SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) has modified its constitution to narrow membership requirements. The changes exclude churches that support any other organization considered to compete with the state convention or the Southern Baptist Convention. This will shut out congregations that participate in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship or the moderate Baptist General Convention of Missouri but make exceptions for other Baptist organizations.
Meeting Oct. 24–26 at Second Baptist Church in Springfield, Mo., messengers adopted two constitutional amendments on second reading that narrow MBC membership requirements.
Passed by raised ballot vote, the first amendment changed the membership eligibility requirement from “any Baptist church in sympathy with the objects of the Convention …” to “Any Southern Baptist church singly aligned with the Convention.”
Messengers overwhelmingly defeated two attempts to modify the proposed constitutional changes.
Messengers also amended the constitution to turn the temporary credentials committee into a standing committee. The new committee will operate under guidelines that spell out the rules a congregation must follow to be considered a cooperating MBC church. Although the convention’s constitution does not list a financial requirement for membership, the committee’s guidelines note that a church will be considered singly aligned if it contributes to the MBC “at least on an annual basis” and does not belong to or financially support another state convention or organization
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