Editorial: Controversy is not sum total of SBC

Some of the best stories involve complex characters—heroes who aren’t all good, villains who aren’t all bad. Clint Eastwood is a master of these stories.

If the Southern Baptist Convention were a person, it definitely would be a complex character, though probably not in a Clint Eastwood movie. And complex characters can be challenging.

Much of what Southern Baptists have done during their history can be classified as heroic—things like faithful pastorates, disaster relief and sending missionaries all over the world. Southern Baptists celebrate and champion these kinds of things during their annual meetings.

On the flip side, Southern Baptists were birthed out of their early support for slavery, they engaged in a bitter battle over the Bible for the better part of two decades, and too many among them mishandled sexual abuse.

Additionally, Southern Baptists differ significantly from the broader society, other Christians and even some other Baptists on a range of social and moral issues, and they haven’t always expressed their differences with others with kindness and grace.

It’s that flip side that’s center stage in so much SBC controversy and for which the SBC and Southern Baptists are known by many.

SBC controversies have captured headlines over the years—and rightfully so. The topics involved are significant, evidenced by the degree and extent to which Southern Baptists have fought over them and disagreed with others about them.

And yet, controversy is not and never has been the sum total of the SBC.

Some key moments during the 2025 SBC annual meeting in Dallas might illustrate my point.

Featured controversies

I will start with the controversies that gained the most attention from messengers during this annual meeting. I won’t report them in detail. Reports are available here and here.

The two items anticipated to be the most contentious were the motion to abolish the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and the motion to amend the SBC constitution to exclude churches employing or appointing women as pastors of any kind or as elders—which is why SBC President Clint Pressley skipped a raised ballot vote and went straight to a paper ballot on both.

What I will say here is the discussion on each motion didn’t rise to expectations—meaning, some of the people sitting around me anticipated “drama” (their word), and there wasn’t any.

On the matter of women as pastors, this really isn’t an issue for most Southern Baptists anymore. Motions, debates and votes during the last few years make clear the majority of Southern Baptists are opposed to women being pastors.

The controversy inside the SBC right now isn’t over opposition to women pastors. It’s over how far to go in codifying and enforcing that position.

The ongoing consequences of mishandling sexual abuse allegations was an undercurrent throughout the annual meeting—specifically, the cost and risk of lawsuits associated with those allegations and their mishandling. Those lawsuits received considerable attention from SBC Executive Committee President Jeff Iorg and others.

Despite that undercurrent, it wasn’t until Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler’s seminary report that a particular person’s name was spoken. A Southern Seminary alum and convention messenger asked Mohler if he would pray for fellow alum and recently deceased abuse survivor Jennifer Lyell’s family and friends. And Mohler did.

Whatever one might think of Mohler and the fact he couldn’t easily say, “No,” in that moment, it was an important moment—I would say a sacred moment. And the only time I heard Jennifer Lyell mentioned in the room.

Holy moments

As significant as those things are—and I rank the SBC’s handling of sexual abuse allegations as top among them—there were many moments significant in other ways throughout the annual meeting.

One could start with the Woman’s Missionary Union celebration on June 8. WMU—the women and the organization—definitely fit in the hero category.

One could continue with the reunions of friends and former coworkers throughout the four days. Who of us doesn’t relish a hug from a longtime friend we haven’t seen in, well, a long time? Or the gaze and listening ear of someone who knows us well and still cares about us and loves us? I witnessed a lot of that.

When I see people reunite like that, I can’t help but experience it vicariously—because I’ve experienced it directly—as a holy moment. The SBC annual meeting is full of that.

And there are moments like Jeremy McMorris’ prayer to start the second day of business. McMorris, pastor of Paramount Baptist Church in Amarillo, prayed for the “Spirit’s help” and God’s direction.

“I pray that the good news of the gospel would keep us in this room humble this morning. Father, would you please keep us humble and make us men and women who are holy because of what Christ has done for us,” he continued.

“We’ve got business to attend to, and you know that we need wisdom,” because “we’re going to vote on things and discuss things, … and we desperately need minds that are full of the truth from your word. We need hearts that are warmed and given instruction by your Spirit.”

Whatever a person might think about the decisions ultimately reached, all followers of Jesus ought to cheer prayers like McMorris’.

Funny moments

Several asked me Wednesday about the tone of the room and the debate on motions. Every time, I used the word “amicable.” And that’s not a bad thing. In fact, it might have been an answer to McMorris’ prayer.

I also said there were funny moments that popped up throughout the day, which is its own kind of gift.

Like Registration Secretary Don Currence’s bobblehead and Gateway Seminary President Adam Groza’s long bouncing bangs.

Currence is an annual meeting celebrity. Some people actually wore t-shirts with a photo of him and “Currence for Prez” on them. When Currence was called to the podium to conduct a ballot vote Wednesday morning, he placed a bobblehead of himself at the front of the podium briefly before putting it back in his jacket and saying, “Now, we have to get serious.”

Later, at the conclusion of Groza’s report on Gateway Seminary, a messenger from Oklahoma asked him what product he uses in his hair.

Groza responded, “At gs.edu/transparency, you can go and learn a lot about all that we do … a lot, but not everything.”

And then there was the messenger standing in line at the mic who, after seeing himself on the large screens, tried to fix his hair and finally gave up … all while another messenger in front of him was expressing a serious point, and earnestly so, at the same mic. I guess you had to be there.

Does the comedy obscure the controversy? No. But neither should the jovial or holy moments go unacknowledged. We can grieve the bad and be grateful for the good, because together they stand as testimony that controversy isn’t the sum total of the SBC. Southern Baptists are complex characters—just like everyone else—who deserve the grace to be fully human.

What makes for a good story? Well, that’s the stuff of opinions. Does the SBC stand among the best stories? Again, that’s subjective. But one thing is for sure, the SBC certainly can fill the role.

Eric Black is the executive director, publisher and editor of the Baptist Standard. He can be reached at eric.black@baptiststandard.com. The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the author.