The three major debates anticipated for the more than 10,000 messengers to the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting in Dallas — plus a few unexpected ones — all failed to garner enough votes for passage.
From Willy Rice of Florida:
The motion to abolish the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission received 42.84% of the 6,581 ballots cast while 56.89% of the ballots were in favor of retaining ERLC. The vote was 3,744 to keep ERLC and 2,819 to abolish it, with 18 disallowed ballots.
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From Juan Sanchez of Texas:
Juan Sanchez brought a motion about adding a statement to the SBC constitution stating churches in friendly cooperation with the SBC must affirm, appoint or employ “only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by scripture.”
The motion received 60.74% (3,421) in favor and 38.90% (2,191) opposed, but it needed two-thirds (66%) of the 5,632 ballots cast to pass. Twenty ballots were disallowed.
From Rhett Burns of South Carolina:
The motion suggesting an amendment to the proposed revisions to the Business and Financial Plan for SBC entities was defeated by an overwhelming vote from raised ballots.
The amendment would have called for IRS Form 990-type information be made publicly available on all entities receiving Cooperative Program funding.
To read more from the SBC Annual Meeting, follow thebaptistpaper.org/sbc2025.
Results of other motions
To read the information available on other motions proposed during the business sessions of the annual meeting, check out the second half of the Baptist Press article written by David Roach.
