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SBC Annual Meeting 2022

Here are some of my observations from the 2022 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting. For those readers who attend Wilkesboro Baptist, I’ll be giving a more thorough report on Wednesday evening June 29 at 6:00 PM. We will have childcare and would love for you to attend in person. We will record that report and make available on our podcast channel as well.

Congregational, bottom up polity is both good and interesting. The SBC Annual Meeting functions a little like a church with congregational government. Decision-making authority rests with the messengers who attend. This means that the annual meeting each year is the time when decisions are made. This also means that any one of the messengers can speak to the body at a microphone. The benefit of this model is that the messengers can overrule the platform (moderator) with sufficient desire (majority). Our polity provides opportunity for interesting moments. Some pastors/messengers will take advantage of the microphone with little or nothing helpful to say. One pastor took about a minute to preach. We are a denomination where decisions are made during one big business meeting. In reality, the only time decisions are made regarding our denomination is in the two days we meet annually for the convention of messengers.

The quote of the week came from Dr. Al Mohler, President at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, regarding our polity: “When Southern Baptists are stupid, they get to be stupid for a year.”

It appears to me at least that the messengers got the big decisions right. The most significant issue going into this annual meeting had to do with the Sexual Abuse Task Force. The SATF was appointed at the annual meeting 2021. For context, here are my reflections from last year and a recent post regarding the investigation’s findings.

The SATF presented two motions to the messengers. The first motion recognized their inability to adequately address the long term solutions needed by recommending an implementation task force:
“That the messengers to the 2022 meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention approve the creation of an Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force (ARITF), authorized to operate for one year, to be renewable by each subsequent annual convention as needed.”

The second motion addressed the need for a ‘Ministry Check’ website:
“That the messengers to the 2022 meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention authorizes the ARITF, in coordination with the Executive Committee, to create a ‘Ministry Check’ website and process for maintaining a record of pastors, denominational workers, ministry employees, and volunteers who have at any time been credibly accused of sexual abuse and who have been or are associated with a cooperating Southern Baptist church or entity.”

You can read the full text of the motions here. Both motions passed overwhelmingly by the messengers. While it was disheartening to read the investigative report, it is always the right thing for followers of Jesus to seek the truth. I believe the SATF motions are motivated by a right and righteous response and a desire for Southern Baptists (followers of Jesus) to do better with regard to handling sexual abuse.

Southern Baptists remain conservative and Bible-believing. One of the areas of disagreement within our denomination relates to the view of some that the SBC is in a theological drift toward liberalism. I don’t believe the evidence supports this view at all. Theologically speaking, conservative and Bible-believing go hand in hand. Around a half century ago Southern Baptists were dealing with a liberal theological drift where seminary professors questioned the authority and inerrancy of the Bible. Those days appear to be gone. The leadership of SBC entities are all theologically conservative and Bible believing. One of the more interesting tensions at this year’s annual meeting came from the Credentials Committee. Tasked with handling a motion from last year’s annual meeting addressing Saddleback Community Church who ordained women as pastors, the Credentials Committee recommended further study to discern what the Baptist Faith and Message intended with the word “pastor.” Two seminary presidents (as messengers) addressed this issue. First, Dr. Al Mohler (SBTS), spoke against the recommendation on the grounds that it was untenable for a study committee to be formed to study the usage of words in the Baptist Faith and Message, especially the word “pastor.” Afterward, Dr. Adam Greenway (SWBTS), recommended an amendment to the Credentials Committee motion giving them the opportunity to study to what extent a church had to agree with the Baptist Faith and Message to be considered in cooperation with the SBC. Greenway rightly pointed out in a subsequent post on social media that the SBC is confessional (BFAM), but not creedal (we don’t have to affirm a specific creed to be considered in cooperation with the SBC). Ultimately, Greenway’s amendment failed and the Credentials Committee withdrew the original motion. Essentially, this issue reflects the current tension in the denomination. I don’t believe our tension is between conservative and liberal factions, but rather between conservative (Bible-believing, but open to a broad and inclusive stances on churches that cooperate) and fundamentalist (Bible-believing, but more narrow in defining churches that cooperate) factions.

