SBTC AM 2021: Messengers approve 10 resolutions

FLINT—In a sometimes-heated discussion, messengers approved the report of the convention’s Resolutions Committee Tuesday afternoon.

Three resolutions, No. 4 “On a Continued Commitment to the Fulfillment of the Great Commission due to COVID-19,” No. 6 “On the Office, Title, and Function of Pastor in the Local Church,” and No. 10 “On Biblical Fidelity,” were amended in small details received as friendly by the committee and accepted by the messengers.

An effort by several messengers to replace Resolution 9 “On the Texas Heartbeat Act” failed after a lengthy and lively discussion that required several extensions of the time budgeted for the resolutions report. Messengers representing the group Abolish Abortion Texas attempted to replace the committee’s commendation of the Texas law with a resolution condemning the Heartbeat Bill as compromised and “legitimiz[ing] the evil decision of Roe v. Wade.”

Other resolutions were passed:

• In appreciation of outgoing SBTC President Kie Bowman; SBTC Executive Director Emeritus Jim Richards and his wife, June; and Flint Baptist Church, host of this year’s annual meeting.
• Affirming the value of the Annual Church Profile used to track the cooperative work of the convention and urging associational and state convention leaders to promote participation in ACP by affiliated churches.
• Calling on Southern Baptists to recognize the full dignity of refugees and to offer prayer and aid for them.
• Condemning all forms of sexual violence and calling upon church leaders to take proactive measures to prevent sexual violence in their churches and communities.
• Affirming the inspiration, infallibility, inerrancy, perspicuity, sufficiency, authority and necessity of Scripture.