By Baptist Message staff
INDIANAPOLIS (LBM) – Here are the highlights from the 2024 SBC Annual Meeting, June 10-12.
Law Amendment (ban on women pastors)
Messengers cast 5,099 ballots in favor (61.45 percent) of the Law Amendment and 3,999 against (38.38 percent). However, the majority fell short of the two-thirds (66.67 percent) threshold needed to amend the SBC Constitution.
Last year, in New Orleans, 80 percent of messengers approved the measure to ban women pastors.
However, failing in 2024 means the issue is dead for now because any constitutional amendment needs to be passed by the supermajority of messengers in two consecutive annual meetings.
Disfellowshipped (legacy Virginia congregation)
Nearly 92 percent (6,750) of ballots sustained the Credentials Committee’s recommendation to oust the historic First Baptist Church, Alexandria, Virginia. The congregation, which has a female pastor on staff, was found not to “closely identify” with the SBC.
The move comes a year after messengers, during the 2023 SBC Annual Meeting, disfellowshipped three churches who were found to be “not in friendly cooperation” with the SBC: Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, California (three ordained women pastors), Fern Creek Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky (female senior pastor), and Freedom Church, Vero Beach, Florida (mishandling of sex abuse allegation).
ARITF recommendations
Two years after voting to form a task force to investigate sexual abuse allegations in SBC churches, messengers approved two recommendations:
(1) expand a ministry toolkit (to include a five-step program to combat sexual abuse: train, screen, protect, report and care), establish a ministry check website and create a permanent home for abuse prevention and response; and
(2) assign the SBC EC to finalize the structure and funding to implement and support these objectives, and report back to messengers next year.
Meanwhile, the ARITF reported that after two years the ministry check website, sbcabuseprevention.com, still has not been populated with names of known sexual offenders connected to SBC churches. However, they told messengers that around 100 past cases have been investigated and the abuses confirmed, so the perpetrator’s names will be released on the website once remaining insurance hurdles are cleared.
GCR Evaluation Task Force
Messengers approved six recommendations by the six-person GCR Evaluation Task Force (chaired by Jay Adkins, pastor, First Baptist Church, Westwego) that was formed last year to study and report about the impact the 2010 Great Commission Task Force recommendations have had on “the effectiveness of our North American Gospel mission effort … and … on the relationships between SBC ministry partners.”
The GCR Evaluation Task Force recommended that the SBC:
(1) “cease using the category of, and any language related to ‘Great Commission Giving’” in favor of reaffirming “the Cooperative Program as the primary method of giving for Southern Baptist churches”;
(2) “restructure and simplify the ACP in an effort to effect more participation from churches, limiting the SBC requested information to a total number of 6 categories and 2 questions” (amended to clarify that CP giving still would be reported);
(3) request NAMB to “conduct an annual survey of the status of churches planted, revitalized, or otherwise assisted using CP funds 10 years out from their launch” to specifically report: how many still exist; how many remain SBC connected via CP giving & ACP reporting; and report this information to messengers at each annual meeting and publish the data in the Book of Reports;
(4) request the SBC EC use its CP allocation to increase IMB’s CP allocation to 51 percent by 2026-27 (as voted by messengers in 2010);
(5) request the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives to index the audio recordings of the 2010 Great Commission Task Force meetings to ready the materials for “public access” by June 16, 2025, when a 15-year embargo ends;
(6) request the SBC EC to propose governing document changes that require “entities, institutions, committees, or commissions of the Convention to report on the action they have taken on messenger approved recommendations coming from special work groups or task forces” (including all such matters in the Book of Reports).
Elections
Clint Pressley, pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church, Charlotte, North Carolina, was elected SBC president (from among six candidates) after winning a second runoff with 4,244 votes (56.12 percent) to Tennessee Pastor Dan Spencer’s 3,305 votes (43.71 percent).
In other office races, messengers elected:
— Brad Graves (pastor, First Baptist Church Ada, Oklahoma), first vice president;
— Eddie Lopez (pastor, Hispanic ministry, First Baptist Church, Forney, Texas), second vice president;
— Don Currence (administrative pastor, First Baptist Church, Ozark, Missouri), registration secretary; and
— Nathan Finn (provost, North Greenville University, South Carolina), recording secretary.
