Unsettled. I can’t find a more apt word to capture my mood. Unsettled by the superficiality of our current culture; unsettled by the constant roar of heated and pointed (and often pointless) rhetoric on social media. Unsettled by the barrage of ‘News Flashes’ repeating the same information. Unsettled by the lack of depth in my own soul. Unsettled by the fracturing I see daily – individuals, families, communities all slowly (some not so slowly) failing to sustain what could have been a remarkable place to live.
Unsettled. Longing for what is to be, instead of settling for what is. Join me in being unsettled, longing for what could be.
Longing leads to engagement. 32 years in this community, serving as pastor, praying with, praying over, pleading with, pleading for a peace that passes understanding, searching for firm and solid ground on which to build a life. Unsettled.
Engaging.
Persisting.
PASTOR STEVE SCHENEWERK
541-784-8901
REFLECTIONS ON 2025 SBC ANNUAL MEETING
Dallas!
After reflecting on the meeting several things are clear – at least to me –
- There are deeply held convictions by many SBC churches that are not shared by most SBC churches. Failing to amend the Constitution with a significant majority but falling short of the 2/3 vote required shows there are still unanswered questions about the use of the word ‘pastor’ in our churches. Many are dissatisfied with the level of financial accountability provided by our institutions and an unhappiness with our trustee system of overseeing our entities.
- While many may have been disappointed by the results of various votes, by and large the Convention remains healthy, supportive of one another, and determined to present Jesus as the only solution for the most pressing problem of our world: lostness.
- The SBC as an institution has lost it’s relevance for many of the churches in the SBC, at least in the west. When NAMB shifted its funding formula several years ago most western states/regions and pioneer regions/states lost funding for the position of Director of Missions. In an earlier era it was the DOM (or Associational Mission Strategist now) that connected the church and the pastor to the larger convention picture. Without that link the connection is shaky and churches are become more disconnected with each passing year.
The session opened on Tuesday, June 10. The most anticipated event of
the morning session was the introduction of ‘New Business.’ Several motions were made, three of which had been discussed thoroughly on line for months prior to the meeting.
One motion was to suspend a Standing Rule so that the Convention could vote on an amendment that had been voted on in 2024. Here is the text of the motion:
I move that the Constitution of the Southern Baptist Convention be amended to include an enumerated 6th item under Article 3, Paragraph 1, concerning composition.[1] The enumerated 6th item would read:
6. Affirms, appoints, or employs only men as any kind of pastor or elder as
by Scripture.
This motion, voted on during a business session on Wednesday, passed with just over 60% of the vote. However, according to our governing documents, an amendment to the Constitution requires a 2/3 majority in two annual sessions. Since the necessary 2/3 was not reached, the amendment failed.
Another highly anticipated motion was made on Tuesday morning as well. The motion reads:
I move that pursuant to Bylaw 25 which to abolish an entity requires a majority vote at two successive conventions, that the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Dallas, Texas, June 10-11, vote to abolish the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
This motion was debated on Wednesday during the morning session. The motion failed.
A third action proposed by the Executive Committee of the SBC (this committee, comprise of members from each state or defined territory of the Convention) was to amend the Business and Financial Plan of the Southern Baptist Convention. This document can be found at www.sbc.net under Governing Documents. The changes recommended giving trustee’s more authority in the financial oversight of the various entities of the SBC. This recommendation, while hotly debated, did pass.
Other actions of note included:
A motion to require each entity of the SBC to file an IRS 990 form and all required attachments. Though there was a vocal minority in support, the motion failed. Most motions made were directed toward a specific entity. For example, several motions were made for entities to develop curriculum for disabled and special needs persons, to amend certain sections of the By-laws, to establish a K-12 accreditation program, and to change ministry assignments of entities. Most motions made from the floor of the SBC Annual Meeting are directed towards a specific entity and by rule are immediately referred to the entity. Generic motions are either referred to the Executive Committee or ruled out of order by the chair.
Every year the SBC Annual Meeting elects a President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Recording Secretary, and Registration Secretary. The President is usually given two one year terms. Clint Pressley, a pastor from North Carolina had been elected President in 2024 and was elected again to serve until 2026.
Each entity provided a written and verbal report to the convention. Time is allotted at the end of each presentation for questions from the floor, which are usually simple queries of a messenger to the presenter of the entities report.
Each year several resolutions are presented. A resolution is simply the opinion of the messengers gathered in a particular session. They are non-binding, but they do represent the thinking of most SBC churches. This year, as every year, a resolution thanking the host city and local arrangements team was easily passed. Other resolutions of note were statements regarding banning all pornography, calling attention to the evils of gambling on sporting events, and a resolution standing against the availability and use of chemical abortion pills.
One resolution, titled, ‘On Restoring Moral Clarity through God’s Design for Gender, Marriage, and the Family,’ generated much discussion. There is a significant minority of SBC pastors and churches committed to the abolition of abortion and to charging the woman and all who assist in providing abortions as criminals. The resolution did not go as far as some wanted, but there are clear calls in the resolution asking our legislators to restore the basis of marriage as between one man and one woman, asking for believers to seek “renewed clarity in public discourse, regarding the declining fertility and for policies that support the bearing and raising of children within intact, married families…;” this lengthy resolution also recommends we work for the complete and permanent defunding of Planned Parenthood (which receive significant federal funds for what PP calls ‘reproductive health care.
Steve Schenewerk
The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. Every year the SBC meets for two days to discuss business, to adopt a budget for the Cooperative Program receipts, elect officers, approve resolutions, and enjoy worshiping together.
This year, the SBC met in Dallas, TX on June 10-11. Before the SBC Annual Meeting I was privileged to attend the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders on June 9 – 10. The SBCAL is specific to Associational Mission Strategists, or what used to be called, ‘Directors of Missions.’ Southern Baptist churches are totally autonomous. Churches relate to one another at three distinct levels.
Locally Southern Baptist churches autonomously agree to cooperate for fellowship, sharing some resources such as planning retreats and camps for various age groups, providing training resources and so on.
Then, regionally, or at a state level individual churches are free to participate with like minded Southern Baptist churches. In our area, we cooperate with the Northwest Baptist Convention. The NWBC is made up of some 500 churches in Oregon, Washington, Northern Idaho, and a few churches just inside California near the border of Oregon. By collaborating with that many churches, the small staff is able to offer support and training to a variety of churches, assisting churches with interim pastors. The NWBC also works at church planting with a partner agency of the Southern Baptist Convention called the North American Mission Board.
At the national level individual Southern Baptist churches can cooperate with the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBC operates six seminaries, an International Mission Board, the North American Mission Board, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and a Historical Society.
The funding mechanism is interesting. Local churches can contribute to their local association if they choose. Giving to what we call the Cooperative Program assists our regional/state conventions. They receive the CP offerings from the churches and forward funds to the SBC Executive Committee that disburses the funds according to a budget adopted at the annual meeting of the SBC.
Churches send ‘Messengers’ to the annual meeting. No church can send more than 12 messengers. They are called messengers because each individual certified by their home church is free to vote however they see fit on any of the issues coming before the Convention Body.
[1] The SBC Constitution, Article III. COMPOSITION: The Convention shall consist of messengers who are members of Baptist churches in cooperation with the Convention. There are five subsections defining various standards for these churches. SEE www.sbc.net for a full text of the Convention documents.