WHEREAS, The grace of God has appeared, both “bringing salvation for all people” and “instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12); and
WHEREAS, Those who have been called to pastoral ministry are called to a noble task, requiring them to live the Christian life above reproach, characterized by holiness, self-control, and integrity, and to guard their lives and their teaching carefully (1 Timothy 3:1-7, 4:16; Titus 1:5-9); and
WHEREAS, The apostle Paul testifies near the end of his life, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7), setting before all believers and especially ministers of the gospel a vision of faithful endurance to the end; and
WHEREAS, The New Testament regularly instructs the people of God to imitate the faith of those leaders who exemplify lives transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 4:16, 11:1; Philippians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9; Hebrews 13:7)
WHEREAS, Hebrews 11 provides testimony of a cloud of witnesses, men and women who endured to the end by faith, believing that God’s promises are better than the fleeting pleasures of sin; and
WHEREAS, The Christian life is likened to a race in which Christians must lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and to run with endurance the race that is set before them, looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of their faith (1 Corinthians 9:27; Hebrews 12:1-2); and
WHEREAS, In our day what often gets most public attention is pastors and ministry leaders who have fallen into sin and moral failure, who have hindered churches and ministries with scandal, or who have been divisive and unwise in public discourse; and
WHEREAS, Contrary to these negative examples, countless positive examples of pastors and ministry leaders across the Southern Baptist Convention have served for decades with integrity and steadfastness; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, June 9-10, 2026, express heartfelt gratitude to the Lord for pastors and ministry leaders who, by his grace, labored faithfully over many years and finished well, keeping the faith and maintaining a testimony above reproach to the end; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we honor those unknown servants who are currently shepherding God’s people with integrity and holiness, whose ministries are bearing lasting fruit often not widely recognized, and who by God’s grace will leave a legacy of faithfulness for future generations; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we encourage all pastors and ministry leaders to persevere by faith in holiness, humility, and devotion to Christ, fixing their eyes on Jesus as the source of their faith and the guarantee of its completion so that they finish their course in a manner worthy of the gospel; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we likewise call upon all Southern Baptists to imitate such faith by pursuing lives of faithful endurance and to support and pray for their leaders, so that the people of God together may finish well to the glory of God (Hebrews 13:18); and be it finally
RESOLVED, That our confidence for finishing well is not our own power, but the power of God, “who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy” (Jude 24) and his promise that “he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).