How Southern Baptists finally took steps to stop sexual abuse in churches
The largest gathering of Southern Baptists in two decades overwhelmingly demanded a third-party investigation of its executive committee.
More than 20,000 Southern Baptists descended on Nashville, Tennessee, last week to gather for our annual convention. The church representatives, called "messengers" in the Southern Baptist tradition, faced the election of a new president and votes on how to handle challenges such as sexual abuse claims and racial reconciliation.
So, tensions were high.
News media outlets from around the world joined us in covering every minute of the gathering, from inspiring preaching and worship to motions, resolutions and elections.
For people who are not Southern Baptist, the way we organize ourselves can be confusing. We are the largest Protestant denomination, with 45,000 churches and millions of members. We have large institutions that serve churches and communities around the world, including the third-largest disaster relief operation in America.