Other resolutions address CP’s anniversary, Christian higher education, criminal justice
ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Messengers approved a slate of five resolutions during the Missouri Baptist Convention’s (MBC) annual meeting, Oct. 28-29. Most notably, MBC messengers urged people to vote “No” on pro-abortion Amendment 3 in the Nov. 5 election.
All resolutions may be read in their entirety in the “Tuesday Morning Bulletin,” posted on the MBC website here.
On Opposition to Amendment 3, the “Right to Reproductive Freedom”
This resolution was approved overwhelmingly by messengers, asking Missouri Baptists to engage in a day of prayer and fasting on Sunday, Nov. 3, “to call upon the Lord to mobilize His people to defeat Amendment 3 and protect the most vulnerable among us.” The resolution also urged “all Missourians to VOTE NO on Amendment 3.”
If passed, Amendment 3 would alter the Missouri Constitution to “remove Missouri’s ban on abortion” and “establish a right to make decisions about reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives, with any governmental interference of that right presumed invalid,” according to the Missouri Secretary of State’s office.
There was debate seeking clarity on some of the language in the Missouri Baptist resolution, specifically the phrase “elective abortion.” For example, an excerpt reads, “RESOLVED, that Missouri Baptists state unequivocally that elective abortion is murder, and we reject partiality in judgment and any position that allows for elective abortion which limits the legal protection of our preborn neighbors, compromises God’s holy standard of justice, or promotes any God-hating partiality (Ps 94:6; Isa 10:1-2; Prov 24:11; Ps 82:1-4).” The Resolutions Committee and others said “elective abortions” covered the issue, while messengers Andrew Green of First Baptist, Marble Hill, and Daniel Statesel from The Way, Branson, offered amendments suggesting substituting “all abortion” or “elective, self-managed, and perpetuated abortion,” respectively. Messengers declined both amendments, approving the resolution as written with less than a dozen no votes.
On the Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Cooperative Program
This resolution was passed by messengers, marking a century of Southern Baptist churches joining together to fund missions through the Cooperative Program.
Missouri Baptists “give thanks to God for His blessing through the past 100 years of partnership through the Cooperative Program,” the resolution reads, urging churches to “teach their church family and generations to come about the importance of partnership mission through the Cooperative Program.”
On Continued Commitment to Missouri Baptist Colleges and Universities
Messengers passed a resolution reiterating the convention’s commitment to Hannibal-LaGrange University, Missouri Baptist University, Southwest Baptist University, Spurgeon College and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, saying, in part, that “Christian collegiate education in Missouri” is “a vital means of equipping future generations of believers to live out their faith in every aspect of life.”
It urged Missouri Baptists to pray “for the continued success and protection of Christian colleges and universities from government encroachment, asking that they remain faithful to the Word of God and steadfast in their mission to raise up future leaders who will impact the world for Christ through both their vocations and their witness.”
On Criminal Justice
Messengers approved a resolution calling on authorities to “uphold justice by prosecuting criminal activity and supporting victims, communities, and society as a whole,” while striving “for the redemption and restoration of those who have been convicted of various crimes.”
It further affirmed prison chaplains, local church ministries, Christian educational initiatives, and other ministries that serve in prisons and youth detention centers and operate programs that seek to reintegrate prisoners into their communities, and reduce recidivism through moral and spiritual transformation by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Courtesy Resolution to Express Appreciation
As is tradition, messengers voted to thank the organization and hospitality of the St. Charles Convention Center, as well as all those that made the annual meeting possible.
Other Resolutions Committee Business
A resolution submitted by Daniel Statesel, a messenger from The Way, Branson, was not recommended by the Resolutions Committee. Statesel spoke from the floor urging messengers to vote to consider the resolution – “On Equal Protection of the Laws for Preborn Children” – an action which requires a 2/3 majority vote. The vote to reconsider the resolution failed.