SBC Archives - Baptist & Reflector

IN HISTORIC ELECTION, SBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTS FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN CHAIR

June 16, 2020

By Diana Chandler
Baptist Press

Rolland Slade, pastor of Meridian Baptist Church in El Cajon, Calif., was unopposed as EC chair and was unanimously elected by ballot vote. Outgoing chair Mike Stone called for a ballot vote, he said, to mark the historic moment.

NASHVILLE — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee elected its first African American chair in a special called meeting Tuesday.

“I think we all realize by what is going on in this country as well as in our convention, this timing is in many ways the providence of our Lord,” said Stone, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Blackshear, Ga.

Many, including Slade, attributed his election to God.

“I don’t think there was ever a plan for me to be in this position,” Slade told Baptist Press. “I think it’s what God has done. … I believe God loves diversity; He created us and we are all diverse. I think for us to not embrace it is saying that, ‘We’ve got a better idea than You (God).'” [Read more…]

SOUTHERN BAPTIST LEADERS ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD

June 1, 2020

By Baptist Press staff

Protest against police violence – Justice for George Floyd Fibonacci Blue / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

NASHVILLE — Southern Baptist leaders have published a statement grieving the recent death of George Floyd and calling for the end of “racial inequity in the distribution of justice in our country.”

The statement, co-authored by SBC president J.D. Greear and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary president Jamie Dew, was unanimously signed by all SBC officers, entity heads and state convention executive directors, including Tennessee Baptist Mission Board president and executive director Randy C. Davis.

Statement on the death of George Floyd

As a convention of churches committed to the equality and dignity of all people, Southern Baptists grieve the death of George Floyd, who was killed May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minn.

While all must grieve, we understand that in the hearts of our fellow citizens of color, incidents like these connect to a long history of unequal justice in our country, going back to the grievous Jim Crow and slavery eras. The images and information we have available to us in this case are horrific and remind us that there is much more work to be done to ensure that there is not even a hint of racial inequity in the distribution of justice in our country. We grieve to see examples of the misuse of force, and call for these issues to be addressed with speed and justice.

While we thank God for our law enforcement officers that bravely risk their lives for the sake of others and uphold justice with dignity and integrity, we also lament when some law enforcement officers misuse their authority and bring unnecessary harm on the people they are called to protect. We further grieve with our minority brothers and sisters in the wake of George Floyd’s death, pray for his family and friends and greatly desire to see the misuse of force and any inequitable distributions of justice come to an end.

Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the Bible speaks to matters of justice and human dignity. We are taught by Scripture that human beings are distinct among the rest of creation as those beings which bear the divine image. From the beginning of life to the end, all human beings, both male and female–of all ethnicities, colors and ages–are sacred beings that God values and loves.

Throughout the law, the prophets, the gospels and the entire canon of Scripture, murder is condemned and God’s people are called to protect the vulnerable. The Bible further condemns injustice and the misuse of authority and force. And in the example of Jesus Christ, God’s people are called to love others, care for their needs, grieve with them in brokenness and labor for the well-being of our neighbor. To follow Christ is to follow in these examples He puts before us.

Therefore, as a matter of Christian obedience and devotion, followers of Jesus Christ cannot remain silent when our brothers and sisters, friends and/or people we seek to win for Christ are mistreated, abused or killed unnecessarily.

Therefore, we pray for our local, state, and national leaders as they seek justice, and call on them to act quickly and diligently to ensure that these situations are brought to an end. As a people, Southern Baptists stand ready to help towards that end. May God give us His favor, help and strength in this effort.

Co-Authors:

James K. Dew, Jr.
President, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

J.D. Greear
President, Southern Baptist Convention
Pastor, The Summit Church, Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

Signatories:

Marshal Ausberry
1st Vice President, Southern Baptist Convention
President, National African-American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention
Pastor, Antioch Baptist Church, Fairfax Station, Va.

Noe Garcia
2nd Vice President, Southern Baptist Convention
Senior Pastor, North Phoenix Baptist Church, Phoenix, Ariz.

