Two Alabama Baptists were among 13 who made motions during the opening session of the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting taking place today and tomorrow (June 10–11) in Dallas.
Derek Allen, pastor of First Baptist Church Tillman’s Corner in Mobile, asked the messengers of the annual meeting to request the SBC Executive Committee chair (which will be Tony Dockery, senior pastor of St. Stephen Missionary Baptist Church in La Puente, California) appoint a committee to review and propose changes to the Convention’s governing documents.
“Though it may be more expansive, it should include a review of Article III of the Constitution and Bylaw 8, specifically related to the criteria and processes by which a church may be deemed not in friendly cooperation with the Convention; the process by which a church may appeal such a determination; and the procedures by which the Convention, through its messengers, serves as the final arbiter of such matters.

“The report of the committee, including proposed changes, should be made public no later than 30 days prior to the 2026 annual meeting, with appropriate time given for the messengers to the annual meeting to debate and adopt said proposals.”
Jordan Nelson, student and young adults pastor for Morningview Baptist Church in Montgomery, requested adapting how SBC ID numbers are assigned related the various campuses of multi-site churches within the SBC framework.
Both motions were seconded and given to the Committee on Order of Business to review. A report of which entity the motions will be referred to for further action (or if they can be debated and addressed at this meeting) will be part of this afternoon’s business session.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — Both Allen’s and Nelson’s motions were referred to the SBC Executive Committee to review and report back to the 2026 SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando.




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