Messenger count
The annual meeting drew 10,946 messengers, including 310 from Louisiana.
Messenger counts for other recent SBC annual meetings:
— 2023 (New Orleans), 12,737
— 2022 (Anaheim, California), 8,133
— 2021 (Nashville, Tennessee), 15,726
— 2020 pandemic (no annual meeting)
— 2019 (Birmingham, Alabama), 8,183
— 2018 (Dallas, Texas), 9,632
Howdy in Dallas for ‘25
Now that the 2024 Annual Meeting has concluded, messengers will prepare for next year’s gathering of Southern Baptists. The 2025 Annual Meeting is scheduled June 10-11 in Dallas.
Resolutions summaries
— On integrity in SBC leadership (emphasizes repentance and accountability for leaders who commit a disqualifying sin)
— On Defending Religious Liberty (opposes “any effort … to establish Christianity as the state religion of the United States of America”)
— On Just War and the Pursuit of Peace (restates the “historic, Christian principles” of “Just War Theory”)
— On Justice and Peace in the Aftermath of the October 7 attack on Israel (condemns Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel as well as anti-Israel and pro-Hamas activities on university campuses)
— On the Ethical Realities of Reproductive Technologies and the Dignity of the Human Embryo (expresses concerns with in vitro fertilization, which assists couples with reproduction but often results in the “destruction” or “stockpiling” of embryos which are not implanted)
— On the God-given Rights and Responsibilities of Parents (affirms “that parents are the primary stewards of and decision-makers for their children, rather than teachers, doctors, or the state”)
— On Evangelism and the Great Commission (urges Southern Baptists “to make every effort … to share the [G]ospel message”)
— On Appreciation for Indianapolis (expresses gratitude to all those who contributed to the 2024 SBC Annual Meeting and related events).
Two additional resolutions were not considered because of time constraints:
— On the Pro-life Ethic in a Pro-Roe Society
— On the Danger of Abusing No-Disclosure and Non-Disparagement Agreements
Summary of motions
Messengers adopted a motion to unseat members from the First Baptist Church, Alexandria, Virginia, (related to the issue of a woman pastor on staff).
They rejected a motion to abolish the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, another that would have censured SBC leaders for signing an amicus brief that was considered harmful to sexual abuse survivors, and five more that requested:
— a BF&M 2000 review
— fact-finding about the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force
— elimination of earthly pledges of allegiance during SBC activities
— examination of NAMB’s legal matters (2017-2024)
— permission for ERLC to raise funds from non-SBC sources
Other motions were referred for entity responses:
SBC EC
— improve SBC.net
— include emerging regions’ members on boards, committees, etc.
— reallocate all CP funds from ERLC to IMB
— add sexual abuse awareness and prevention ministry assignment to ERLC, or create new entity to do same
— amend trustee qualifications
— allow more time for questions during entity reports
— add Nicene Creed to BF&M 2000
— affirm Apostles’, Athanasian and Nicene Creeds in BF&M 2000
— require two-thirds vote to amend BF&M 2000
— revise Credential Committee process (messenger vote is final)
— give timely access to proposed resolutions ahead of annual meeting
— publish messenger names on both sides of nametags
— publish all money spent on legal matters (2021-24)
— publish contact information for entity trustees
— require entities to publish conflict of interest policies
— require greater financial transparency by entities
— require entities to disclose all financial information required by the IRS on Form 990
— study effects of vaccine mandates on IMB missionaries
— study elders and deacons in local churches
— study how to minister to special needs community
— study the feasibility of remote participation in annual meetings
— enable remote participation in annual meetings
NAMB
— submit to a forensic audit
— study the need for Christian schools in impoverished or rural areas
— study how churches can be more evangelistically effective (baptisms)
IMB
— study Philippine indigenous Baptist pastors
Lifeway
— produce homeschool curriculum and resources
All entities
— do not use pro-LGBT law firms
— revise codes of conduct regarding alcohol
— do not promote Calvinism / Reformed Theology
Meanwhile, eight motions were ruled out of order (investigate SBC response to sexual abuse; ban politicians from annual meetings during election years; examine NAMB court documents since 2017; request resignation of ERLC president; affirm Nicene creed; set aside prayer time during Pastors Conference; prohibit CP funds for entity personnel to attend annual meetings as messengers; require entities to release statements of support for Israel).