Kathy Litton
Registration Secretary, Southern Baptist Convention

John Yeats
Recording Secretary, Southern Baptist Convention
Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Director

Ronnie W. Floyd
Treasurer, Southern Baptist Convention
President & CEO, SBC Executive Committee

Paul Chitwood
President, International Mission Board

Kevin Ezell
President, North American Mission Board

O.S. Hawkins
President, GuideStone Financial Resources

Ben Mandrell
President & CEO, LifeWay Christian Resources

Jeff Iorg
President, Gateway Seminary

Jason K. Allen
President, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Danny L. Akin
President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Adam W. Greenway
President, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Russell D. Moore
President, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

Sandy Wisdom-Martin
Executive Director/Treasurer, Woman’s Missionary Union

Rick Lance, Alabama State Baptist Convention
Randy Covington, Alaska Baptist Convention
David Johnson, Arizona Southern Baptist Convention
J. D. “Sonny” Tucker, Arkansas Baptist State Convention
Bill Agee, California Southern Baptist Convention
Nathan Lorick, Colorado Baptist General Convention
Fred MacDonald, Dakota Baptist Convention
J. Thomas Green, Florida Baptist Convention
W. Thomas Hammond, Jr., Georgia Baptist Convention
Christopher Martin, Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention
Nate Adams, Illinois Baptist State Association
Steve McNeil, State Convention of Baptist in Indiana
Tim Lubinus, Baptist Convention of Iowa
Robert Mills, Kansas-Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists
Todd Gray, Kentucky Baptist Convention
Steve Horn, Louisiana Baptist Convention
Kevin Smith, Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware
Timothy Patterson, Baptist State Convention of Michigan
Leo Endel, Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention
Shawn Parker, Mississippi Baptist Convention
Barrett Duke, Montana Southern Baptist Convention
Kevin White, Nevada Baptist Convention
Terry Dorsett, Baptist Convention of New England
Joseph Bunce, Baptist Convention of New Mexico
Terry Robertson, Baptist Convention of New York
Milton Hollifield, Jr., Baptist State Convention of North Carolina
Randy Adams, Northwest Baptist Convention
Jack P. Kwok, State Convention of Baptists in Ohio
D. Hance Dilbeck, Jr., Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma
Barry Whitworth, Baptist Resource Network of Pennsylvania-South Jersey
Felix Cabrera, Convention of Southern Baptist Churches in Puerto Rico
Gary Hollingsworth, South Carolina Baptist Convention
Randy C. Davis, Tennessee Baptist Convention
David W. Hardage, Baptist General Convention of Texas
Jim W. Richards, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention
Rob Lee, Utah-Idaho Southern Baptist Convention
John V. Upton, Jr., Baptist General Association of Virginia
Brian Autry, Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia
Eric Ramsey, West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists
Quin Williams, Wyoming Southern Baptist Mission Network B&R

ERLC, EC TRUSTEE OFFICERS RESPOND TO TASK FORCE ANNOUNCEMENT

February 24, 2020

By George Schroeder
Baptist Press

The SBC Executive Committee voted Tuesday (Feb. 18) to form a seven-member task force to address some Southern Baptists’ concerns about actions taken by the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. — Photo by Eric Brown

NASHVILLE — Officers of the Board of Trustees of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) strongly objected Thursday (Feb. 20) to the formation of a task force to study the ERLC’s effectiveness and instructed the entity and its leadership “not to comply” with the inquiry.

In an open letter to SBC Executive Committee chairman Mike Stone and EC members, the ERLC trustee officers called the task force, which was formed by the EC earlier this week, “unwarranted, divisive, and disrespectful.” Signed by ERLC Board of Trustees chairman David Prince and the board’s other officers, the letter suggested the EC was attempting to usurp the role delegated to the ERLC’s trustees and included a statement of support for ERLC president Russell Moore.

“We find the action of the Executive Committee … disappointing, unnecessary, and harmful to our cooperative work in the SBC,” the ERLC trustee officers wrote, adding: “At a time where a unified voice is needed for our cooperative Gospel work, the Executive Committee is sowing needless division, treating trustees with disrespect, and spreading suspicion with this unnecessary task force.” [Read more…]

STETZER TO CHAIR 2020 SBC RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE

February 21, 2020

By Baptist Press

Ed Stetzer

NASHVILLE — Missiologist and researcher Ed Stetzer has been named chairman of the 2020 Southern Baptist Convention Resolutions Committee, SBC President J.D. Greear announced Feb. 11.

Greear also announced his appointment of Angela Suh Um of Cambridge, Mass., as vice chair. Um will be only the second woman to serve in a leadership role on the committee, according to Baptist Press’ review of SBC records.

