ANAHEIM, Calif. — The banners, buttons and book displays are gone, as are most of the thousands of Southern Baptist Convention lay members, pastors, and administrators who filled a meeting hall at the Anaheim Convention Center here with two days of praise music and balloting on the movement’s future.
But some issues will continue to follow back home the 13.7-million-member denomination’s “messengers” — as delegates to the business meeting are called.
First among these will be the issue of sexual abuse, for which the messengers voted to spend $4 million as part of remediation efforts.
The bulk, $3 million, will go towards implementing recommendations of the church’s Sexual Abuse Task Force, including the creation of a database of convicted and/or “credibly accused” abusers.