The resolutions adopted at the annual meetings of the Alabama Baptist State Convention have the power to affect the nation, according to this year’s resolutions committee chairman.
“The goal with resolutions is to present a unified statement regarding important issues, as a body of believers, that has an impact on our state and the nation,” said Larry Michael, chairman of the resolutions committee and pastor of First Baptist Church, Clanton.
But in order for those resolutions to be heard and adopted, they must be in a proper form and submitted to the committee during the annual meeting.
Joe Bob Mizzell, director of the Christian ethics/chaplaincy ministries office of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM), acts as a liaison between the SBOM and the resolutions committee.
In that capacity, Mizzell is responsible for seeing that the resolutions are put into proper form, with the right wording, without changing the resolution’s meaning.
He said only elected messengers can submit resolutions, which have to be turned in to the committee before adjournment of the first day’s afternoon session. All resolutions must also be in writing and signed by the writer.
This year, resolutions will be introduced Nov. 18 at 9:20 a.m. by Michael. After that, messengers will have until 4:50 p.m. to turn in resolutions.
Mizzell said the committee begins meeting that day to decide which resolutions it will submit to the messengers.
“The resolutions committee can change the language of a resolution and decide whether or not to submit it,” Mizzell said.
Once all the resolutions have been reviewed, the resolutions committee will submit those it chooses during the morning of the second day and the messengers will vote on them.
Mizzell said there are some things writers and messengers can do to make the process move more smoothly.
ZSend a copy of the resolution in early to Mizzell’s office for it to be put into proper form. While it will still need to be turned in at the annual meeting, it will save the committee time during the reviewing process.
“It’s become somewhat of an art to write resolutions,” Mizzell said. “If they send it to us early, we’re able to put it in proper form, and a copy gets sent back to the writer.”
ZSubmit it early on the first day of convention. This will allow the committee time to review all resolutions.
ZThe committee prefers that resolutions be kept general, not referring to specific people. “It prefers that names not be used, especially in a negative way,” Mizzell said.
There is no restriction on the topics that resolutions can address, and messengers can submit resolutions written by someone else, as long as the writer has signed it.
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