SBC Annual Report 2023

Attendance:

12,737 messengers

3,799 guests

2,365 exhibitors

Total: 18,901

Election of officers:

President: Bart Barber, Pastor of Farmersville FBC, Farmersville, TX since 1999. Second term.

Voting results: 68.38% for Barber; Mike Stone 31.40% (Emmanuel Baptist, Blackshear, GA)

1st VP: Jay Adkins, Pastor of FBC Westwego, NOLA.

Voting results: 63.27% for Adkins; Dusty Deevers, 20.73% (Grace Community Church, Elign, OK); Gevan Spinney, 15.52%, FBC Haughton, LA

2nd VP: Kason Branch, Pastor of Creekstone Church, North Richland Hills, TX.

Voting results: 54.11% for Branch; Shane Terrebonne, 45.37%, Gulf Coast Baptist Church, Golden Meadow, SC

Recording Secretary: Nathan Finn, Provost, North Greenville University, Tigerville, SC.

Unopposed

Registration Secretary: Don Currence, Admin. Pastor, FBC Ozark, MO

Unopposed

Important Motions:

Amendment to BFM 2000: Motion by Jared Cornutt, pastor of North Shelby Baptist Church, Birmingham, AL

Motion was made to amend Article VI of the BFM 2000 to add “elder/overseer” to the “pastor” so that it reads as follows:

“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.”

GCR Review Task Force

Messengers approved a motion by Randy Chestnut of Woodland Hills Baptist Church in Dayton, Ohio, to authorize the president to appoint a task force to study the impact that the recommendations from the Great Commission Resurgence Report adopted in 2009 have had on the effectiveness of the SBC’s North American Gospel effort and on relationships between SBC ministry partners. Chestnut’s motion said the task force “should represent all SBC partners serving from all regions of North America” and that the task force report should include “any recommendations to enhance and unify our cooperative missions effort to penetrate darkness in North America.”

Create Constitutional Task Force

Messengers approved a motion by James Merritt, a former SBC president and pastor of Cross Pointe Church in Duluth, Ga., to authorize the president to appoint a “broadly representative task force” to study how the Convention should deem churches to be “in friendly cooperation on questions of faith and practice” as written in Article 3 of the SBC Constitution, referring to the statement of faith. The task force should bring recommendations to the next annual meeting “for how we can move forward together in biblical fidelity, missional clarity, and cooperative unity.” Standing with Merritt as he made the motion were former SBC Presidents Ed Litton, J.D. Greear, Steve Gaines and Bryant Wright.

Miscellaneous Business:

February 2023, the Credentials Committee of the SBC deemed three churches “not in friendly cooperation” with the convention. According to the bylaws of the convention, in such an occasion, if the church wishes, they can deem one representative of the church to appeal the decision at the next annual meeting. Each church did. They were given 3 minutes to verbalize their appeal; a member of the EC was then recognized and given 3 minutes to answer the appeal; then a vote was taken.

The churches were as follows:

Fern Creek Baptist Church, Louisville, KY. Linda Popham has pastored this church since April 1993. She appealed; she was answered by Dr. Albert Mohler of SBTS. The messengers voted to uphold the credential committee’s decision to disfellowship this church.

Freedom Church, Vero Beach, FL. “because the church failed to cooperate to resolve concerns regarding an abuse allegation.” Donald Stewart, elder of the church, vocalized their appeal. He was answered by Dean Inserra of City Church, Tallahassee, FL. The messengers voted to uphold the decision of the credentials committee to disfellowship this church.

Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, CA. They have ordained female pastors and assigned a female as campus pastor of their campus in Lake Forest. Rick Warren, founding pastor of Saddleback, vocalized their appeal; he was answered by Dr. Al Mohler of SBTS. The messengers voted to uphold the decision of the credentials committee to disfellowship this church.

Encouraged:

Action being taken

Unity being sought

Gospel being spread