“Ed Stetzer has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches across the country in a variety of settings,” Greear told Baptist Press. “Additionally, his vast experience as a researcher makes him uniquely qualified to understand the questions and concerns that the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention face. He is a strong leader who can guide the committee as they help the messengers express their positions on issues that matter to them.” [Read more…]

SBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CREATES ERLC STUDY TASK FORCE

February 19, 2020

By Jonathan Howe
Baptist Press

SBC Executive Committee chairman Mike Stone presides over the EC’s plenary session Tuesday (Feb. 18). One of the actions coming from the meeting was the formation of a task force to “review the past and present activities” of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. — Photo by Eric Brown

NASHVILLE — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee voted Tuesday (Feb. 18) to create a study task force to “review the past and present activities” of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC).

The ERLC is tasked with helping churches understand the moral demands of the Gospel and public policy as well as promoting religious liberty on behalf of Southern Baptists. The Executive Committee action (full text below) comes in response to “ongoing concerns” cited by EC members, state leaders and other Southern Baptists that the ERLC is not adequately fulfilling its Convention-approved ministry assignments.

The motion specifically noted that concerns “have been expressed both publicly and privately to various members of the Executive Committee and other Southern Baptists regarding how the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s actions in relation to its ministry statements are affecting the Convention and its relationships with local churches, local associations, and state conventions.” [Read more…]

SBC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES STAFF RETIREMENTS

October 31, 2019

By BP Staff

NASHVILLE — The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee announced Monday (Oct. 28) that Roger “Sing” Oldham and Ken Weathersby are retiring from their respective vice presidential posts.

Weathersby, vice president for Convention advancement, began his role in 2013 and was the first African American to hold an EC vice presidential position. He came to the EC after holding a series of leadership roles at the North American Mission Board, including associate vice president for multiethnic mobilization and vice president for the church planting group. During his time with the Executive Committee, he has worked tirelessly to increase ethnic participation and grow relationships with demographic subsets in the SBC. [Read more…]

HOWE NAMED EC VP OF COMMUNICATIONS

September 4, 2019

Baptist Press staff reports

Jonathan Howe

NASHVILLE — Jonathan P. Howe has been named vice president of communications for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee effective Sept. 5.

Officers of the Executive Committee approved Howe upon recommendation of EC President Ronnie Floyd during an Aug. 28 conference call.

Howe, of Franklin, Tenn., will oversee all SBC Executive Committee communications including SBC.net, SBC LIFE, Baptist Press, social media initiatives and other media and messaging strategies. [Read more…]

WHY DOES THE SBC HAVE A ‘BAPTISM SUNDAY’?

August 23, 2019

By J.D. Greear
President, Southern Baptist Convention

For several years now, I have been greatly burdened by the declining number of baptisms across the Southern Baptist Convention. I believe the baptism numbers serve as one of the best indicators of evangelism in our churches. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, and that means that proclaiming the gospel is the core of who we are — not only as Southern Baptists, but most importantly, as disciples of Jesus Christ.

That’s why I’m challenging every Southern Baptist church to call for baptisms in services on Sept. 8, the date our SBC Executive Committee has designated as “Baptism Day” on the SBC calendar. [Read more…]

HENARD TO TRANSITION FROM W.VA. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

July 18, 2019

By Baptist Press staff

Bill Henard

SCOTT DEPOT, W.Va. — William D. “Bill” Henard, executive director-treasurer of the West Virginia Convention of Southern Baptists since 2015, has accepted a call to pastor First Baptist Church in Athens, Tenn., the convention reported in a July 17 news release.

In a letter to the administrative committee of the convention’s Executive Board, Henard stated, “I have made the decision that it is time for me to return to the pastorate. It has not been an easy decision but one to which I believe God has led me.” [Read more…]

SBC 2019 HOTEL SHUTTLES, PARKING OPTIONS SET

May 30, 2019

By Diana Chandler
Baptist Press

Photo of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Free hotel shuttles and park and ride services are among conveniences available to attendees of the Southern Baptist Convention 2019 Annual Meeting and related events June 9-12 in Birmingham, Ala.

Fifteen free shuttle routes will service hotels contracted for SBC attendees, and park and ride services with free parking will include three locations, convention manager Bill Townes told Baptist Press. [Read more…]

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