Over 10,000 voting representatives convened in Indianapolis on Tuesday for the start of the Southern Baptist Convention’s two-day annual meeting. During the gathering, attendees will vote on a proposal to prohibit churches with female pastors and continue discussions on how to address sexual abuse within the church.
A gathering of delegates, also known as messengers, is taking place in Indianapolis with a total of 10,553 attendees.
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The debate on Wednesday will revolve around amending the constitution to prohibit churches that have women pastors, whether in lead or associate roles. The measure was given preliminary approval last year and is now up for further discussion.
On Tuesday morning, a small group of women gathered outside the Indiana Convention Center to show their support for women in ministry. The demonstration was low-key but impactful, as these women stood united in their belief that gender should not limit one’s ability to serve in religious leadership roles.
The Rev. Meredith Stone, executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry, emphasizes the importance of recognizing women as equals who are capable of serving as pastors. Baptist Women in Ministry, an organization originally founded within the SBC in the 1980s, now collaborates with women in various Baptist denominations to promote gender equality in leadership roles.
According to the participants, as hundreds of messengers passed by, their reactions varied greatly. Some sneered, while others gave subtle thumbs-up signs, and a few even voiced their gratitude with a heartfelt “thank you.”
Christa Brown, a champion for survivors of sexual abuse in Southern Baptist churches, joined them. She has been vocal about the denomination’s reluctance to implement reforms and has penned her experiences in a memoir titled “Baptistland.”
According to her, the equality of women in ministry is directly linked to the issue of abuse.
She stated that when certain individuals are oppressed, it creates a domino effect which leads to more individuals being oppressed.
According to the SBC’s statement of faith, both men and women are considered “gifted for service” in the church. However, the role of pastor is exclusively reserved for men. There are differing interpretations of this policy, with some believing it applies only to senior pastors. Nonetheless, the proposed amendment would extend this restriction to women in associate positions, even if the senior pastor is male.
In terms of governance, the SBC doesn’t have the authority to dictate the actions of its individual churches. However, it does possess the power to determine whether or not those churches remain affiliated with the organization. In recent years, the SBC has expelled several churches that have appointed women to pastoral positions, including the prominent Californian megachurch, Saddleback Church.
Former President Donald Trump made an appearance in a videotaped message on Monday at a conservative group’s meeting, which was held next door to the convention center. The group is known for its staunchly anti-abortion views, and Trump used the opportunity to appeal to the attendees for their votes. Politics clearly played a role in this sideline event.
During a sideline event on Tuesday, former Vice President Mike Pence expressed his strong opposition to President Joe Biden’s policies on border control and abortion, among others. He made it clear that he would never vote for Biden. However, Pence did not go so far as to endorse his former running mate, the controversial former President Donald Trump.
Throughout his tenure, Pence consistently urged GOP leaders to embrace the agenda that was championed by former President Ronald Reagan. In his view, this agenda was centered around promoting prosperity, freedom, and international leadership, while also standing firm in opposition to abortion and defending religious liberty. Pence emphasized the importance of sticking to these principles, calling for a return to Reagan’s broad-strokes vision for the future of the Republican party.
During a Q&A session with Brent Leatherwood, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Pence emphasized religious themes. The luncheon was attended by approximately 500 individuals who greeted Pence with a standing ovation.
Pence didn’t directly mention Trump, but he did criticize those who believe the abortion issue should be left to individual states. He argued that when the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, it effectively handed the issue over to the states and to the American people. Pence emphasized the importance of officials at all levels of government working to promote the sanctity of life. He drew a comparison between those who advocate for states’ rights in regards to abortion and those who supported states’ rights in regards to slavery in the 19th century.
Despite nominating three of the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, Trump has been hesitant to support a nationwide abortion ban and has instead opted to leave the issue up to individual states. Although he has taken credit for the overturning of the federally guaranteed right to abortion, he has not publicly expressed support for a national ban on the practice.
In expressing his pride, Pence acknowledged the administration’s role in appointing officials that led to the decline of Roe, now considered a thing of the past.
During his hosting of a radio show, he joked about being “Rush Limbaugh on decaf” and even made self-deprecating remarks. He also mentioned how President Trump teased him about the controversy surrounding Pence’s adherence to the “Billy Graham rule” of refraining from dining alone with a woman other than his wife. Trump was surprised that people were criticizing Pence for being faithful to his spouse and said, “After all they said about me, they’re attacking Mike Pence for being faithful to his wife.”
In fulfilling his duty to certify Biden’s election on January 6th, 2021, despite a riot and President Trump’s urging for him to do otherwise, Pence maintains that he made the right decision. According to Pence, it is un-American to think that as vice president, one man could impede the will of the people.
“He said that on that tragic day, we did our duty only by God’s grace,” recounted the speaker.
During his two-year term as SBC president, Bart Barber emphasized the importance of creating a secure environment for worship and other gatherings within churches. In his address to the messengers on Tuesday, Barber urged them to prioritize the establishment of a “safe place” for their congregations.
The Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force has completed its work, but it fell short of the prior annual meeting’s directive to create a database of offenders that could assist churches in avoiding their employment. Nevertheless, the task force has developed a training program for churches to prevent and handle cases of abuse.
During the convention, Megan Lively, an abuse survivor and advocate, urged the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission to increase awareness about abuse and offer resources for preventing and responding to it. She is a delegate from Peace Church located in Wilson, North Carolina.
For the past 20 years, there have been calls for reforms within the convention. However, it has been especially challenging for the Southern Baptist Convention to address the issue of sexual abuse within its churches following a 2019 report by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. The report revealed that approximately 380 leaders and volunteers in Southern Baptist churches had faced allegations of sexual misconduct within the preceding two decades.
A consulting firm called Guidepost Solutions was commissioned by the denomination to conduct a report. The report found that survivors who sought help were intimidated and mistreated by leaders of the convention’s Executive Committee. It should be noted that the committee is responsible for handling the day-to-day business of the convention.
During a meeting on Monday, Jeff Iorg, who recently became the president of the Executive Committee, informed its members that they are currently dealing with a financial crisis. This is due to the fact that they indemnified Guidepost Solutions from any legal repercussions that may arise from a study. As a result, the convention is now responsible for paying for the legal defense against two defamation lawsuits that were filed by two men named in the report.
Iorg mentioned that they have already spent over $2 million on the indemnification, and there seems to be no end in sight.
