Is the SBC willing to risk breaking it’s covenant with 47,000 churches to get NAMB leaders out of testifying in court?

It has been 44 days since we notified the SBC Executive Committee, NAMB Trustees, State Convention Leaders, and Local Associations that NAMB’s lawyers are claiming that NAMB has the right to exercise authority over State Conventions (which legally could expand to more) including forcing the removal of state employees from their state positions.

That claim clearly violates of Article IV of the SBC Constitution:

“Article IV. Authority: While independent and sovereign in its own sphere, the Convention does not claim and will never attempt to exercise any authority over any other Baptist body, whether church, auxiliary organizations, associations, or convention.”

It has been 44 days.

The Cooperative and the autonomy of State Conventions, Local Associations, and some churches are still at risk of being completely removed if a judge of a secular court decides to accept NAMB’s lawyer’s claims.

Yet, SBC leadership and NAMB’s trustees have not stopped these claims.

Is the SBC willing to break it’s covenant with 47,000 churches to get NAMB’s leaders out of testifying in a court case?

NAMB’s lawyers may want to make this claim to draw out the case and the insurance company may want to make this claim to prevent the case from going to trial, but it comes at the cost of Article IV of our constitution.

No SBC entity can unilaterally make the decision to disregard and throw out one of the articles of the SBC Constitution. However, NAMB’s lawyers are attempting to do just that.

At any point over the past 44 days NAMB’s leadership could have told their attorneys to abandon those claims. At any point, NAMB’s trustees could have called an emergency meeting to address this serious issue.

Yet, they have not.

It is time to protect the cooperative. It is time to affirm the autonomy of State Conventions, Local Associations, and churches. It is time for the SBC to honor its Constitution and covenant with the 47,000 churches that call themselves Southern Baptists.

NAMB’s Leadership, NAMB’s Trustees or SBC leadership must stop the lawyer’s claims as soon as possible.

What Can You Do?
The fastest way you can make a difference is by contacting the Executive Committee by phone at 615.244.2355 or emailing NAMB’s trustees at trustee@namb.net.