Executive Committee

NASHVILLE (BP) – Trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee met in a closed session on Thursday (Oct. 28). It was the first meeting for the group since the resignations of key EC staff members and a letter from long-time attorneys, Guenther, Jordan & Price, withdrawing from providing legal counsel for the group.

Officers of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee are planning for a special called meeting of the members. A letter from 25 EC trustees calling for the meeting was sent to EC Chairman Rolland Slade on Oct. 13.

Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, announced his resignation Thursday night (Oct. 14) in a letter to Southern Baptists released by email.

Pastors from Texas, Oklahoma and Washington join a CPA in making up the five-member Committee on Cooperation that will act as a liaison between the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, the Sexual Abuse Task Force and Guidepost Solutions during the ongoing investigation over the possible mishandling of reports of sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention. 

A five-hour meeting by Executive Committee members Tuesday (Sept. 28) included debate over three different motions and amendments toward negotiating a contract with the Sexual Abuse Task Force and Guidepost Solutions. The end result brought another agreement to extend discussions another seven days in order to pursue a potential agreement through what came to be called the Michigan model.

A marathon afternoon session that stretched past three hours Tuesday (Sept. 21) ended with Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee members approving a motion to fund a contractual agreement with Guidepost Solutions for investigating claims of mishandling sexual abuse accusations. 

Debate over the long-term effects of waiving attorney-client privilege and remaining in step with the entitys fiduciary responsibility led the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee to call for an executive (or closed) session Monday afternoon (Sept. 20).

“My heart is heavy about this gathering,” he said. “I think all of us feel the weight of it, and we need to find a way forward for the glory of God together.”

Messengers approved the formation of the task force at the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting in June just five days after the Executive Committee had announced Guidepost would conduct a similar review at its own request. The Executive Committee-commissioned review was subsequently put on hold pending the actions of the task force.