Ouachita Baptist University Scholarly Commons @ Ouachita Arkansas Baptist Newsmagazine, 1985-1989 Arkansas Baptist Newsmagazine 6-20-1985 June 20, 1985 Arkansas Baptist State Convention Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.obu.edu/arbn_85-89 Part of the Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, and the Mass Communication Commons On the cover '85 SBC takes steps toward healing divisions by Betty Kennedy a nd Mark Ke ll y, ABN staff Tu esday morning if it would require the conven:ion to make M essengers to the 128th annual meeting payments to honor financial contracts of the Sou thern Baptist Convention al ready already signed for Las Vegas. had set one record- for number registered ­ Several motions introduced addressed and were on th eir way to another-for more equitable representat ion of all resolutions-by the time th ey ended the first Southern Baptists on committees and session Tu esday morning. The registration boards. Several ca lled for limiting the total shortly after the 9 a.m. call to order was number from any one church, and one 40,723. would place limitations on the Committee The Tuesday morning figure tops a on Committees appointments, such as length previous high opening registration of 22,872 of service in a Baptist church or recommen­ at the Atlanta, Ga., meeti ng in 1978. dation by the sta te convention presiden t. The record number of messengers prese n­ The Committee on Committees is the sub­ ted problems. The ha ll where the conven­ ject of concern beca use that group chooses tion \YaS being held was filled beyond seating the Committee on Boards, Commissions and capaci ty when th e session was called to Stand ing Committees, which in turn order. During the morning, messe nge rs nominates persons to positions on the com­ overflowed into the arena in the sa me mittees and trustee boards of the SBC. Cur­ building, where the proceedings were on rently, the sse president has sole authority ABN pholo/MIIIie Gill closed-circuit television and the messe ngers to appoint th e Committee on Committees. A sea of messengers crowd the exh ibit had access to a microphone connected to Motions were not discussed during theses­ area of th e Dallas Conven tion Cenrer, the mai n hall. sion but were schedu led by the Committee many of them moving toward the Only duly registered messe ngers were be­ on Order of Bu sin ess for consideration at a registration area. By the close of theses­ ing admitted to the hall s. Ushefs stationed later time or referred to the proper sse stan­ sions Thursda y afternoon, 45,431 at the doors checked fo r the pink bac king ding committee. messengers had registered, although card on their booklet of ballots before ad­ four were unseated when the body mitting pe rso ns. was told they were not actually The tight secu rity kept fo rm er SBC presi­ members of the church they claimed. dent Franklin Paschall of Nashville from presenting to the messengers his planned " peace inititive" motion during the miscellaneous business session Tuesday morn ing. Dallas, Texas, June 11-13 Paschall had leh his ballot cards in his In this issue hotel room, so the motion was presented by Bill Hickem of Florida on behalf of Paschall Other molions called for a new Bible com­ and the pres idents of 37 Baptist state mentary to be published by Southern Bap­ .8 peace & healing in SBC · conventions. tists; opposed sa laried employees of SBC Editorial perspective on the annual meeting The motion requested an 19-member boards, agencies and institutions " taking of the Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas committee be named to look into the causes sides in the controversies within our conven­ fast week focuses on the prospects for hea l­ of the curren t SBC controversies and suggest tio.n;" a.nd ca lled for the book of reports ing and unity. solutions for reconciliation by the 1986 necessa ry for the annual meeting be made meeting. avai lable to each church at least one month TYVO dozen other motions were introduc­ before th e conve ntion meets. (A shortage of 11 offering falls short ed in the opening session, but tYVO were rul­ the books this yea r prompted comments by Although the Lottie Moon Christmas Offer­ ed out of order immediately. One called for several messengers in the course of business.) ing for Foreign Missions recorded the biggest the messenge rs to nullify President Charles Messengers adopted a $130 million increase ever, it still feff $1 .2 miflion