Reflections on the Southern Baptist Convention 2024 annual meeting

Last week marked my first experience of the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting. Carolyn and I attended as representatives of our church in Blacksburg, and we slowly stood, somewhat shyly, as they asked all first-time messengers¹ to stand. Some friends from Arkansas that we were sitting with grinned at us as we stood. I have been in Southern Baptist ministry since I was 19! That means I’d successfully avoided the SBC annual meeting for 37 years. (more on that later)

Overall Reflections

I’m going to give those of you who may have no interest in SBC Life a quick bullet point reflection list. For those of you more interested, just keep reading! However, if you’ve read anything in the media about the SBC ‘24, you’ve most definitely been uninformed.² Below, I’ll provide some links of better news sources so that you can read better interpretations and perspectives.

• Downtown Indianapolis is incredible. We were fortunate to have spring-like, chilly mornings and perfect days while we there. Downtown was clean, bright, and welcoming. It was easy to navigate, and simply too many things to see. I’d love to go back to tour things like the NCAA Headquarters (and protest the NIL/Portal nonsense), see the Raceway, tour Lucas Oil Stadium (and get Anthony Ricardson’s autograph on a football card).

• The tone of the Convention was upbeat, uplifting and hopeful. We sat in numerous places, and although many (61% on one vote that needed 66%) didn’t get “our way,” I was humbled to witness the smooth operations of essentially a monstrous church business meeting (10,000 there!).

• Speaking of a business meeting… it’s fascinating to see the efficient execution of Parliamentary Procedure through Robert’s Rules of Orders. There were open mics through the convention center, and it’s stunning to realize that anyone from any church at any time could go to a mic, press a button to be recognized and speak to all 10,000 of us! It would seem a recipe for dissension and disaster, but the humor from the stage, the orderliness of the process, and the general humility of rank and file SBC church members/leaders, was truly amazing to see at this Convention.

• The mission is the mission. From the Pastor’s Conference on Sunday-Monday to the actual Convention on Tuesday-Wednesday, each and every speaker, organization, ministry and leader - without prior coordination - revealed that Southern Baptists are a faith tribe that are united and intentional about proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations in love, servant-hearted ministry and bold, sacrificial mission.

• The exhibition hall was fantastic. Granted, I’ve never been to some of the monster trade shows around the world. However, the classiness, friendliness, and genuinely attractive branding and resources available from hundreds of ministries, agencies and businesses to resource churches was remarkable. Think Christian swag on steroids. (Yes, I came home with t-shirts!)

What’s up with the “Law Amendment?”

One of the most significant moments/votes of the SBC was the Law Amendment. Let me explain something to my non-SBC readers: there are two documents that guide the SBC - one in practice and one in doctrinal beliefs:

1. The Southern Baptist Convention’s Constitution and By-Laws (practice)

2. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 (statement of doctrinal beliefs)

The first structures and defines the Convention and the second reveals the biblical foundations and confessions of faith that affiliating churches in the Convention agree with.

An “amendment” is something that changes the Constitution (yes, this sounds like a Civics 101 less from 9th grade). An amendment to the SBC Constitution must be approved by 2/3 vote of the messengers present at two consecutive annual meetings.

The Law Amendment passed with over 2/3 vote at the 2023 annual meeting. It wanted to add this phrase to what would define a cooperating church of the SBC as churches that affirm, appoint or employ “only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.”

When we voted last week, the amendment received 61% of the vote of the 10,000+ messengers. That’s not 2/3 even though it’s a majority. So the amendment failed to pass.

I voted for the Law Amendment but am not distraught or concerned.

If you’re on Twitter and follow any younger SBC pastors/leaders, you’ll be struck by much of the shrillness and worry present. They have identified a “liberal drift” and are confident that the SBC needs great reform. It’s not that there aren’t areas/places of significant attention and change needed,³ but I am thankful and confident in the biblical faithfulness, vibrancy and focus on Jesus that I see across our churches/Convention.

