Southern Baptists Adopt 11 Resolutions at 2026 Annual Meeting

Each year at the Southern Baptist annual meeting, a segment of the business sessions is dedicated to the various resolutions messengers are called to vote on. Resolutions are formal statements that serve as an expression of opinion or concern. Forty-two resolutions were presented to the Committee on Resolutions this year. Eleven were adopted and revised by the committee and were sent to the messengers for a vote at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. Some were simple, such as expressing thanks to the city of Orlando for hosting the annual meeting or commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States. Others were more complex and, in some cases, addressed controversial issues that are impacting the culture. Regardless of the topic, resolutions are an important aspect of Southern Baptist life and inform the work of the ERLC.

Resolutions first serve as a historical statement of Southern Baptists’ position on a topic. Although resolutions are non-binding and lack legal authority over the churches, they are formal statements that reflect the consensus of Southern Baptist messengers on issues of faith, ethics, culture, and public life. Most importantly, resolutions are first grounded in Scripture and then the Baptist Faith & Message 2000. Sometimes resolutions are event specific, while others aim for timelessness that can speak directly to Southern Baptists’ positions whenever certain circumstances of public importance arise.

For example, the 2026 resolution “On Political Violence and Speech” addresses ungodly, reckless rhetoric and acts of political violence, harassment, and intimidation. At the heart of the resolution is that Christians are called to love one’s neighbor, including one’s enemies, affirm human dignity, and be a people who demonstrate Christlike virtue that speaks to the power of the gospel in a time of societal division. This particular resolution, like so many others over the years, serves as a timeless reminder of how Southern Baptists view one of our responsibilities in promoting a gospel-centered public good.

Resolutions also serve as a reminder of positional consistency. One example of this is reflected in the 2026 resolution “On Assisted Suicide and the Sanctity of Life.” This resolution operates within the larger perspective of how Southern Baptists view the sanctity of life. Over several years and resolutions, Southern Baptists have repeatedly rejected the culture of death that pervades our society. While this resolution was written in light of several states passing “death with dignity” and medical assistance in dying laws (MAiD), allowing for the practice of assisted suicide, this resolution speaks to the current situation and builds off past resolutions that condemned euthanasia and affirmed the inherent value of human life.

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