SBC messengers are weary of task forces and study groups. They proved it June 9–10 with their votes on motions at the 2026 SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando.
Messengers also gave the first of two required two-thirds approvals of an SBC constitutional amendment limiting friendly cooperation to churches with only men in the office or function of pastor. The motion was submitted by Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler.
One-third of the 30 motions made by messengers requested the formation of task forces or study committees. Messengers voted to indefinitely postpone nine of them, a parliamentary maneuver effectively killing the motions.
“As a person who just recently chaired a task force whose job it was to assess the work of another task force,” said Jay Adkins, chairman of the Great Commission Resurgence Evaluation Task Force, “I’m pretty tired of task forces.”
One motion requesting a task force on transparency and accountability was referred to the Executive Committee and all SBC entities.
A motion by Robbie Gibson of North Carolina calling for an amendment to the SBC Constitution to clarify that only biological males may serve as pastors was referred to the EC automatically as a request for changes to a Convention governing document.
The Committee on Order of Business asked for a vote on Gibson’s tandem motion to suspend the SBC standing rule requiring referral to the EC of motions requesting changes to governing documents, but messengers voted against suspending the rule for Gibson’s motion.
Seven motions were ruled out of order. One of those was a request that the SBC expand resources for Deaf churches, Deaf pastors and Deaf leaders, submitted by Brance Long of North Carolina.
“It saddened our committee to have to rule” Long’s motion out of order, said Committee on Order of Business chairman Bryant Sims. Messengers paused to pray for ministry to the Deaf, led by SBC President Clint Pressley.
(For full coverage of SBC motions on The Baptist Courier’s website, visit List of Motions and Resolutions.)
— David Roach is a writer in Mobile, Ala.