FARMERSVILLE, Texas (BP and local reports) — Cassie Stanteen, a member of First Church, Clinton, has been named vice chair of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Committee on Committees by SBC President Bart Barber, pastor of First Church, Farmersville, Texas.
Matt Powell, senior pastor of First Church, Tupelo, was also appointed by Barber to serve on the influential committee which is tasked with nominating members of the Committee on Nominations, which will in turn make recommendations to the messengers of the SBC annual meeting for service on the:
— SBC Executive Committee.
— Directors/trustees of SBC boards.
— Trustees for SBC institutions.
— Trustees for SBC commissions.
— Members of all standing committees, with the exception of a few members of the SBC Credentials Committee.
The Committee on Committees is composed of 68 members, two from each of the 34 states and regions qualified for representation. Riley Prather, pastor of Green Valley Church, Putnam, Conn., was appointed committee chair by Barber, who is serving his first term as SBC president.
The makeup of the Committee on Committees reflects the growing diversity of the Convention, with 33% of appointees being non-Caucasian (13% Hispanic, 10% Black, six percent Asian, three percent Native American,) and 25% women.
The churches represented are diverse in size as well, with 38% of the members attending churches with fewer than 100 in weekly worship; 41% at churches of 100-500; 12% at churches of 500-999, and nine percent at churches that run more than 1,000 in weekly worship.
On average, members’ churches give 5.7% through the Cooperative Program.
“These fellow believers represent the manifold beauty of the SBC — different career paths, church sizes, ages, birthplaces, and ethnicities,” Barber said. “What unites them is a love for Christ, passion for the Gospel, respect for inerrant Scripture, commitment to the Baptist Faith and Message, and hope for the future of Southern Baptist cooperation.”
The announcement comes in accordance with SBC Bylaw 19, which calls for the SBC president to give notice to Southern Baptists of the appointees at least 45 days in advance of the Annual Meeting.
Registration is currently open for messengers and childcare for the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) June 13-14 in New Orleans at sbcannualmeeting.net. After registering, individuals will receive an email with a QR code and registration number.
The process requires prospective messengers to present their church’s SBC identification number as well as confirmation the church has chosen them as a messenger.
Southern Baptist churches that contributed to the Cooperative Program from Oct. 1, 2021-Sept. 30, 2022, are allotted two messengers with some allowed as many as 12, depending on the amount the church gave toward SBC mission causes through the Cooperative Program.
For information on how to serve as a messenger, or delegate, to the SBC Annual Meeting, members of Mississippi Baptist churches should contact the office of the church where they hold membership.
