investigation. But this year, the EC and other entities adjusted their portion of CP allocation to finally meet the 51% mark.
One interesting motion from the floor came from Benjamin Cole who moved to grant the IMB an eight million dollar “priority allocation” to make up for the 15 years that the 51% had not been reached. Dr. Iorg, President of the Executive Committee, offered his appreciation for the sentiment, but spoke against the amendment, suggesting it would bring a “dramatic shock to the financial system” of the SBC.
It was neat to have been in Orlando for the Annual Meeting in 2010 when the 51% mark was approved, and then watch the Annual Meeting in Orlando in 2026 when the 51% was finally reached.
SBC Presidential Election
Willy Rice, senior pastor of Calvary Church in Clearwater, Florida, was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He defeated Joshua Powell (pastor of Taylors First Baptist Church in South Carolina), by receiving 57.56% of the votes. Rice spent the last several months discussing his “7 pillars of renewal” for the SBC, including “convictional clarity” and “denominational accountability.” Let us pray for Willy Rice and his leadership as SBC President.
I do wonder if we have reached a place in SBC life where presidential candidates campaign on ideas that our SBC Constitution does not grant them the authority to achieve. The SBC President has three significant roles: 1) appoint a few committees (such as the committee on committees and the committee on resolutions) 2) Preside over the annual meeting. 3) Publicly represent the SBC. The most influential power the president has is through his committee appointments, which was the strategy of the conservative resurgence in the 80’s and 90’s. But to read and hear the campaign ideas of presidential candidates these days, you might think they have much more authority and power in the SBC than they are granted by the Constitution.
Disability Ministry Task Force
Dr. Iorg and Disability Task Force Chairman Tom Stolle presented the final report of the Disability Ministry Task Force, which examined accessibility, outreach, and resource availability for special-needs families in the Southern Baptist Convention. Messengers enthusiastically approved the recommendations, which encourage local churches and entities to significantly increase disability training and infrastructure. Related to these recommendations, messengers voted to establish the second Sunday of July as Disability Ministry Sunday on the SBC calendar.
Other Quick Hits
-Crossover is an evangelistic effort in the host city of the Annual Meeting during the week before the meeting. This year, 20,000 people heard the gospel and 1,077 people professed faith in Christ!
-Southern Baptists are tired of task forces. In a move I have never seen before, messengers decided to “indefinitely postpone” nine motions that called for a task force or study group instead of having them referred to the Executive Committee, as is customary.
-Malcolm Yarnell submitted a wonderful motion that was referred to Lifeway Christian Resources and all six seminaries. It calls on these entities to address the “widespread theological errors among American evangelicals regarding the deity of Christ, the personhood of the Holy Spirit and the exclusivity of Christian worship.”
-The North American Mission Board (NAMB) reported that 699 new churches were planted in 2025, the highest number of new church plants since 2016.
-The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission has a new president; Evan Lenow will be leading this entity, and I am praying for the confidence and trust to return to this important ministry. There are also new presidents at Lifeway, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the WMU. These are Ryan Blackwell, Scott Pace, and Carolyn Fountain, respectively.
One last thought. This year’s meeting reported these things:
- In 2025, Southern Baptist churches baptized 263,075 people.
- Send Relief worked with more than 1,900 churches across North America and Puerto Rico in 2025 for compassion and mercy ministries, which led to 84,000 people hearing the gospel.
- Southern Baptist Disaster Relief responded to 84 crises in 2025, prepared 233,000 meals, and served more than 414,000 hours.
- The disabled and special-needs families were a focus of messengers this year, emphasizing the need to expand our ministries to welcome and learn from these wonderful people.
- 63 new IMB missionaries were sent overseas to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
- 31 previously unengaged people groups are now engaged because of the work of IMB missionaries
And that is just scratching the surface. But you will essentially hear only one thing in the media – Southern Baptists vote to ban women from ministry. Just don’t believe what you read about the SBC. Talk to actual Southern Baptists who love the Lord, love his word, love his commission, and love serving in his name. There is so much good and beautiful happening in SBC churches, and that is what the Convention is all about.
