Thread by @JimmyScroggins

1.The #SBC22 #SBC2022. Who runs this place? There are about 700 people that can be said to actually run the SBC. You want to change the direction? You want to maintain the direction? These 700 or so people hold the keys. A thread 🧵.

2. You might think: “I’m not one of those people. I’m a no name messenger. My voice doesn’t matter.” But that’s not true. YOUR ONE VOTE sets a whole process in motion.

3.The SBC is a network of churches that oversees 12 non-profit organizations to carry out gospel work throughout the world. 10 of these organizations (all except LifeWay and Guidestone) receive financial support through our funding strategy called the Cooperative Program.

4.These organizations are: Our seminaries - SBTS, MBTS, SEBTS, SWBTS, GGBTS, & NOBTS. Our mission boards - IMB & NAMB. Our other agencies - ERLC, Guidestone, & LifeWay. Plus our Executive Committee (disperses funds, acts on behalf of the SBC throughout the year).

5.Each of these orgs is governed by a board of trustees. These trustees are uncompensated volunteers that meet a few days per year. The trustees serve 4 year terms and are allowed to serve 2 consecutive terms for a total of 8 years.

6.Most trustees serve 8 years at a time (2 consecutive 4 year terms). On average, 1/8 of every board turns over every year. That means it takes 8 full years for an entire board to be replaced through this system.

7.Each trustee board supervises one full-time employee - the President/CEO of their organization. All other employees of the respective organization report up to that President. The President is responsible for all operations of his organization.

8.Institutional Presidents (often called “entity heads” or “agency heads”) can serve as long as their boards allow. Interestingly, because our trustees are constantly rotating - after 5 years on the job a President has a longer institutional memory than anyone on his board.

9.Trustees are selected via a complicated system with several layers. Brief explainer: Every year a “committee on committees” is appointed, and this committee appoints new trustees (approximately 1/8 of every board, every year).

10.That “committee on committees” is selected by the “committee on nominations” (that’s 68 people, I think). The selection of the “committee on committees” is the primary job of the “committee on nominations” and then THAT committee is dissolved as well.

11.The “committee on nominations” is personally hand-selected by the President of the SBC once he is elected. The selection of this committee initiates the previously described cascade that eventually result in every agency having a full board of trustees and a President.

12.Because the President of the SBC traditionally serves 2 consecutive 1-yr terms each SBC President will have HUGE influence - his appointments will result in the selection of approximately 25% of all agency trustees. That is MASSIVELY IMPORTANT. The Presidential race matters!

13.Well how many trustees are there? In 2022:

NAMB - 50
ERLC - 34
GBTS - 39
Guidestone - 42
IMB - 81
LifeWay - 48
MBTS - 35
NOBTS - 40
EC - 86
SBTS - 42
SEBTS - 30
SWBTS - 40

14. So who actually has the power in the SBC? You could say the 567 trustees, 12 Agency Presidents/CEO’s, 1 SBC President, 130 on the nominations committee & committee on committees. And that’s it. By my rough count (and I might be off a little 🤓) that’s 710 total people.

15.You want to have a voice in the SBC? You want to impact the direction of the SBC? You want better oversight or responses or attitudes or tone? Unless you are an agency Prez, a committee appointee, or a trustee, there is really only one way you do it:

16: Become a credentialed messenger from your SBC church, make the trip to the SBC annual meeting, and vote for your preferred candidate for President. Rinse. Repeat. Every year.

17.The election of the President of the SBC has awesome consequences. Be prayerful. Be thoughtful. Be in the room. And vote. Because ultimately, if you are an SBC messenger - YOU pick the President. And that means with your one vote - for one shining moment - YOU run the place.

18. One more thing - I probably messed something up in this thread, or did my math wrong, or could have said something better. Feel free to correct me in the comments & I won’t argue with you. I gotta preach in the morning at the headquarters of the SBC - my neighborhood church.

Annnnnnd I definitely mixed up the Committee on Nominations and the Committee on Committees. But there being no edit button…..🤦🏼‍♂️.

Also - seminary trustees are 5 years. Others are 4. So adjust the math. Many of you can do it in your heads! 😉