The change would have added a doctrinal position that is stated in the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 but is not present in the convention’s constitution. Out of the 10,942 messengers present at the meeting, 5,099 (61.45%) voted in favor of the amendment, and 3,185 (38.38%) voted against it.
In a message addressed to Southern Baptists, Law said, “Now is not the time to leave, but to lean in, lead, and labor for Biblical faithfulness, while believing the best about brothers and sisters who came to a different conclusion on this Amendment.”
Southern Baptists Do Not Adopt Nicene Creed at Annual Meeting
Another topic of discussion at the 2024 SBC annual meeting concerned the Nicene Creed, a Christian statement of faith accepted across Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions. Some are in favor of adding the creed to the SBC’s statement of faith, the Baptist Faith & Message 2000.
On June 10, Dr. David Allen, who at the time was one of six candidates for president of the SBC, expressed reservations about the Nicene Creed, saying he was “not a big fan of ecumenism.” Allen said that while he does think it is “a very good creed,” he believes “there are still a couple issues of wording in that creed that could be interpreted to foment or to produce doctrines or concepts of doctrines that we as Baptists would reject.”
Allen told ChurchLeaders in response to a request for comment that his concern centered on the phrase “one baptism for the remission of sins” and that he would support adding the creed to the BFM “with proper clarification.”
During the annual meeting, three messengers made separate motions to add the Nicene Creed to the BFM; two were referred to the SBC’s Executive Committee for evaluation over the coming year.
