Among other business, messengers to the 2025 BGCT annual meeting considered one of two motions to examine relationships between the BGCT and its partner education institutions. Discussion on the motion was praised for the civility of debate for and against it.
Praising civil debate
“I was very proud of what happened yesterday,” Ronny Marriott said in his final address as BGCT president, referring to discussion of motions to amend the 2026 BGCT budget. “That is a beautiful moment when we can have disagreements, but we can debate with civility,” he continued.
“I think we as Texas Baptists and Texas Baptist churches have an opportunity to show an unbelieving world how a diverse people can be unified,” Marriott said.
Acknowledging there is always disagreement wherever there is diversity, “Will our disagreement be more prominent than our cooperation?” Marriott asked.
Referring to Isaiah 1:18—“Come now, and let us reason together”—Marriott lamented the world having “lost the ability to debate and to reason with civility.” BGCT messengers demonstrated civil and reasonable debate “the last two days,” Marriott added.
Marriott was alluding to two motions made during miscellaneous business on Nov. 17, one of which was debated and decided prior to his closing address.
Calling Texas Baptists to see health and strength in their diversity, Marriott concluded with the challenge to “show the world the strength of unity amid diversity for the glory of God.”
Motions on institutional relations
The Committee on the Annual Meeting ruled out of order a motion made the previous day by Kody Alvarez, pastor and messenger from Oak Grove Baptist Church in China Spring, a church dually aligned with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.
Alvarez’s motion directed the BGCT’s Institutional Relations Committee “to examine all BGCT-affiliated educational institutions for alignment with the GC2 summary of faith” and to make “affirmation of the GC2 summary [as demonstrated by all religion and theology faculty signing it] a condition” for receiving BGCT funds.
The motion was determined to “circumvent the authority of the Executive Board” as provided by Art. 8, Sec. 1(C) of the BGCT constitution. Under this section, the recommendation to discontinue an affiliation or relationship must come from the Executive Board.
A motion by Mike Miller, pastor and messenger from Central Baptist Church in Jacksonville, was determined to be in order and was brought to the messengers for a vote. Miller’s motion called for an examination of Baylor University’s “endorsements of and partnerships and affiliations with any organizations that advocate or affirm the LGBTQ lifestyle and agenda.”
Support for the motion
Speaking in favor of his motion, Miller referred to Baylor officially chartering in April 2022 “an LGBTQ+ student organization” called Prism.
“According to Prism’s constitution,” Miller read, “‘The mission of Prism serves Baylor University and its students through creating a respectful space that embraces diverse sexual identities.”
Miller also referenced Baylor’s affiliation with Baptist Women in Ministry, including sponsoring the organization and its events.
Citing BWIM’s website, Miller said: “BWIM states that it is ‘committed to supporting and advocating for any individual who identifies as a woman,’ [and] they further state that they are ‘committed to celebrating and supporting LGBTQ+ women and open and affirming congregations.’”
Though Baylor has made official statements affirming the biblical understanding of sexuality, “Baylor has chosen to contradict its own Statement on Human Sexuality,” Miller asserted.
Baylor’s statement reads that deviations from the biblical norm of “purity in singleness and fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman … include both heterosexual sex outside of marriage and homosexual behavior.”
Baylor expects its “students will not participate in advocacy groups which promote understandings of sexuality that are contrary to biblical teaching,” Miller said, quoting the same statement. He contended Baylor gives “either tacit or explicit approval to such groups,” calling such approval “a betrayal of the trust” of Texas Baptists.
“Accountability is a good thing. Let’s take a look and make sure that our partner is staying true to who we are,” Miller concluded.
Kody Alvarez also spoke in favor of the motion to examine Baylor: “The goal of accountability is to maintain the relationship. … So, the goal for doing this … would be, Lord willing, to bring clarity and then, hopefully, see them draw back from that progressive push, because the thing about the progressive push, it’s always going to keep pushing.”
“Baylor is not, in fact, seen—regardless of their statements and written documents—to be living by what they claim. This is the perception, whether we like it or not, among a great number of Texans,” Matthew Jones, pastor and messenger from Reliance Baptist Church in Bryan, said as time for debate ran out, speaking in favor of the motion.
Opposition to the motion
Speaking against the motion, Ross Chandler, pastor and messenger from First Baptist Church in Marble Falls, asserted Miller’s motion has “the exact same spirit and motive” as the motion to defund Baptist World Alliance, which failed passage the previous day.
Passing Miller’s motion would result in messengers “going through all of this again next year” after a process leading “right back to this conclusion that Baylor represents Texas Baptist churches,” Chandler concluded.
“Baylor’s position on human sexuality is both biblical and traditional,” Howie Batson, pastor and messenger from First Baptist Church in Amarillo, said.
“Recent decisions by the Baylor administration have demonstrated a clear commitment to uphold biblical boundaries against same-gender sexuality,” Batson added, presumably referring to Baylor rescinding a grant from the Baugh Foundation to fund the study of the “disenfranchisement and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals and women” in churches.
“Baylor seeks to provide a caring community for all students,” Batson continued. “I, for one, appreciate Baylor’s efforts to be true to traditional values, faith and practice,” he concluded.
Decision on the motion
After time ran out for debate, messengers voted on Miller’s motion. A raised-ballot vote was ruled too close to call. After messengers were instructed to stand and raise their ballots to vote for or against the motion, the chair ruled the majority voted against the motion.
Resolutions
Messengers approved a resolution expressing appreciation for the host city Abilene and a second resolution expressing appreciation for BGCT officers and staff.
A third resolution—“On the Pervasive Harm of Pornography in the Digital Age” and the first to address pornography since 1986—passed without discussion.
The resolution addresses the digitization of pornography, including AI, both of which have “fundamentally shifted the capacity and reach” of pornography. Digitization makes pornography more accessible and more easily marketed to and accessible by children and adolescents.
Calling pornography “predatory in nature,” a distorting of God’s design, a dehumanizing and objectifying of people, exploitative, and no respecter of persons, the resolution charges pornography with fueling lust and addiction, “contribut[ing] to relational strife,” and being “increasingly recognized as a public health crisis.”
The resolution laments pornography’s proliferation and “destructive effects.” It calls for Texas Baptists to “commit to leading out in opposing pornography [with] a repentant, biblical, compassionate, prophetic, pastoral, and redemptive response.”
Churches are encouraged “to advocate for state and local policies that meaningfully restrict the access of minors to pornographic websites and digital content, to support age-verification laws and accountability measures, and to collaborate responsibly with public officials, educators, and child-protection agencies for the welfare of children.”
“Pastors, parents, and congregations [are urged] to lovingly provide clear biblical teaching on human sexuality, to equip families with tools to navigate online safety, and to cultivate environments where sin can be confessed without fear of condemnation, in order that healing, repentance, accountability, and restoration may flourish.”
Finally, churches are encouraged “to extend Christlike love, support, and restoration to all who are struggling with pornography.”
The full text of the resolution is available here.
Other business
Bill Arnold was re-elected as secretary of the corporation, and Michael Evans Sr. was re-elected as registration secretary, both by unanimous consent.
As of start of business Nov. 18, 1,136 messengers and 806 guests were registered.
UPDATE: This article was updated Nov. 19 to include the number of registered messengers.
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