NEW ORLEANS, La. (BP) – Nearly 19,000 people attended the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Annual Meeting in New Orleans (June 13-14), including more than 12,000 messengers. The total number of registered messengers was 12,737, while guests registered for the meeting numbered 3,799. The total number of exhibitors was 2,365, making the total number of those present at the annual meeting 18,901. These are unofficial numbers as of the close of registration at noon Wednesday (June … [Read more...]
Southern Baptists pass first approval of constitutional amendment over women pastors
NEW ORLEANS, La. (BP) — A motion to clarify Southern Baptists’ stance on women and men filling the role of pastor was passed by messengers on June 14. The motion, first brought last year by Virginia pastor Mike Law, received the required two-thirds vote by messengers. Another two-thirds vote of approval is necessary at next year’s annual meeting to proceed with the amendment to Article III of the SBC Constitution. The motion that was passed was amended from its original version, which … [Read more...]
Messengers deem Saddleback, two other churches not in friendly cooperation with SBC
NEW ORLEANS (BP) – Messengers to the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention have upheld the Executive Committee’s decision that Fern Creek Baptist in Louisville, Ky., Freedom Church in Vero Beach, Fla., and Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., are not in friendly cooperation with the SBC. Registration Secretary Don Currence reported the results to messengers on Wednesday morning: Vote to sustain EC actions – Fern Creek Baptist: For – 91.85% (9,700) Against – 7.63% … [Read more...]
Midwestern Seminary hosts For The Church micro-conference at SBC annual meeting
NEW ORLEANS, La. (by Lucas Hahn/MBTS) — Midwestern Seminary hosted the annual For the Church Micro-Conference in partnership with the SEND Network during this year’s SBC annual meeting in New Orleans. The micro-conference featured musical worship led by The Worship Initiative and a conversation focused on preparing pastors and planting churches. Speakers Jason Allen, Kevin Ezell, Matt Carter, Vance Pitman, and Tony Merida addressed over 1300 attendees on topics ranging from … [Read more...]
Barber, Wellman issue statement on proposed constitutional amendment
NASHVILLE (BP) — A commitment to affirming Southern Baptist polity and the Baptist Faith and Message remains central during a discussion over women serving as pastors, say Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Executive Committee Chairman Jared Wellman and SBC President Bart Barber in a joint statement. “Both of us have the responsibility to protect the messengers’ rights, answer the messengers’ questions and implement the messengers’ instructions,” reads the statement issued Wednesday (Nov. … [Read more...]
Saddleback pastor says he encourages women to preach, ‘doesn’t want to engage in denominational battles’
LAKE FOREST, Calif. (BP) – Lead Pastor Andy Wood anticipates that the number of women clergy will grow at Saddleback Church, something that will certainly heighten the discussion over the congregation and its fellowship with the Southern Baptist Convention. On Oct. 9, Wood’s wife, Stacie, preached a message at the church titled “The Courage to Slow Down” where she was listed as “teaching pastor” on the screen. In Andy Wood’s bio on the church website’s leadership page, he and his wife … [Read more...]
2022 SBC Annual available online
NASHVILLE (BP) – John Yeats, who served 25 years as Southern Baptist Convention recording secretary, describes the SBC Annual as “one big aggregation” of all that Southern Baptists accomplish in the span of two days each June. “Of course, everything that happens in the annual meeting, as far as dialogue is concerned and that sort of thing, doesn’t necessarily have to be recorded,” Yeats said. “It’s not news reporting; it is more process reporting … what takes place at the annual … [Read more...]
‘We Proclaim Him’ focuses pastors on mission of gospel ministry
ANAHEIM, Calif. (BP) – Mark Clifton opened the 2022 SBC Pastors’ Conference by reminding shepherds of local congregations that there are no unimportant churches and no unimportant places. With the theme “We Proclaim Him,” speakers walked through Colossians, a letter written by the apostle Paul to the church in Colossae, a small town, that could encourage any pastor wondering if his ministry matters. Matt Henslee, president of the 2022 conference, said his hope was that the worship and … [Read more...]
Send Relief establishes fund to support survivors of sexual abuse
ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Following the recent report that addressed how Southern Baptists have handled sexual abuse allegations in the past, Send Relief is seeking to be a part of the solution by establishing a survivor care fund. Send Relief, the compassion ministry arm of the Southern Baptist Convention of churches, committed $3 million in funding to the SBC’s Executive Committee ahead of the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting to be put toward the cost of implementing recommendations approved by … [Read more...]
Motions at annual meeting range from addressing sexual abuse reforms to entity responsibilities
ANAHEIM (BP) – Several motions presented at the annual meeting related to sexual abuse care and prevention in addition to other subjects of interest to Southern Baptists. One required extended discussion by messengers. That motion, brought by Joshua Scruggs of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Jacksonville, N.C., to abolish the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, was defeated by a sizable margin. The Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force, yet to be formed by new SBC President Bart … [Read more...]
SATF shares expectations for implementation task force
NASHVILLE (BP) — The work of a yet-to-be-appointed Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force (ARITF) is likely to take years, with an initial report ordered to be given at the 2023 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in New Orleans next June. Marshall Blalock, vice chairman of the Sex Abuse Task Force (SATF) that recommended the new group, said guidelines are in place to allow as long as three years for some of the work. “We anticipated it would take the implementation task force … [Read more...]
‘Take courage,’ Rothschild tells ministers’ wives
ANAHEIM, Calif. (BP) – Blindness must be really hard, Missouri Baptist church member Jennifer Rothschild said, repeating her future daughter-in-law’s words to her. “It is very hard,” Rothschild responded, “but earth is short, and heaven is long.” Rothschild – a member of Second Baptist Church, Springfield, Mo., who spoke at the 2022 SBC Ministers’ Wives Luncheon at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel on June 14 – lost her sight at the age of 15 due to a rare form of Retinitis Pigmentosa, a … [Read more...]
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