“There’s no question that the Executive Committee and Southern Baptist Convention are going to be in lean years, financially. But by God’s grace and endurance, we will come out of that, and keep marching forward,” said Clint Pressley, foreshadowing what was to come in his first message to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Executive Committee (EC) as SBC President.
Meeting in Nashville, the EC reported Tuesday (Sept. 17) it has spent $12,142,533 on sexual abuse investigation expenses since Oct. 1, 2020. Later in the day, Philip Robertson, SBC EC Chair, announced the EC approved an amended 2024-2025 operating budget of $11.8 million to meet its legal and operational expenses. The EC further authorized the EC President to execute a loan secured by the SBC Building in downtown Nashville and to place the building on the market.
Department for abuse response
EC President Jeff Iorg announced it was time for the SBC to “stop talking” about sexual abuse prevention and response and “take an initial step” toward creating a new department dedicated to helping churches confront the issue. The move was in response to messengers this past June in Indianapolis calling for the EC to find a more permanent home for abuse response in the SBC.
“It’s time now to stop talking about what we’re going to do and take an initial step,” Iorg said.
The EC will hire a director and staff to lead the department to help Southern Baptists prevent abuse in their churches.
The meeting also included decisions on referrals from messengers to the SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, an installation service for Iorg, and other business. Links to articles with further details about those and other matters appear below.
WRAP-UP: SBC EC takes up dozens of referrals, including abuse prevention, financial challenges
SBC EC legal expenses surpass $12M in three years
EC votes to create department dedicated to ongoing sexual abuse response
Pressley: ‘Hold fast’ to BF&M, CP
Lifeway presents largest-in-years missions offering to IMB, NAMB
Southern Baptists cooperative ‘force for good,’ Iorg maintains at installation
– By IB Staff with additional reporting from The Baptist Paper