Kristen Ferguson, chair of the 2024 Committee on Resolutions, was hoping to see Southern Baptist Convention messengers adopt all 10 of the resolutions the committee had prepared.
It didn’t work out exactly that way — but the committee nonetheless finished with a perfect record: eight resolutions presented, eight resolutions adopted.
During a press conference Wednesday afternoon (June 12), Ferguson said that even though time restraints caused two of the resolutions to be left out — due to the fact that, as Ferguson put it with a smile, “the messengers had lots of things that they wanted to discuss extensively” — she was nonetheless “so grateful” for the ones adopted.
Ferguson was joined on the podium by the committee’s vice chair Stacy Gaylord and Jason Thacker, who leads ERLC’s Research Institute and served as a liaison for the committee.
New ground
In regard to a resolution opposing in vitro fertilization, Ferguson said the committee was aware that this year marked the first time the “messenger body had been able to speak on this topic. We knew this topic is very detailed … and it was our goal to open the conversation.” She added that the resolution “reiterates (the SBC’s) long-held belief of the sanctity of human life.”
Thacker said the resolution supported “the dignity of the pre-born life, beginning at fertilization until natural death. This is a central aspect of what it means to be Southern Baptist.” Thacker added he believes the resolution will be a “great aid” to churches, pastors and families.
When asked about the resolution that spoke to “Just (justified) Wars,” Ferguson said the committee determined it had “never had a resolution that outlined ‘just wars’ principles. We felt it would be prudent of us to have a resolution that only speaks to just war — without referencing a specific conflict that is active, so that, if in the future, heaven forbid, if we are having other wars, the SBC can look back at this ‘just war’ resolution and gain some insight.”
On the topic of religious liberty, Gaylord said the hope is that the SBC would recognize that when it “advocates for, and protects, religious liberty for all, we are advocating for ourselves as well.”
Despite two of the potential resolutions not being presented, Ferguson said she felt the messengers sent a clear message about their stance against sexual abuse. She said the adoption of the committee’s first resolution made that obvious.
“I think (this resolution) very robustly indicates that we want our leaders to operate with the highest standards,” she said.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by David Dawson of Baptist and Reflector.
To read more on business conducted at the 2024 SBC Annual Meeting, click the link below.