We have a long way to go. We have a long way to go in several areas. First, with regard to the implementation task force, the next year will be important in the life of our denomination. Pray that this task force to be appointed will be faithful to the task of implementing ongoing strategies to guide our denomination in dealing with issues of sexual abuse. Second, with regard to differences of opinion, disagreements, and social media, it is one thing to disagree. It is another thing to be disagreeable and dishonest. Pray that we will seek and speak the truth in love and consider the best about one another rather than the worst. Third, with regard to our ongoing mission, we did commission 52 new IMB missionaries! We must ever be grateful for the cooperating partnerships that spread the gospel to our nation and to the nations. But there are still more than six thousand unreached people groups who have never heard the gospel. Pray that our continued cooperation will advance the gospel throughout the world.

Your Sin Will Find You Out

I’ve been a Southern Baptist for my entire life. I grew up in Southern Baptist Churches, went to Southern Baptist schools, and pastor a Southern Baptist Church. By doctrine and conviction, I am a Southern Baptist. And I am broken and angry.

Sunday afternoon, May 22, the Sexual Abuse Task Force posted the Guidepost Solution’s Investigation into the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee and its handling of sexual abuse allegations. It is a devastating read. The headlines of the report are being published on mainline news sites.

But as devastating as it is to read about dismissing victims, cover ups, dishonesty, immorality, and the like, I can’t even begin to imagine how devastating the abuse was for the victims detailed in the report. No one should be sexually abused. Ever. And it most certainly should never come from someone claiming to be a Christian or someone who is a pastor or church leader. When victims are shamed, dismissed, and dishonored to protect perpetrators, it only adds to the sin.

At last year’s SBC annual meeting, the messengers spoke loudly that they wanted an investigation into allegations that denominational leaders had mishandled allegations of sexual abuse. This report details those findings. The sober reality facing our denomination is that you cannot hide from God.

In Numbers 32, two and a half of Israel’s tribes asked to be able to settle on the not-Promised Land side of the Jordan. Moses told them that they could settle there, but that their men/warriors must travel with their brothers into the land to help them inhabit the Promised Land. Here is what he told them:

But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out. 

Numbers 32:23

This text suggests a fascinating contrast. Israel was about to inhabit the Promised Land. They were finally at their place of refuge and redemption. God had rescued them from Egypt and judged them through 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Yet even in his judgment, he sustained them with food and protection for 40 years. Then on the precipice of fulfillment, a few tribes wanted their land early. The warning, fulfill your obligation to your brothers or “be sure your sin will find you out.”

This is where we are as a denomination. God has accomplished many good and redemptive realities through SBC churches, missionaries, and seminaries. God’s redemptive work uses even fallen men and women.

Yet our sin has found us out.

Maybe like me, you have tried to hide some sin. And like me, God uncovered that sin.

Our denominational leaders who were more concerned about liability than truth cannot hide from God. It has been uncovered.

Those who have perpetrated abuse cannot hide from God. Some were uncovered in this report. Too many more will not face justice in this life. But none can hide their sin from God. It will be uncovered.

Southern Baptists should be angry after this report. Most of us are not guilty of abuse or cover up or dismissing victims. Rank and file Southern Baptists just want our denominational leaders to act with integrity and justice. We should be angry that our polity was used to excuse acting with compassion and justice. Every dollar given by Southern Baptist Churches has been funneled through an entity entrusted with the stewardship of money and mission for the sake of the gospel. But those entrusted with these offerings have damaged that trust. Opting for personal and institutional protection, they neglected the abused and the broken.

I’m not sure about what will happen next. The Guidepost report recommends specific actions that the messengers can take. We will see at the annual meeting on June 14 and 15.

What do we do going forward?

  • We confess. Part of the reason so many of us are angry is that our cooperative giving through the entity of the Executive Committee connects us to this report. It is appropriate then that we confess the coverup and dishonesty that is present among denominational leadership.
  • We pray. We pray for the victims. We pray for the abusers. We pray for denominational leaders. We pray for the messengers in Anaheim who will meet and act on the recommendations brought to the floor.
  • We act. It is our obligation as a church to care for the abused and broken. Churches should be safe havens for the hurting, not for predators. Churches must take care through policies and procedures to protect those who attend and make it difficult for abusers to use our churches for their sins. I believe the messengers got it right last year asking for an investigation. It will be important that the messengers act again this year with a path forward holding our entities accountable for how they handle these issues.

Photo by Joshua Brown on Unsplash