NASHVILLE (BP) — Recommendations from the group tasked with defining what it means to be in friendly cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention are expected to be presented in late April or early May.

The timing allows for over a month of “a diligent review of the recommendations” as well as “ample opportunity” for messengers to review them prior to the 2024 SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, said group chairman Jared Wellman.

“We are making steady progress through Stage 2 of our work, focusing on the development of recommendations based on the research conducted in Stage 1,” he posted at coopgroupupdates.com. “Our commitment is to ensure these recommendations serve the best interests of our fellowship.”

A time of feedback and refinement will occur prior to the final presentation at the annual meeting.

“I’m very proud of how united our diverse group has been and how well they have represented Southern Baptists in this process.,” Wellman told BP in separate comments.

The group reconvened in January after a sabbatical in December that followed a research phase. Wellman referred to that time as when members showed themselves to be “a collection of historians, constitutionalists, and theologians all rolled into one.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Scott Barkley is national correspondent for Baptist Press.)