Tennessee Baptists likely to sue Belmont for control

Tennessee Baptists voted May 9 to reject an offer of $5 million from Nashville’s Belmont University that would have given the school power to elect its own trustees. Instead the Tennessee Baptist Convention likely will now sue the university to try to retain control of the 4,300-student school.

In a rare special convention May 9 — after two hours of polite debate — Tennessee Baptist messengers voted 923–791 to reject the settlement from Belmont, which would have ended the dispute triggered by Belmont’s decision last year to amend its charter to allow the election of some non-Baptist trustees.

Instead messengers voted to vacate Belmont’s board of trustees, which historically have been elected by the convention, and authorized a committee to negotiate or seek other remedies — including possible binding legal arbitration or litigation. The convention’s attorney said the convention has about a 50–50 chance of winning such a lawsuit, according to the Baptist & Reflector, Tennessee Baptists’ newspaper. A similar lawsuit recently ended with Georgia Baptists retaining control of Shorter College.

Nonetheless many observers said the impasse means ties between the convention and the university that has been connected with it for 54 years are effectively severed. “The historic relationship with Belmont University has come to an end,” said Clay Austin, chairman of the convention’s executive board. “The only task remaining before us is to negotiate final issues.”

Belmont’s settlement offer, which was relayed through the executive board, would have released both sides from a 1951 agreement that said if Belmont should “for any reason pass from Baptist control, or the control, ownership, supervision or right to elect the trustees … be lost to the Tennessee Baptist Convention, then any and all of said property and funds shall be repaid or restored to … the Executive Board of the Convention.” (ABP)