SPRINGFIELD – The Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) 189th annual meeting at Crossway Baptist Church here, Oct. 23-24, resounded with celebration and hope.
Coming from 524 churches, 1,267 messengers and 278 guests celebrated all that God has done through Missouri Baptists under the leadership of outgoing executive director John Yeats, and looked forward with hope to all that God will do through Missouri Baptists under the leadership of new executive director Wes Fowler.
Yeats completed 12 years of service as the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) executive director during the Monday night session of the MBC annual meeting, Oct. 23, by passing the baton to incoming executive director Wes Fowler.
Using the analogy of a relay race, Yeats stressed that ministry leadership is continuing the work of those who have gone before and preparing the way for those who follow. Embracing obedience to Christ and His Word, Christian leaders finish the race to which they are called and receive the prize of faithful stewardship.
Yeats drew from 1 Corinthians 9:24, where Paul writes, “Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize.”
With that, Yeats handed a Missouri Baptist-blue baton to Fowler and urged him to pursue God’s call to serve Missouri Baptists with full confidence in his support and the support of 1,750 MBC-affiliated churches.
Then, as the two men kneeled on stage and were surrounded by current and former MBC officers, Missouri Baptists prayed that God would bless their ministries and glorify His name in days to come.
The MBC executive board elected Fowler to his new post at their meeting in August.
At the annual meeting, Fowler asked Missouri Baptists to pray for him, and expressed his desire to be a servant to churches across the state. In coming weeks and months, he desires to listen to Missouri Baptists, to learn about the needs of churches, and to seek God’s direction for the MBC.
During the closing address at the annual meeting, Oct. 24, Fowler placed a spotlight on the truth of Colossians 1:28-29, which reads, “We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. I labor for this, striving with His strength that works powerfully in me.”
“This verse,” Fowler said, “brings us back to our primary calling, … to proclaim Him. We proclaim Jesus as Christ, Jesus as the Savior, Jesus as risen, Jesus as Lord. That is what we’re called to do.”
Officers re-elected
During the annual meeting, Missouri Baptists also re-elected MBC officers to serve for a second year in their posts. Officers include: President Chris Williams, pastor of Fellowship Church, Greenwood; First Vice President Wesley Vance, executive pastor of Crossway Baptist Church, Springfield; Second Vice President Richard Young, pastor of South Haven Baptist Church, Belton; and Recording Secretary Justin Perry, pastor of First Baptist Church, Viburnum.
2024 budget, offering goals approved
Messengers also approved the MBC’s 2024 Cooperative Program (CP) proposed allocation budget and spending plan, as recommended by the MBC executive board.
The MBC’s 2024 spending plan is based on a $15 million CP budget. This budget sets aside 6 percent of the total CP giving for “SBC/MBC shared administration” expenses, which are allocated for annuity protections and The Pathway. The proposed “shared” funds amounted to a total of $900,000.
From the remaining CP budget, 36.84 percent is allocated for Missouri Baptist missions and ministries. These proposed funds amounted to a total of $5,194,737.
Additionally, 23.16 percent of the total CP budget is allocated for Missouri Baptist entities, including the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, Baptist Homes & Healthcare Ministries, the Missouri Baptist Foundation, Hannibal-LaGrange University, Missouri Baptist University and Southwest Baptist University. These proposed funds amounted to a total of $3,265,263.
The remaining 40 percent is allocated for Southern Baptist Convention causes. These proposed funds amounted to a total of $5,640,000.
Any CP receipts above the budgetary goal will be split evenly between MBC and SBC ministries.
Missouri Baptists also approved the following 2024 statewide offering goals: $15 million for CP; $760,000 for the Missouri Missions Offering; $4 million for the Lottie Moon Offering for International Missions; $2.2 million for the Annie Armstrong Offering for North American Missions; and $150,000 for the World Hunger Fund.
Sexual Abuse Response Team reports to messengers
During their business session, messengers also heard from the MBC’s Sexual Abuse Response Team (SART) and were equipped to better protect the families and children in their congregations and communities. The full SART report can be accessed online here. A new SART resource – namely, the booklet, “Preventing and Responding to Sex Abuse are Essential for Your Church” – was also provided to messengers and can be accessed online here. The booklet helps churches understand, step-by-step, how to prevent and respond to abuse in their congregations.
MBC messengers also approved a related resolution: “Strengthening and Clarifying Laws Concerning Pastors and Churches Regarding Sexual Abuse.” Alongside encouraging Missouri Baptists to “be proactive” in preventing and responding to sexual abuse, the resolution encouraged lawmakers to “pass legislation to provide consistent definitions and classification of sexual abuse by pastors” and to “remove barriers to the free flow of information between churches and other entities about employees and volunteers and, in so doing, empower churches to prevent sexual abuse.”
Resolutions
Missouri Baptists approved 10 other resolutions, as well – including a resolution, brought to the floor by the MBC executive board, that addressed the ongoing war in Israel. The resolution condemned “in the strongest terms possible, the atrocities conducted against Israel in this current conflict by Hamas, and any other nation or organization that may come against Israel.” Adhering to the “teachings of Scripture to bless Israel and commit to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, all its inhabitants, and the nation of Israel,” the resolution called on “state and national leaders to remain steadfast in their support for Israel.” Missouri Baptists also resolved to pray for Christians and non-Christians alike who have been affected by the conflict, “knowing that our God can bring good out of evil and glorify Himself even in the midst of such tragedy.”
Other resolutions addressed: “Calling Out the Called” to ministry; “Honoring the Aging”; supporting the freedom of “student associations” on university campuses”; and – in several resolutions – responding to the LGBTQ+ agenda’s impact on society. Messengers also approved a resolution of gratitude to MBC apologist Rob Phillips for providing a resource explaining the Baptist Faith & Message, both in Pathway articles and in his book, published by High Street Press. Another resolution expressed appreciation to Crossway Baptist Church, Springfield, for hosting the annual meeting.
Resolutions, as originally presented to messengers, are available in the “Tuesday Morning Bulletin” of the annual meeting, on the MBC’s website here.
Other business
In other business, Missouri Baptists approved the following MBC executive board recommendations:
• to take up a special offering during the annual meeting to support the MBC Leader Care Network;
• to schedule the 2026 MBC Annual Meeting to take place at the St. Charles Convention Center in St. Charles, Mo., Oct. 26-27, 2026;
• to change two uses of the phrase, “undesignated receipts,” in Bylaw 2 of the MBC’s Bylaws, to read, “total receipts” (This means that both designated and undesignated receipts given to CP or to MBC missions or ministries would be taken into account when determining how many messengers a church can seat at each annual meeting);
• and to approve the amended and restated Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws for the Missouri Baptist Foundation and its subsidiary, Straightway Holdings, Inc.
***Stay tuned to Mbcpathway.com to read more about the 2023 MBC annual meeting, or sign up today to receive our full coverage in the Nov. 7th print edition of The Pathway. Sign up for your subscription here to receive The Pathway print edition in your mailbox – provided to you by the generous giving of Missouri Baptist churches through the Cooperative Program.