[1]SALT LAKE CITY (BP)– Southern Baptist Convention messengers voted June 9 to reduce their annual meeting from three days to two beginning in 1999. Convention sessions will end Wednesday night rather than Thursday at noon.
The action took place during the Executive Committee’s report at the June 9 opening session of the SBC annual meeting in Salt Lake City’s Salt Palace Convention Center.
Messengers approved appropriate amendments to the SBC constitution and bylaws to enable messengers to conduct business in two days rather than three.
Time was reserved on Wednesday afternoons for “seminary luncheons and other necessary meetings.” As part of the recommendation messengers deleted SBC Bylaw 14 which stated the denominational press would be given a permanent place on the SBC annual program. In response to a question, messengers were told the denominational press report would be a part of the Executive Committee report.
After the amendments were approved, James Merritt, chairman of the SBC Executive Committee encouraged messengers to be sure to attend the Thursday, June 11, session.
“You will be a part of history — the last Thursday session of the Southern Baptist Convention,” he said.
In other action, messengers approved a $155,005,723 Cooperative Program Allocation Budget for 1998-99. The new budget represents a $6.8 million increase over the 1997-98 budget. The budget is based on actual receipts for 1996-97 — $155,005,723.
Messengers also approved the following recommendations from the Executive Committee:
— changing the name of the Great Commission Council formed by the Covenant for a New Century to Inter-Missions Council.
— changing the name of the Inter-Agency Council to Great Commission Council.
— changing terminology related to SBC document revisions.
— adopting a 1998-99 convention operating budget of $6,175,185.