By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org
Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, far right, prays with Willie McLaurin, his wife, Antonia, and daughters SiChanna and Sierra during the dessert fellowship sponsored by the TBMB prior to the start of the SBC annual meeting on June 14. McLaurin formerly served on the TBMB staff and is the interim CEO of the SBC Executive Committee. — Photo by Van Payne / The Baptist Paper
ANAHEIM, Cailf. — Southern Baptists overwhelmingly approved the report of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Sexual Abuse Task Force during the SBC’s annual meeting June 14-15 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
The California meeting drew 8,133 messengers, including 544 from Tennessee. Tennessee ranked third in number of messengers, trailing California (1,079) and Texas (791). The attendance was down from the 15,726 messengers who attended last year’s annual meeting in Nashville.
Task Force chair Bruce Frank didn’t mince words with messengers, calling it a “Kairos moment” for the convention. After a lot of talk, actions were about to speak loudest.
“Today we will choose between humility or hubris,” Frank said.
“We will choose between genuine repentance or continually being passive in our approach to sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention. We will choose between doing the best for the Glory of God and for the good of people, or we will choose, again, business as usual.”
Grant Gaines, pastor of Belle Aire Baptist Church, Murfreesboro, said he is in full support of the recommendations that were made.
Grant Gaines
“At last year’s annual convention the SBC supported an investigation into its Executive Committee regarding sexual abuse,” Gaines said. “The report from that investigation revealed horrible mishandling of abuse and of abuse survivors.”
“At this year’s convention,” he continued, “the SBC began to take steps to make things right and prevent these sins from happening again. I’m fully supportive of the recommendations on abuse the SBC overwhelmingly passed, including the establishment of an abuser database that will be used to share information about those who’ve been credibly accused of abuse.”
Gaines said SBC churches should not be satisfied with the steps taken this year. “There is much more that needs to be done,” he said, “but this is a good start.”
The task force recommended the formation of an Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force to be appointed by newly elected SBC president Bart Barber, along with the development of a “Ministry Check” website to share “properly vetted information.”
The first recommendation received what was considered a friendly amendment. The language referenced the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force (ARITF) and stated it would operate in accordance to “best practices in keeping with Southern Baptist church polity” rather than through recommendations provided by Guidepost Solutions.
The “Ministry Check” website, which was the focus of the second recommendation, will be “established and maintained by an independent contractor, with the ARITF to oversee and report back to the Convention on feasibility, effectiveness and costs.”
The two recommendations proposed by the task force were voted on as one recommendation. A motion to divide the question was ruled out of order because each recommendation was dependent upon the other.
Tennessee task force member Liz Evan of Hilldale Baptist Church in Clarksville noted messengers have taken “the first step for reforms on handling sexual abuse by overwhelmingly affirming the recommendations from the Sexual Abuse Task Force.
“I am grateful for the tireless efforts of survivors and for the messengers’ decision, and I am thankful to have the opportunity to serve our convention in this way as a Tennessee Baptist,” she added.
Newly elected SBC president Bart Barber, left, at the Asian American Collective meeting on June 12 in Anaheim. — Photo by Van Payne / The Baptist Paper
Messengers also elected Texas pastor Bart Barber as president in a run-off election with Florida pastor Tom Ascol. Barber totaled 3,401 or 60.87 percent of the votes while Ascol received 2,172 votes or 38.88 percent. Fourteen ballots were disallowed.
New Mexico pastor Matt Henslee nominated Barber, noting that “he embodies the best of what it means to be a Southern Baptist.”
Barber is pastor of First Baptist Church, Farmersville, Texas. He has held numerous roles in the SBC and served as chairman of this year’s Resolution Committee.
Ascol was nominated by Georgia pastor Mike Stone.
Stone said Southern Baptists “need a president who will ask the tough questions and who knows where to find the answers — in the Book.”
Two other men were nominated for the presidency — Georgia pastor Frank Cox, who was nominated by Ted Traylor, and former IMB missionary Robin Hadaway, who was nominated by Tennessee Baptist Wade Akins of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova.
On the first ballot, Barber received 3,258 (47.58 percent) of the 6,847 votes cast. Ascol received 2,332 (34.06 percent) votes, Cox received 887 (12.95 percent) votes and Hadaway received 340 (4.97 percent) votes.
At the time of the first ballot for the presidential election, 8,095 messengers were registered. B&R — This article includes reporting from The Baptist Paper and Baptist Press.
