ORLANDO, Fla.—Southern Baptist Convention messengers presented several motions during the 2026 SBC annual meeting in Orlando, including three related to women in ministry.
Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, made the first motion, moving to amend the SBC Constitution to add an enumerated sixth item under Article 3, paragraph 1.
The proposed language would clarify a cooperating Southern Baptist church “does not act to affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor/elder/overseer, specifically preaching to the assembled congregation.”
Mohler also moved for the suspension of Standing Rule 6, so the motion could be scheduled for debate during the 2026 SBC annual meeting rather than being referred to the Executive Committee. The motion received many seconds.
Later in the day, messengers voted to suspend Standing Rule 6, and Mohler’s motion was scheduled for consideration by messengers Wednesday morning, June 10, at 8:45 a.m.
A motion calling for a study committee to draft a statement on women’s roles in ministry leadership was later postponed indefinitely along with a whole slate of motions calling for task forces and study committees.
Among the 19 motions made Tuesday afternoon, one motion sought to make Mohler’s proposed constitutional amendment more specific with “affirm, approve, or endorse only a man born biological male at birth serving as pastor/elder/overseer or any kind, sort, or manner.”
Disposition of this and the other 18 motions made Tuesday afternoon will be announced on Wednesday, June 10.
Summary of other motions
During Tuesday convention business, messengers made motions calling for the development of task forces and study committees on topics such as clarifying women’s roles in ministry leadership, counseling and support for pastor’s wives, biblical arbitration and reconciliation, messenger engagement, and accountability within the SBC.
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Other motions related to trustee eligibility, financial transparency of SBC entities, the SBC’s support of Israel, condemnation of racism, limiting the time for worship and addresses, convention participation and business structure, the SBC’s vaccination policies, and other topics.
Malcolm Yarnell, teaching pastor at Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury, member of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board, and professor of theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, called on the six SBC seminaries and Lifeway Christian Resources to report on “addressing widespread theological errors among American evangelicals regarding the deity of Jesus Christ, the personhood of the Holy Spirit, and the exclusivity of Christian worship” in an effort to “secure classical Christian orthodoxy” across the convention.
Of the 10 motions made Tuesday morning, Mohler’s was the only one to be scheduled for consideration on Wednesday. The motion calling for a task force to examine why millennials and Generation Z are converting to Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy was referred. The remaining eight motions were postponed indefinitely.
Credentials Committee report
Over the last year, the Credentials Committee reported considering the membership status of nearly 200 churches, 114 of which were new concerns received during that time.
More than 100 inquiries were completed by the committee. Three were recommended for discontinuation of fellowship for “lack of intent to cooperate to resolve a question of faith and practice,” according to the 2026 SBC Book of Reports. Ten churches voluntarily withdrew from the SBC.
More than 75 percent of the church inquiries relate to instances of allegations of sexual abuse and how churches respond, Credentials Committee Chair Jonathan Sams reported. More than 600 of the 800 churches the committee has considered since the committee’s creation have involved such allegations.
During the same seven-year period, the committee has received 58 reports regarding “churches alleged to have women serving in the pastoral office or using the title pastor.” Forty-four of those churches were Southern Baptist. Twenty of the 44 voluntarily withdrew from the SBC, and 10 were recommended for disfellowship as not being in friendly cooperation.
New SBC president
With 11,613 messengers registered at the time of the presidential election and 9,063 messengers voting, Willy Rice received 5,217 (57.56 percent) of the votes. Josh Powell received 3,821 (42.16 percent) of the votes. Rice was recognized as SBC president-elect.
The election for recording secretary resulted in a run-off when George Schroeder received 2,951 (37.79 percent) of the votes, and Travis Kerns received 2,944 (37.30 percent) of the votes. Jonathan Greer, the third candidate, received 1,895 (24.27 percent) of the votes of 7,809 messengers. Run-off election results will be announced on Wednesday, June 10.
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