2023 Southern Baptist Convention Update

This week, Southern Baptists from around the country and world poured into New Orleans for the annual Southern Baptist Convention. In addition to great preaching, seeing familiar faces, and being encouraged with free SWAG (Stuff We All Get) books, bags, and trinkets, we engaged in a two-day-long business meeting. 

If you know me, I’m not a fan of meetings. I should rephrase that. I’m not a fan of meetings that could be more productive. I love meetings where planning, procedure, and productivity rule the day. I’m not too fond of meetings that get bogged down over heated debates over issues that aren’t worthy of a heated debate. 

This year, a little of both occurred at the SBC. Here’s a look at some decisions made and their impact on our Convention moving forward.

79 Missionaries were commissioned to take the Gospel around the world with the IMB. And 12,000+ messengers stood, cheered, clapped, and rooted on the “Home Team” IMB Missionaries.
And THAT IS A MAJOR REASON I AM SOUTHERN BAPTIST. I don’t mean to yell. But good grief! To God be the glory for young men, women, and their families who are sacrificing comfort for pain, acceptance for rejection, and may lose their life on the mission field. I may never see these brothers and sisters again on this side of heaven. But I can’t wait to hear their stories in OUR FATHER’S home! 

We celebrated the planting of 10,000 new churches. Over 86% of these churches have survived the dreaded four-year mark. 
Another beautiful part of the SBC is our focus on reaching the nations abroad and at home. NAMB (North American Mission Board) is doing incredible work, despite those who detract and say otherwise. 10,000 church plants is incredible. It was reported that by the year 2030, over 1/3 of all SBC churches will have been planted since 2010. To God be the glory for church plants. And, in a beautiful picture, we adopted a resolution on church planting and church revitalization (which is my heart of hearts and the emphasis of my current Doctoral degree). Southern Baptists are proclaiming the Gospel here, there, and everywhere! 

The Sexual Abuse Task Force was overwhelmingly approved to continue helping churches protect the vulnerable. 
This is GREAT NEWS! The Task Force is developing a website that reports and lists sexual offenders. While there are concerns about those falsely accused, I feel confident that the final published list will meet all the requirements, listing only those with a preponderance of evidence to support their claims. The church must be a place of safety, where families can bring their children without fear of their children losing their innocence at the hands of an evil, vile, and wicked man. 

The SBC Messengers struck down Rick Warren’s appeal for Saddleback Church. 
The SBC believes that pastoral ministry is designated for males only. Rick Warren’s Saddleback church ordained several women as pastors and was deemed “not in friendly cooperation with the convention.” Saddleback appealed, and the messengers rejected their appeal, meaning that the SBC Messengers affirmed that pastoral leadership is for males only. I voted to reject the Saddleback appeal, affirming that pastoral leadership is male only. For clarity, this was Saddleback leaving the SBC. Saddleback and Rick Warren changed their doctrinal stance, not the SBC. Warren attempted to slander SBC on his recent Twitter tirades, to no avail. Perhaps he has another agenda, perhaps not. Nonetheless, Saddleback Church is not in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention. This means the SBC no longer recognizes Saddleback as a cooperating church.

The messengers also struck down the Fern Creek appeal for the same reason. Fern Creek has a female Senior Pastor. For clarity, the SBC no longer recognized Fern Creek as a cooperating church. This was Fern Creek upholding doctrines not in line with the Southern Baptist Convention. Fern Creek Baptist Church is not in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention.

The SBC messengers rejected Freedom Baptist Church’s appeal. 
Freedom Baptist Church in Florida hired an accused sex offender as their pastor. The local association and Florida Baptist Convention disassociated from Freedom Baptist Church. The SBC Executive Committee attempted to make contact multiple times with the church. The church reported at the Convention that the pastor had resigned to help the church focus on the Great Commission and not be a distraction. The Executive Committee reported that the church’s pastor resigned as a “rouse,” only to be potentially reinstated after the SBC messengers voted at the most recent Convention. For clarity, Freedom Baptist Church is not in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention. 

The SBC Messengers approved an amendment to our SBC Constitution proposed by SBC Mike Law.
The SBC amendment (click here) seeks to clearly state that only qualified men should hold the office of pastors. The amendment was further amended to note positively that Southern Baptist Churches only hire and employ males for the office of pastor or elder. Some churches consider a female who leads children a “Children’s Pastor.” This amendment seeks to clarify that the word and office of “Pastor” mean something. It would be entirely confusing for the SBC to deem Saddleback and Fern Creek to be out of line with the SBC while at the same time not clarifying our position on pastoral genders in unambiguous terms in our constitution. For the amendment to pass, it must receive 2/3 approval in two consecutive conventions, which means the same amendment must pass with 2/3 approval next year. 

We elected Bart Barber as President for the second year in a row. 
This was a great decision. Bart Barber has represented all Southern Baptists well and governed our meeting with grace, humility, honor, and structure. 

We heard reports from our SBC Seminaries.
Some discouraging reports from SWBTS (incredibly wasteful funds by the former president) can leave a bitter taste in our mouths. But, Midwestern Baptist Seminary leaves me encouraged. The incredible growth in the training of men and women for ministry will leave your heart encouraged. They’ve recently launched a “Missional Moonshot,” whereby they intend to launch 100 students out for missions around the world each year. To God be the Glory!

We were challenged by the Word.
Several incredible sermons were preached. The Word was exalted. Christ was glorified. 

We were led in incredible Worship.
One song, in particular, had me in tears (and I don’t cry often). As I listened to them sing “Behold our God” in various languages from around the world, my mind went to Greyson. Our family would sing this song together during COVID when we were at home doing family worship. I pictured him “Beholding our God, seated on his throne.” and wept. 

We prayed
It was beautiful to pray and hear hearts poured out before the Lord.

Final Word: Don’t fall victim to the “SBC is a dumpster fire” nonsense we see on social media. 
I hear it every year.  

“We’re too liberal and too conservative. We’re misogynists and feminists. We’re falling apart and unsavable. We fight all the time. We’re a dumpster fire.”

And I’m here to tell you, it just isn’t true. When the SBC gathers, we are family. Any other narrative is false. We love each other, even if a few keyboard warriors don’t show it on your phone. We are NOT moving in a liberal direction. We are neither misogynists nor feminists. We are not falling apart. 

We have MUCH MUCH MUCH work to do. The amount of lostness in the world is statistically greater today than it’s ever been in the history of mankind (perhaps with the exception of Genesis 6). North America is one of only two continents where Christianity is shrinking. And in our country, state, and city, those who affiliate with “no religion” (called nones) are rising.  

We have much to do, but Southern Baptists are committed to the task. And in a world where many seek to distance themselves from denominations, I strive to draw ever closer. I am a follower of Jesus, proud to be a Southern Baptist with the privilege of pastoring a “First Baptist Church.” To God be the glory, we are “all about Jesus, all the time.”