The 2026 SBC Annual Meeting and Pastor Conference, which is being held in Orlando, Florida, started on Sunday and will conclude on Wednesday.
Among the list of resolutions, Southern Baptists are concerned with the rise of antisemitism seen on college campuses and across the country.
Dr. Richard Land of Southern Evangelical Seminary says the resolution on antisemitism recognizes that that prejudice has been growing in the U.S. since the October 7, 2023, terror attacks.
“Well, unfortunately and grotesquely, antisemitism is growing. It's growing exponentially in the United States,” Land says.
The resolution calls for Southern Baptists to stand with the Jews and combat antisemitism wherever they find it.
“It is evil. It is birthed in the pits of hell. It's satanic, and it needs to be addressed every time it rears its ugly head,” Land states.
Another resolution calls on SBC churches to only hire men to fill the office and function of "pastor."
Land says there's also a resolution that recognizes the historical Baptist contributions to religious liberty as the country celebrates its 250th birthday.
“Religious freedom, soul freedom, the freedom to believe what you want to believe, is the Baptist gift to the Reformation, and it's the Baptist gift to America,” Land states.
There's are resolutions appreciating bi-vocational pastors, the importance of the physically gathered church in a digital age and the importance of finishing well in life and ministry.
Land says the SBC is rebounding well from its sex abuse scandal. In 2022, the SBC released a 205-page document listing Baptist leaders and members accused or guilty of sexually abusing children, 700 entries on cases from 2000-2019, reported The Guardian.
“The SBC is doing better. We've been through a little bit of a rough patch. Attendance is up. Baptisms are up, which is something to be very, very grateful for and to glorify our Savior,” Land says.
Other topics covered in the resolutions are assisted suicide, political violence, immigration and how to minister to the disabled and their families.
Laura Erlanson is one of the hosts of SBC This Week, and she spoke on the Disability Needs Task Force and the proposed resolution relating to it, saying it will be very helpful for churches in handling families that feel like they can’t come to church because there is no outlet for their loved one that has a special need.
