Dakota Baptists Make Impact at SBC Annual Meeting

Close to twenty Dakota Baptists made the trip to Indianapolis in June for the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. More important, their presence was felt during the meeting.

For the past few months, a team has been working to present a resolution and a motion to ask messengers at the meeting to begin the process of increasing trustee representation for smaller “emerging” state conventions like the DBC. While the resolution was rejected by the Resolutions Committee, the motion was presented on the floor.

When the first opportunity to present motions came in the opening session, Jon Ballard (Spearfish, SD: Connection Church) was the first to be recognized by SBC president Bart Barber. The motion read: “I move that the President of the SBC appoint a study team which shall report to the 2025 SBC annual meeting any changes to the SBC by-laws they might recommend in order to allow Southern Baptists in every cooperating state convention or defined territory the opportunity to serve as representatives on convention boards, committees, commissions, and institutions unless otherwise provided in the entity’s charter. This team will report all of its findings to the convention. At least half of this team shall be composed of members from emerging regions of SBC work currently excluded from entity representation.”

The SBC Committee on Order of Business later recommended that the motion be referred to the Executive Committee for further consideration. While the team had hoped the motion would be scheduled for debate during the meeting, they were encouraged that it was received as “in order,” and that it would be considered in the coming year.

They were also encouraged that Ballard was elected to a term on the SBC Executive Committee. He replaces Josh Bonner (Rapid City: Calvary Baptist), who completed his second term at the end of the SBC annual meeting.