Robyn Hari, chair of the SBC EC Committee on Convention Finances and Stewardship Development, is among the six EC trustees who have resigned since the September meeting in Nashville. She is shown here reporting to the group during that meeting. (Photo by Van Payne)

SBC Executive Committee trustee resignations up to six since September meeting

October 5, 2021 By TheBaptist Paper

Update: Following the Oct. 5 EC vote to waive attorney-client privilege, the total number of resignations has risen to eight as reported by The Alabama Baptist.

So far six trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee have resigned since the Sept. 20–21 regularly scheduled meeting in Nashville.

They are:

Robyn Hari of Tennessee, who served as chair of the Committee on Convention Finances and Stewardship Development.
Melissa Golden of Alabama, who proposed the original compromise motion coming out of the Sept. 21 meeting that provided more time for negotiations.
Ron Hale of Tennessee and former IBSA state evangelism director.
Paul Hicks of Alabama, who was the first to resign after the Sept. 21 meeting.
Gene McPherson of Arkansas.
Chuck Williams of Tennessee.

While there are 86 seats, only 85 were filled following Tom Tucker of South Carolina not being nominated for a second term during the SBC Annual Meeting in June. Now, 79 remain filled and 67 of those 79 were present at the opening of today’s second special called meeting, but at least one had to step away before any votes on motions were taken.

And because the EC officers were again unable to come to an agreement with the members of the Sexual Abuse Task Force, two more executive sessions took place for more information to be shared and the group ultimately voted in favor of Jared Wellman’s motion (similar to what has been presented the past two meetings), which calls for waiving attorney client privilege within the scope of the motion. The vote was 44 in favor of waiving attorney client privilege to 31 against and 4 who did not vote.

Roughly 1,900 people were watching online during the vote.

At the beginning of the meeting, EC chairman Rolland Slade apologized for the way EC members conducted themselves during the previous special called meeting (Sept. 28) and outlined a more organized and structured format for today’s meeting, which includes keeping members on mute until they are recognized by the chair and unmuted. He also shared Proverbs 3:5–6 and led a prayer for clarity and unity.

“We must stop fighting one another,” Slade pleaded.

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