SBC25 in Dallas Marked by Celebration, Debate
DALLAS (BP) – More than 18,000 people gathered at the Dallas convention center for the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting under the theme “Hold Fast” from Hebrews 10 and an urging from SBC President Clint Pressley to cling to what makes Southern Baptists unique.
Messengers saw moments of celebration of Southern Baptist doctrine and cooperation as well as some moments of intense debate about how best to protect them.
Crossover takes Gospel across Dallas metroplex
A sweltering Saturday in Dallas served as the capstone to a week of Gospel-centered outreach and service to the communities in the metroplex as Southern Baptists gathered for Crossover Dallas to reach the city.
Through the help of local churches in Dallas, associations like the Dallas Baptist Association, and the two state conventions, thousands of volunteers came alongside dozens of churches to proclaim the gospel through various outreach events ahead of the SBC Annual Meeting.
“We had 89 churches locally involved in hosting events; 2,955 volunteers who participated,” NAMB vice president Tim Dowdy said in a report to messengers June 10. “We had 13,638 homes visited; 17,033 people heard the Gospel, and 711 people came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.”
Southern Baptists celebrate 100th anniversary of BF&M and Cooperative Program
Messengers celebrated two important milestones while in Dallas with resolutions and times of reflection marking the 100th anniversaries of the Baptist Faith and Message and the Cooperative Program.
The commemoration included a video featuring Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler giving a brief history of Baptist confessions, the need for the BF&M and its continued place in the SBC.
New Orleans pastor and former SBC president Fred Luter prayed for the Convention’s ongoing commitment to biblical fidelity.
Mohler and Luter were joined by former New Orleans Seminary president Chuck Kelley and former Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission president Richard Land, all members of the committee that worked on the 2000 revision of Southern Baptists’ statement of faith.
Southern Baptists also marked the centennial of the Cooperative Program, the SBC’s strategy for funding its missions and ministry. Since its inception in 1925, more than $20 billion has flowed through the Cooperative Program.
“Twenty billion!” Iorg emphasized. “Thank you, Southern Baptists, for every dollar you have given, the faithful giving of our forefathers, and for the immeasurable, eternal impact of these results. We celebrate God’s past acts today, but more importantly, we build this memorial so we can point to future generations and say, ‘This is what God can do through a people who cooperate together.’”
In a resolution, messengers expressed thanks to God and “for Southern Baptist churches and individuals that give faithfully and sacrificially through the Cooperative Program.”
Motions address ERLC, constitutional amendment
Messengers narrowly defeated a proposed constitutional amendment and voted not to abolish the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) during the two-day session. A motion by Texas pastor Tom Buck to investigate claims that the SBC Executive Committee mistreated and maligned a former EC chairman also failed.
A motion by Juan Sanchez, pastor of High Pointe Baptist in Austin, to amend the SBC Constitution to define a cooperating church as a congregation that “affirms, appoints or employs only men as any kind of pastor” gained just over 60 percent of the vote, but failed to garner the first of two two-thirds majorities needed to adopt it.
In the latest attempt to abolish or defund the ERLC, nearly 57 percent of messengers voted to keep the entity. The motion to abolish was brought by Willy Rice, pastor of Calvary Church in Clearwater, Fla.
Southern Baptists hear from entities and seminaries
Reports from SBC entities included updates on efforts and initiatives carried forward over the past year.
Among the reports, messengers heard from the International Mission Board, the North American Mission Board, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Guidestone Financial Resources, Lifeway Christian Resources and all six SBC seminaries.
Article courtesy of Baptist Press
Messengers saw moments of celebration of Southern Baptist doctrine and cooperation as well as some moments of intense debate about how best to protect them.
Crossover takes Gospel across Dallas metroplex
A sweltering Saturday in Dallas served as the capstone to a week of Gospel-centered outreach and service to the communities in the metroplex as Southern Baptists gathered for Crossover Dallas to reach the city.
Through the help of local churches in Dallas, associations like the Dallas Baptist Association, and the two state conventions, thousands of volunteers came alongside dozens of churches to proclaim the gospel through various outreach events ahead of the SBC Annual Meeting.
“We had 89 churches locally involved in hosting events; 2,955 volunteers who participated,” NAMB vice president Tim Dowdy said in a report to messengers June 10. “We had 13,638 homes visited; 17,033 people heard the Gospel, and 711 people came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.”
Southern Baptists celebrate 100th anniversary of BF&M and Cooperative Program
Messengers celebrated two important milestones while in Dallas with resolutions and times of reflection marking the 100th anniversaries of the Baptist Faith and Message and the Cooperative Program.
The commemoration included a video featuring Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler giving a brief history of Baptist confessions, the need for the BF&M and its continued place in the SBC.
New Orleans pastor and former SBC president Fred Luter prayed for the Convention’s ongoing commitment to biblical fidelity.
Mohler and Luter were joined by former New Orleans Seminary president Chuck Kelley and former Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission president Richard Land, all members of the committee that worked on the 2000 revision of Southern Baptists’ statement of faith.
Southern Baptists also marked the centennial of the Cooperative Program, the SBC’s strategy for funding its missions and ministry. Since its inception in 1925, more than $20 billion has flowed through the Cooperative Program.
“Twenty billion!” Iorg emphasized. “Thank you, Southern Baptists, for every dollar you have given, the faithful giving of our forefathers, and for the immeasurable, eternal impact of these results. We celebrate God’s past acts today, but more importantly, we build this memorial so we can point to future generations and say, ‘This is what God can do through a people who cooperate together.’”
In a resolution, messengers expressed thanks to God and “for Southern Baptist churches and individuals that give faithfully and sacrificially through the Cooperative Program.”
Motions address ERLC, constitutional amendment
Messengers narrowly defeated a proposed constitutional amendment and voted not to abolish the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) during the two-day session. A motion by Texas pastor Tom Buck to investigate claims that the SBC Executive Committee mistreated and maligned a former EC chairman also failed.
A motion by Juan Sanchez, pastor of High Pointe Baptist in Austin, to amend the SBC Constitution to define a cooperating church as a congregation that “affirms, appoints or employs only men as any kind of pastor” gained just over 60 percent of the vote, but failed to garner the first of two two-thirds majorities needed to adopt it.
In the latest attempt to abolish or defund the ERLC, nearly 57 percent of messengers voted to keep the entity. The motion to abolish was brought by Willy Rice, pastor of Calvary Church in Clearwater, Fla.
Southern Baptists hear from entities and seminaries
Reports from SBC entities included updates on efforts and initiatives carried forward over the past year.
Among the reports, messengers heard from the International Mission Board, the North American Mission Board, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Guidestone Financial Resources, Lifeway Christian Resources and all six SBC seminaries.
Article courtesy of Baptist Press
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