By Gregg Boll, Associate Director of Missions
Over 8100 messengers gathered in Anaheim, California in June for our annual Southern Baptist Convention. As one who attended most sessions of business, I was pleased with the level of civility which was demonstrated by the messengers towards one another, with just a rare exception. If there was a surprise it was the silence of the national media outlets who are often in attendance, eager to create a less than hospitable narrative about us.
Each year in the weeks leading up to the Convention, Southern Baptists conduct an evangelistic campaign called Crossover. This year’s Crossover Anaheim recorded 547 professions of faith in the Anaheim area.
Only 25% of churches in the Anaheim area are Anglo churches. The rest are ethnic churches, mostly Hispanic. Saddleback Valley Community Church started most of these churches.
Here are the highlights of the Convention:
Motion to defund and dismantle ERLC: Failed overwhelmingly.
The anticipation and joy of messengers were acknowledged over the prospect of Roe vs. Wade potentially being overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. See our BR-KC statement regarding Roe vs. Wade here: http://blueriver-kansascity.org/uncategorized/roe-v-wade-statement/
Tony Evans addressed the messengers with an initiative that would encourage greater communication in the area of race relations. Churches and pastors will be encouraged to reach out to other churches across ethnic lines for conversation, collaboration in ministry, and mutual understanding. He offered a templet that churches can use to increase community transformation and partnerships across racial lines called A Kingdom Strategy. You can read more about it here: https://tonyevans.mclk.me/kingdom-strategy/
Messengers passed a recommendation from the EC that will direct new funds from NAMB to college ministry under the Next Generation Leadership Initiative. This is a much needed and overdue move that will help Southern Baptists address our dire shortage of pastors and other vocational Christian leaders.
52 International Missionaries were commissioned to serve to the ends of the earth, many in places hostile to Christianity. The identities of some missionaries were concealed, but it highlighted the progress of the gospel.
Passed a budget for the SBC of $192,000,000 of which 8.3 million was budgeted for the Executive Committee.
Bart Barber was elected SBC President for the new year. His main opponent was Tom Ascol. Purportedly, both were well-respected pastors with great integrity who would lead Southern Baptists well. Bart Barber won by 61% of the vote. Barber is not the typical president-elect who generally pastors a megachurch. Barber pastors a church of 300+ in the smaller community of Farmersville, Texas (3600 population).
Based on the findings of the Guidepost Independent Report the EC Study Committee presented two recommendations. Both were passed unanimously by the messengers. Basically, the messengers approved a database and new task force to oversee denominational changes needed to address sexual offenders and sexual abuse among our SBC churches. Here is an independent article from Christianity Today on what happened and the action Southern Baptists took at the Convention: https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/june/southern-baptist-report-abuse-reform-database-vote-annual-m.html
You can see the actual recommendations passed and the challenges made to various denominational entities here: https://www.sataskforce.net/updates/task-force-challenges-and-formal-recommendations-sn54p
