WHEREAS, Upholding the ultimate authority of the Bible, Southern Baptists have been a confessional people throughout our history, adopting statements of faith as a witness to our doctrinal convictions and as a pledge of our faithfulness to the truths revealed in Holy Scripture; and
WHEREAS, “Our confessions of faith are rooted in historical precedent, as the church in every age has been called upon to define and defend its beliefs. Each generation of Christians bears the responsibility of guarding the treasury of truth that has been entrusted to us [2 Timothy 1:14];”[1] and
WHEREAS, The Baptist Faith and Message (2000) provides a confessional framework for Baptist churches, associations, state conventions, and entities, and has grounded the consensus of Southern Baptists’ faith and practice for 25 years to the glory of God; and
WHEREAS, From our confessional beginnings, Baptists have identified ourselves with the historic Christian tradition, especially on the doctrines concerning Christ and the Trinity as exemplified, for example, by the Nicene Creed, which was adopted 1,700 years ago this year; and
WHEREAS, Future generations of Southern Baptists will look back upon us for encouragement and direction, so as to “pay attention all the more to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away” (Hebrews 2:1); and to “contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all” (Jude 3); and
WHEREAS, A church that ceases to affirm, teach, and model sound doctrine will inevitably drift away from the truth and be carried about by every wind of worldly doctrine that blows through the church (Ephesians 4:14, Titus 1:9); and
WHEREAS, The joyful embrace and faithful teaching of doctrine and a readiness to obey all that Christ commands are essential to fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20); now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Dallas, Texas, June 10-11, 2025, celebrate the 100th anniversary of the original Baptist Faith and Message (1925) and the 25th anniversary of the Baptist Faith and Message (2000), our current statement of faith; and be it further
RESOLVED, The Southern Baptist Convention affirms the Baptist Faith and Message (2000) as a faithful summary of biblical doctrine in the Baptist tradition and commends this confession as consistent with the broader stream of historic Christian orthodoxy as articulated in the early creeds of the church; and be it further
RESOLVED, That we give thanks to the Lord for His kind providence upon Southern Baptists and the Southern Baptist Convention, moving our forebears to adopt and hold fast to a confessional standard for a century. After 25 years of fidelity to the Baptist Faith and Message (2000), we honor the drafters of each statement of faith for summarizing and clarifying the beliefs of Southern Baptists (1925, 1963, and 2000); and be it finally RESOLVED, We steadfastly affirm, promote, and unite around the Baptist Faith and Message (2000), as a sufficient statement of our doctrinal identity and as the grounds of our cooperation for the sake of theological clarity and biblical unity.
[1] Southern Baptist Convention, “The Baptist Faith and Message: Preamble,” https://bfm.sbc.net/preamble/.