Southern Baptist messengers attending the annual meeting in St. Louis, Mo., attempted to deal with such issues as the affirmation of the Baptist Faith and Message (BF&M) by missionaries, the ordination of female chaplains and the alignment of dual state conventions, but none of the 12 motions submitted were debated.
The Committee on Order of Business referred 10 motions to specific entities while two — which dealt with Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) leaders providing giving records and the signing of a statement of inerrancy — were ruled out of order.
The motion dealing with the statement of inerrancy referred to trustees and staffs of colleges who receive endorsement from any entity of the SBC. The other motion ruled out of order would have called for all nominated SBC officers to voluntarily provide a summary of their churches’ Cooperative Program giving.
Referred to the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board (NAMB) were two motions that would have rescinded the requirement of career missionaries to sign the 2000 BF&M. Both motions focused on missionaries who were appointed under the 1925 or 1963 versions of the BF&M.
Ron Rogers, chairman on the Committee on Order of Business, said referring motions to the different entities has become a consistent action during the past years. “We trust the trustees to study this and make the decision,” he said about the BF&M motions.
But Robert Casey of Parkview Baptist Church in Gainesville, Fla., and Bruce Prescott of First Baptist Church, Norman, Okla., appealed the decision to refer Casey’s motion on the BF&M. Prescott submitted the second motion on the issue.
“I hope we will honor the service of our missionaries in the past,” Casey said. “They have served God, the convention and the people they were appointed to serve in a faithful and honorable way. We should not force them to sign the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message. … This does not apply to any candidates appointed after the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message.”
Faith statement
Prescott noted the numerous references about accountability that come with discussions of the 2000 BF&M. “If trustees can hold missionaries accountable, who holds the trustees accountable?” he asked. “I believe it is the messengers who meet here this week. We will thwart the constitution if we do not allow them to speak on this issue and vote.”
A voice vote to schedule debate on Casey’s motion failed.
Also referred to NAMB was a motion calling for NAMB to not only refrain from endorsing an ordained woman to the chaplaincy but also to withdraw the endorsement of any ordained female already endorsed. The motion also said to withdraw endorsement of any female chaplain becoming ordained after endorsement and any female chaplain “unscripturally serving as the pastor of a chapel congregation.”
During the NAMB presentation June 11, NAMB president Bob Reccord said ordained female chaplains already serving with NAMB were “grandfathered in” under the new policy, which does not allow ordained female chaplains to serve. As far as female chaplains gaining ordination following their endorsement with NAMB, Reccord said, “That is a hypothetical situation and does not exist. We will have to deal with it at the time. But we don’t expect it to happen.”
Other motions referred to NAMB dealt with the wording in the eternal life witnessing tract and the developing of evangelism strategies for disabled people.
The SBC Executive Committee received the motion dealing with dual state conventions. The motion called for limiting the number of state conventions recognized to one and allowing the SBC to only receive funds from the one convention.
Bob Stephenson of First Baptist Church of Norman, Okla., proposed the motion that would have instructed the Executive Committee to recognize and accept gifts from only one convention in each state.
His concern, he said in a later interview, is that the SBC treats dual-convention states differently. In Texas and Virginia, conservatives have formed new conventions, and the SBC recognizes both the historic convention and the new convention. But in Missouri, the SBC has refused to recognize a new state convention formed by opponents of fundamentalism who still want to support SBC missions causes.
Stephenson said the SBC should be consistent in the way it relates to states with dual conventions.
Alcoholic beverages
Referred to the Annuity Board was a motion instructing the Annuity Board trustees to pull out all investments in companies that sell alcoholic beverages.
Current Annuity Board policy prevents investments in any company that is publicly recognized as part of the liquor, tobacco, gambling, pornography or abortion industries.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) received the motion dealing with religious liberty concerns. The motion calls for ERLC to monitor the recent structural changes within the FBI and other government agencies and “inform us of the ramifications such changes may have on our religious liberty.”
Two motions were referred to LifeWay Christian Resources.
One called for a ministry focused on children of ministers and missionaries.
The other dealt with developing a training program based on spiritual missionary empowerment — praying, fasting and doing good deeds.
(ABP contributed)
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