NASHVILLE (BP) — Southern Baptists wanting to provide input on who should be nominated for the four committees filled by the SBC president have an avenue by which to do so.
Current SBC President Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmersville, Texas, asked for that input through a Google Doc he posted on social media Oct. 24. Respondents are asked to submit recommendations for the Committee on Committees, the Registration Committee, Tellers Committee and Resolutions Committee.
Messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting vote for a president each year. That president makes appointments to fill those four committees.
The three-step survey asks for basic contact information and the church membership of the responder as well as the one being recommended alongside a drop-down menu of the four committees. Upon completion, responders have the option of going back through the process to make another recommendation.
Barber, who is unaware of such a step taken by a predecessor, told BP there is no limit on the number of recommendations. As of 8:30 a.m. Eastern this morning, 83 responses had been submitted.
“I’m all about broad-based involvement of Southern Baptists,” said Barber, who will complete his second one-year term in Indianapolis next June and is, per SBC bylaws, ineligible for re-election. “This is just a chance to democratize things even more.”
“SBC FAQs: A Ready Reference,” written by Keith Harper and Amy Whitfield, outlines the work of those committees. Information can also be found on the SBC Bylaws page.
The Committee on Committees meets prior to the annual meeting and nominates those to serve on the Committee on Nominations and any special committees that are authorized during sessions of the annual meeting. Messengers must approve those nominations. The Committee on Nominations receives names of those to potentially serve on the boards of SBC entities. Those nominations are, in turn, presented to messengers for a vote.
The Registration Committee, led by the registration secretary, convenes at least one day prior to the annual meeting to supervise the registration of messengers, oversee operations at the registration desk and rule upon any questions during the registration process concerning messengers’ credentials.
The Tellers Committee operates in consultation with the registration secretary to tabulate votes at the annual meeting.
The Resolutions Committee processes submitted resolutions and proposes them to messengers for consideration. Of the 10-member group, three are members of the SBC Executive Committee and two must have served on the Resolutions Committee the previous year. The names of those serving must be released to Baptist Press at least 75 days prior to the annual meeting.
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Scott Barkley is national correspondent for Baptist Press.)