short of Stanley's appointments to the Committee on Cooperative Program budget for 1984-85 to the goal. Committees and replace them with state finance the denomination's multiple pro­ convention presi dents and state WMU grams of missio ns, education and other presidents. That would have suspended the ministri es. Th e budget was a major item of SBC Bylaws, which is not allowed under recommendation from the SBC Executive Robert's Rules of Order. Committee. Th e t985-86 budget was the However, the majority of the oth er mo­ same as th at for 1984-85, an effort to bring tions called for cha nges in the way appoint­ budget and receipts into closer harmony. ments are made to SBC committees and Th e committee reported that CP receipts agency and institution boards, including for the current yea r stand at $5.8 million and changing the appointment process from are more than $4 million ahead of the same resting so lely in the hands of th e pres ident. period la st year. However, this is 10.6 per­ Also ruled out of order was a motion to ce nt sho rt of total budget and 1. 5 percent rescind th e 1983 SBC's decision to hold th e short of basic operating budget. 1989 annual meeting in las Vega s. Another In the annual president's address, Charl es motion was then introduced asking the Stan ley, pastor of Fi rst Church of Atlan ta , messengers to set aside Robert's Rules of cha llenged South ern Baptists to put denomi­ Order and select another site for 1989, even national strife behind them and show a wat- Page 2 ARKAN ~ A S BAPTIST NEWSMAGAZINE ching world that the message of love and last 10 yea rs-as evidence of Moore's "ab· elected Stan ley by a 3,656-vote margin. forgiveness they proclaim is au thentic. sol ute loyalty to his lord and unquestioned Sta nley polled 24,453 votes or 55 .3 percent Stanley, seeking election to a second one­ cooperation with His peopl e." Cunningham of the ballots. Moore drew 19,795 or 44.7 yea r te·rm, issued the challenge to more than ca lled Moore "a man of absolute integrity . percent. 44,000 messengers just hours before the a healer" for the SBC. Regist ration· Sec retary l ee Porter told presidential ba lloting was scheduled to get After the two nominations, SBC First Vice­ messenge rs they had set at least three underway. President Zig Ziglar called for ba llots to be record s that afternoon. He first informed The messengers interr upted Stanley with cast, neglecting 10 check for further nomina­ them o nly 21 of th e 44,269 ba llots cast had applause seve ral times as he urged the heal­ tions or asking for a motion nominations been inva lidated by the Tellers Committee. ing of differences. Stanl ey granted that cease, an apparen t reflection of the In addition, he also sa id the ba lloting wa s Southern Baptists w ill not agree on eve ry­ widespread anticipation of the face-off not only th e largest ever taken in an SBC an· thing. " The wo rld isn't lookin g to see if all between Moore and Stan ley. nual meeting, but it also represe nted the So uthern Baptists agree," he said, " They're While wai ting fo r the record number of largest percentage of registe red messe ngers looking to see how we disagree. ball ots to be tabulated by the Tellers Com­ actually voting-98.2 percent. He ca lled for love, fo rgiveness and humili· mittee, messengers heard another round ·of With Stan ley officially declared the win­ ty, saying these are not feelings persons have, resolutions and motions introduced, in­ ner of the contest, the floor was th en open- · but are c6mmitments they must make. cluding one which suggested a tigh ten in g of ed to nominations for first vice-president. Messengers closed the session with a stan­ the 1963 Baptist Fai th and Message statement Bi ll Weber, a pastor from Dalla s, renomi· ding ovation after complying with Stan ley's on the ,t ru stworthin ess of Sc ri pture. nated Zig Ziglar, a layman from First Chu rch, request they stand fo r a minute of silen t Messe nge rs also received the fi nal install­ Dalla s, an d the incumbent in that office. T. l. prayer to symbolize "confess ion and repen­ ment of the SBC Executive Committee report McSwain, a pastof from l ou isvi lle, Ky. , ta nce before God and before the world ." and heard an an nual report from Darold nominated louisville attorney Henry Huff. Morgan, president of the SBC Annuity Board. Then, in a surprisi ng move, Ray Allen, a Tuesday afternoon At th e end of the afternoon session, pastor from Blacksburg, Va.