Here’s why I’m not distraught: while the Law Amendment failed to enshrine the biblical teaching about men only as pastors/elders in the Constitution, that expectation is already explicitly part of the Baptist Faith & Message 2000, which states:

“A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers… Its two scriptural offices are that of pastor/elder/overseer and deacon. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”⁴

Why was the Law Amendment needed then?

It’s a great question, and even at the annual meeting as I spoke with friends from other states, I realized that conservative, biblically faithful leaders didn’t see a reason to put into the Constitution what was already in our statement of beliefs.

However, I pastor in Virginia. In our state, there are two Southern Baptist state conventions: the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV) and the Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia (SBCV). The BGAV is the original convention, but due to perceived liberal/moderate drift, 158 churches formed the SBCV (originally the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia) in 1996. Today, that state convention numbers over 830 churches.⁵ Within the BGAV are many churches that have ordained women as senior pastors. These churches do so with approval from the BGAV because Southern Baptists love their church autonomy. (Remember Section 6 above? “A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers…”) This means that both “sides” on this issue will hide behind the concept of autonomy of the local church.⁶

You may ask, how does that BGAV ignore the clear statement of beliefs of “men only” as pastor/elder/overseer in the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 and continue to call themselves a cooperating fellowship of Southern Baptists? That’s the problem. This state convention never adopted the BFM 2000. They continue to embrace the Baptist Faith & Message 1963. It doesn’t have the clause “the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”

Here’s a comparison chart of historical BF&Ms:

Interestingly, Texas also has two state Southern Baptist organizations: the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. It’s the same issue there - the BGCT affirms the BFM 1963, while the SBTC affirms the BFM 2000 (the uninitiated are getting quite an education in Baptist acronyms).

Therefore, many who supported the Law Amendment (Mike Law, the author of the Amendment pastors a church in Virginia) understood that churches and even entire state conventions were wriggling around the doctrinal stance of Southern Baptists in their current BFM by not adopting it. Essentially, these churches still adhere to what is now a “dead document” which is no longer recognized or used as a qualifying statement of beliefs for churches who stand in “friendly cooperation” with the SBC.

That is why supporters of the Law Amendment felt it necessary to put the language into the SBC Constitution. That would, in essence, communicate to these BFM 1963 affirmers that while they make skirt the issue by not adopting the BFM 2000, they would no longer be able to say they were in friendly cooperation (or even use the name Southern Baptists) because the very definition of what it meant to be affiliated with the SBC would be enshrined in the Constitution.

The issue of complementarianism is settled in the SBC.

Complementarianism is the teaching that masculinity and femininity are ordained by God and that men and women are created to complement, or complete, each other. Complementarians believe that the gender roles found in the Bible are purposeful and meaningful distinctions that, when applied in the home and church, promote the spiritual health of both men and women. Embracing the divinely ordained roles of men and women furthers the ministry of God’s people and allows men and women to reach their God-given potential…

The opposing view is egalitarianism, which teaches that, in Christ, there are no gender distinctions anymore. This idea comes from Galatians 3:28. Because all believers are one in Christ, egalitarians say, men’s and women’s roles are interchangeable in church leadership and in the household. Egalitarianism sees gender distinctions as a result of the Fall and Christ’s redemption as removing those distinctions, bringing unity. Complementarianism sees gender distinctions as a result of Creation and Christ’s redemption as a return to those distinctions, avoiding confusion. Paul sides with the complementarians, citing the order of creation as the basis for his teaching: “For Adam was formed first, then Eve” (1 Timothy 2:13).⁷

Why am I sure it’s settled when the Law Amendment failed to pass? First, the majority of those in attendance (61%) voted for the Law Amendment. Rest assured that those opposed to the Amendment made sure they were represented at the annual meeting. In addition, in the year since the first vote for the amendment passed by a 2/3 majority, many leaders in the SBC muddied the water by saying we didn’t need the Amendment. The reality that a majority still favored the Amendment tells me that rank and file Southern Baptists are not in favor of an unbiblical egalitarianism in our churches.

