SBC Executive Committee handles messenger motions, aligns with financial realities

NASHVILLE (BP) – In line with its “limited but essential function,” the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee took steps to reduce its budget and considered messengers’ motions from the 2026 SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando.

At their opening session Monday night, EC members heard for the first time from SBC President Willy Rice, who was elected in June. Rice, senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, Fla., called on Southern Baptist churches to continue to guard against the “grievous wickedness of sexual abuse.” He announced his desire to add an article on human sexuality to the Baptist Faith and Message as well as his intentions for a renewed focus on evangelism in light of the coming 2,000^th anniversary of the Great Commission.

Members also heard Monday night from SBC EC President and CEO Jeff Iorg, who addressed changes at the organization.

“We are at our best at the Executive Committee when we facilitate the success of others. Our work should be done without notoriety or unnecessary controversy,” Iorg said. “That’s our goal as we refine our workload to fit the available resources and stay focused on our core mission in the future.”

The EC’s reduced budget includes “reduced compensation and benefits … curtailed ministry efforts, increased fees for services and … new efficiencies in several areas,” Iorg said Monday. The budget reflects a 12 percent decrease, or about $660,000.

On Tuesday, EC members approved recommended changes to the EC staff personnel manual as well as to the staff retirement plan with GuideStone Financial Resources.

Credentials Committee

The EC deemed The Link Church in Macon, Ga., no longer in friendly cooperation with the SBC, on “the basis that the church is acting in a manner inconsistent with the Convention’s beliefs regarding sexual abuse, as demonstrated by their retaining as pastor an individual who is biblically disqualified.”

Baptist Press contacted the church for comment but did not receive a response by deadline.

SBC Pastors’ Conference

The EC voiced support for the SBC Pastors’ Conference, agreeing to continue studying “issues related to the Pastors’ Conference funding in the future” and agreeing to retain in the EC’s 2026-2027 proposed budget “$400,000 funding for the 2027 Pastors Conference along with a requested $150,000 reimbursement” from the conference.

Jonathan Howe, vice president for convention administration, affirmed the worth of the event.

“The financial viability of the SBC Pastors’ Conference is critically tied to the future success of the SBC Annual Meeting experience,” Howe told Baptist Press. “The EC continues to allocate funding in its budget to assist in offsetting costs related to the SBC Pastors Conference. Our commitment is to work with past, current and future Pastors’ Conference leadership to provide the best possible experience for attendees, while ensuring financial success for both the Pastors’ Conference and the EC.”

The EC also received as information a report from the 2026 Pastors’ Conference submitted by 2026 conference president Aaron Burgner, lead pastor of Lakes Church in Lakeland, FL.

In other action, the EC:

• Declined to amend SBC Bylaw 15, but rather affirmed the current language regarding appointments to the Committee on Nominations. Currently, Bylaw 15, Section F states, “No person and no person’s spouse shall be eligible to serve on the board of any one of the above entities (1) from which the person receives, directly or indirectly, any form of payment or financial benefit except for reimbursements for reasonable and authorized expenses incurred in the performance of the duties of a trustee, or, (2) which provides funds for which he/she has a duty of administration. When such conditions become applicable, that person or that person’s spouse shall be considered as having resigned and such vacancy shall be filled in accordance with established Convention procedure.”

The current language is sufficient, the EC said, “for providing guidelines to the Committee on Nominations for selecting individuals to serve on SBC boards and committees.” Additionally, the EC said, Article III of the SBC Business and Financial Plan, clarifies that, “The Executive Committee and each Convention entity will obtain annual conflict-of-interest statements completed by its respective members, trustees, and applicable employees.” Under this system, “trustees should recuse themselves on any issues where a conflict of interest exists,” the EC said.

• Declined to recommend an amendment to the SBC Constitution Article III, Section 1, regarding the cooperation status of a church as it relates to the church having the right to seat messengers at the annual meeting. “The Convention is currently considering another recommendation to Article III,” the EC said in its decision.

• Voted to present to the 2027 SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis an amendment to SBC Bylaw 8 regarding messenger credentials, deleting faxes and emails as delivery modes for messengers to present credentials when registering at convention registration desks. But the EC declined to recommend an amendment to Section A of Bylaw 8 regarding the registration process for messengers.

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This article appeared in Baptist Press.