As the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee gathers in Nashville this week (Sept. 18–19), the group comprised of 86 trustees — which includes pastors, ministry leaders and laypeople representing 41 state and regional Baptist conventions from across the country — will work together in four smaller committees to address specific Convention business.
While plenary sessions are “on the record,” media and others who attend the various committee meetings that take place prior to the plenary sessions adhere to “background rules,” which requires there be “no direct quotation of any matter” and “no implied or direct attribution to any person.”
For those who may not know what those in SBC EC committee meetings specifically do, the following is a description of each committee and its responsibilities according to EC bylaws:
Committee on Convention Missions and Ministry
This committee’s chair position is currently vacant and will be voted on during tonight’s (Sept. 18) plenary session. Todd Stiles of Iowa, who was originally elected to serve as chair in June, was unable to continue serving in the role because of a mixup regarding who was eligible to serve as chair. Those who make up this committee consider and make recommendations that involve the following:
— Studying and recommending improvements in the organization and procedures of the Convention and its committees;
— Reviewing EC and Convention entity adherence to the SBC’s constitution and bylaws;
— Reviewing requests to amend the Convention’s charter, constitution, bylaws, organization manual and the charters of the Convention entities;
— Reviewing charter requests for subsidiary corporations of the EC and all Convention entities;
— Reviewing changes in the corporation’s bylaws and other governing documents;
— Electing trustees for the subsidiary corporation of the EC and electing Convention committee members as assigned by the Convention’s bylaws;
— Reviewing SBC annual meeting referrals to develop new or merge existing Convention missions and ministry entities;
— Considering other matters as recommended by the officers of the board.
Committee on Convention Finances and Stewardship Development
This committee is chaired by Adam Wyatt of Mississippi. The members of this committee consider and make recommendations that involve the following:
— Reviewing EC and Convention entity adherence to the Convention’s constitution, bylaw, and business and financial plan guidelines and provisions;
— Reviewing changes and requests to amend the Convention’s business and financial plan;
— Overseeing the annual budgeting processes for the Convention’s Cooperative Program missions and ministries budget and the EC and Convention operating budget and recommending the allocation or appropriation of Cooperative Program funds and other undesignated financial resources;
— Reviewing charitable trust distributions in accordance with trust guidelines and EC action;
— Reviewing plans to promote biblical stewardship and generosity, including the production and distribution of resources, throughout the Convention;
— Serving as the audit committee of the EC;
— Reviewing the appropriateness and operational effect of general financial policies and practices, including auditing, followed by the EC and the Convention’s entities;
— Reviewing evidence of undesirable financial conditions shown in audit or other reports;
— Considering other matters as recommended by the officers of the board.
Committee on Convention Events and Strategic Planning
This committee is chaired by Carolyn Fountain of Louisiana. The members of this committee consider and make recommendations that involve the following:
— Reviewing and approving all policies relative to the management and operations of the Convention’s annual meeting, including contracts with Convention officers and parliamentarians, the Pastors Conference, and other ancillary meetings that utilize space in the Convention’s annual meeting facilities;
— Reviewing and making recommendations for future Convention meeting sites;
— Reviewing site, housing and exhibitor guidelines for the annual meeting of the Convention;
— Reviewing and responding to all matters that pertain to the process, procedures and operations of the SBC annual meeting referred by the Convention to the EC;
— Reviewing broad Convention-wide objectives and policies;
— Reviewing and recommending changes to names, descriptions, or definitions of Southern Baptist-wide initiatives referred to the EC by the Convention or its officers;
— Reviewing questions pertaining to the management and use of the SBC Building;
— Considering other matters as recommended by the officers of the board.
Committee on Southern Baptist Relations
This committee is chaired by Adron Robinson of Illinois. The members of this committee consider and make recommendations that involve the following:
—Acting in an advisory capacity on matters of cooperation among the different entities of the Convention;
— Reviewing initiatives and actions that touch on matters of cooperation between the Convention, the EC, and its entities and other Baptist bodies and affinity groups that cooperate with the Convention;
— Reviewing policies and evaluating the corporation’s news service and the press room at the annual meeting of the Convention;
— Reviewing policies and evaluating the corporation’s general work of promotion and general work of publicity for the Convention and the EC in cooperation with the entities of the Convention;
— Utilizing reports by which the EC obtains adequate and comparable information about ministry plans, accomplishments and financial data from the Convention’s entities;
— Reviewing official communications between the EC and the trustees of the Convention’s entities in fulfillment of the EC’s Bylaw 18 duties;
— Reviewing requests for additions and deletions from the Convention’s calendar of activities;
— Considering other matters as recommended by the officers of the board.
Three of the four committees are meeting during the next two days, and some of the motions made and referred to the EC during the SBC Annual Meeting in June will be addressed in those committee meetings, along with other items. The chairs will report out recommendations during the plenary session so the full board can hear the presentations, ask questions and vote on the recommendations.
