What Just Happened at the Southern Baptist Convention's Annual Meeting?

Last week was the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Orlando, Florida. Tens of thousands of faithful pastors, leaders, and congregants from Southern Baptist affiliated churches across the United States flocked to one central location in order to hear ministry reports from entities, to engage in denominational business, and to fellowship and worship in the name of Christ. Pastor Caleb and I had the great privilege of leading a group of five “Messengers” to represent Warrenton Baptist Church at this year’s annual meeting.

Now, if you've read any headlines or articles from the secular mainstream media about the Convention, you've likely heard things ranging from “Women have been kicked out of ministry positions in the Southern Baptist Convention” to “Southern Baptists make clear that women are no longer welcome in the church.” But is this really an accurate representation of what Southern Baptists decided in Orlando?

What is the “Truth and Unity Amendment”?

One of the major decisions that Messengers had the opportunity to vote on was a proposed amendment to the SBC Constitution brought by Dr. Albert Mohler, the President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, that was dubbed the “Truth and Unity Amendment.” The amendment makes clear that “a cooperating Southern Baptist church:

‘...Does not act to affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor/elder/overseer, specifically preaching to the assembled congregation.’”  

For those who are familiar with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, which is the doctrinal statement of the Southern Baptist Convention (and of Warrenton Baptist Church), you might be wondering why this amendment would be controversial. I believe that the simplest answer is that it is not controversial if we truly believe what we say we believe. Our statement of faith already makes this doctrinal standard clear. We affirm:

“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.” (BFM 2000, VI. The Church)

So, if our Statement of Faith already makes this clear, why is there a need for a constitutional amendment?

Unfortunately, some churches who have cooperated in the denomination have not adhered in doctrine or in practice to the Statement of Faith. The moment we no longer have an agreed-upon set of doctrines, we lose our missional unity as well. This constitutional amendment gives a greater mechanism for doctrinal accountability as we strive to be united in our Great Commission endeavors and doctrinally aligned in our Kingdom efforts. You can hear a brief explanation from Dr. Mohler himself on why he proposed this amendment here.

What the “Truth and Unity Amendment” does not do...

First and foremost, this amendment does not diminish the value and worth of women in the Kingdom of God. Every woman and girl is made in the image of God, and those who have repented of sin and come to faith in Jesus are our sisters in Christ. We love them, we value them, and we cherish them. Every believer is equal before God, but He assigns different roles as He sees fit.

Secondly, the amendment does not prohibit women from engaging in the work of ministry in the local church. There are countless ways that God has gifted and equipped women to serve, care for, and disciple the body of Christ. Our statement of faith acknowledges this, while also affirming that Scripture assigns the office of pastor/elder/overseer and the role of overseeing and shepherding the church at-large and teaching the Scriptures to the gathered congregation to men who are qualified, gifted by the Holy Spirit, and called by the local church (I Timothy 3:1-6, Titus 1:5-9, I Timothy 2:11-14).

Finally, this amendment does not bar women from vocational ministry. Thousands of SBC churches have and will continue to have women who serve on their church staffs, engaging in the Kingdom work that God has called His Church to. These women do not, however, serve in the office or function of a pastor.

To hear more on what God’s Word says on this matter, you can listen to my sermon from last summer here.

How did our WBC Messengers vote on the “Truth and Unity Amendment,” and did it pass?

 

We as your messengers joyfully joined Dr. Mohler in voting in favor of this amendment. Because this was a vote on a Constitutional Amendment, it required a 2/3 majority vote of the Messengers to pass, and must be affirmatively voted on in two consecutive years. This year, the amendment passed with 74.99% of the vote. It will be voted on again next year at the Annual Meeting in Indianapolis before it can be ratified into the Constitution.

What else happened at the Annual Meeting?

1. We had the great privilege of voting in Willy Rice as the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Pastor Rice is a man who loves Christ, is passionate about the gospel, and who will lead our convention well in the chaotic times in which we live. He has advocated for strong doctrinal conviction, while maintaining warm affections for one another and passion to see the gospel go around the world. You can hear his sermon from the Pastors' Conference on doctrinal faithfulness here. Please pray for Pastor Rice as he adjusts to the new role that God has called him to!

   
   

2. We voted on several other officer roles that help in the administration of the convention including First Vice President, Second Vice President, and Recording Secretary.

   
   

3. We commissioned 63 new missionaries who will serve around the world through the International Mission Board, bringing the gospel to some of the hardest-to-reach places on earth.
   

4. We received reports from our seminary presidents, as well as other major entities, on how the Lord is producing fruit through the ministry efforts that we have funded through our tithes and offerings.
   

5. We were able to network with other like-minded churches and leaders from around the country who are shoulder-to-shoulder with us in efforts of both Gospel proclamation and doctrinal reform.

What can we expect going forward?

Under the leadership of President Willy Rice, we believe that the future of the SBC appears brighter than it has in a long time. We are greatly encouraged by the fervor that so many Southern Baptists have for reaching the lost with the gospel, planting churches, and building up the church. We will continue to faithfully give our budgeted allocations towards the cooperative program and to participate in special offerings that support missions work around the world.

Next year, our desire is to send a full slate of messengers to Indianapolis to participate in completing the work that was begun this year with the Truth and Unity Amendment. If this is something you think you might be interested in, please contact me or Pastor Caleb.

We rejoice that we have the privilege of participating in the largest conservative, Protestant denomination in the world, which cooperates in sending the greatest number of missionaries around the globe, and that also trains and equips the most pastors for local church ministry. While all of these things are wonderful, I pray we can always keep the main thing in focus. To quote Pastor Rice: “I want a Southern Baptist Convention that is successful, but I want one that is faithful even more. Faithfulness today will bring fruitfulness tomorrow.”

Our desire is to be faithful in obeying the Word of God and in making the glory of Christ known, both here and around the world. May we never take our partnership in this mission for granted!