Second (and this is huge), the messengers at the annual meeting voted overwhelmingly (91%) to declare First Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia as not being in “friendly cooperation” to the SBC because they have consistently ordained women and have an egalitarian stance.⁸

At the 2023 SBC annual meeting, two other churches were voted just as overwhelmingly as not being in friendly cooperation - one of those was one of the largest SBC churches - Saddleback Valley Community Church, pastored by Rick Warren.

First Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia is a significant church in our state. It is affiliated with the aforementioned BGAV, and it has led in missions giving to that convention in the past. Full disclosure: my own church is dually aligned - we affiliate with the BGAV and the SBCV.

It was clear that Southern Baptists are not drifting theologically into egalitarianism by this vote.

• The Gospel Coalition has a pretty good summary article here.

Other Happenings at SBC 24

In a nutshell, here are some other things you may have seen in the news that require interpretation from those more familiar with theology and SBC polity.

• The messengers voted to affirm a resolution related to IVF.⁹

• It took three votes to elect a new President of the Convention. Some would make a fuss of this, but there were six candidates, and the winner had to receive over 50%. With a field full of potentials, it made mathematic sense to me that it took three votes.

• There was lots of laughter! Perhaps the most iconic moments was when the “Time Cop” on stage approached speakers making presidential nominations who exceeded their time limit and tap them on the shoulder from behind. This began a trend in the hallways during the meetings of asking to get a picture with this time cop. 😂

The absolute best moment was this one:

Gratitude for my Tribe

Attending my first SBC annual meeting made me more grateful, not less, to be part of this vibrant faith family. I was and am proud to connected to Southern Baptists. Though I’ve been in SBC ministry life for 37 years, I’ve been in SBC churches since I was born. Countless Sunday School teachers, two youth ministers, and eight pastors taught, encouraged, equipped and modeled the beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ for me. I am humbled, grateful and eager to continue making much of Jesus and preaching His Word.

By the way, if you want to watch any moment of the annual meeting, you can do so here.¹⁰

1. “The SBC Annual Meeting consists of representatives, or “messengers,” as they are called, from cooperating churches, who gather to confer and determine the programs, policies, and budget of the Convention. Each church may be represented up to a maximum of 12 messengers based on the conditions outlined in Article III of the SBC Constitution.” (Source)

2. For instance, a USA Today article trumpeted “Southern Baptists reject ban on women pastors in historic vote,” which misleads and misinterprets what happened.

3. There’s not enough space here to go into it, but my hot takes:

• The SBC Executive Committee should be asked to resign en masse. They have damaged trust.

• All SBC agencies, seminaries and organizations should submit to a recognized, outside financial review to restore transparency, trust and dispel rumors.

• The Credentials Committee has a lot of work on its hands to avoid “policing” doctrinal fidelity of SBC churches, while at the same time being consistent to apply and expect adherence of churches who call themselves “Southern Baptist” to the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 (not the 1963 document).

4. Baptist Faith & Message 2000, Section 6

5. In contrast, the BGAV numbers approximately 1400 churches. I’d be interested in knowing how many SBCV churches were formerly affiliated with the BGAV and how many have started since 1996 and chosen to align with the SBCV since then.

6. Again, not enough space here, but I have significant concerns about the concept of autonomy in local churches being embraced beyond scriptural grounds to do so.

7. What is complementarianism? (Got Questions?)

8. Day before voting on Law Amendment, SBC removes church that is Mike Law’s neighbor, by Mark Wingfield (Baptist News Global: June 11, 2024)

9. Southern Baptists pass resolution calling for strictures to curb IVF, by Bob Smietana (Religion News Service: June 13, 2024)

10. The FAQs: Southern Baptists Debate Designation of Women in Ministry, by Joe Carter (The Gospel Coalition: April 11, 2024)