The SBC embarked on sexual abuse reforms last year. What's at stake at 2023 meeting?

• Following a historic report on abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention, the SBC decided at its 2022 annual meeting to create a task force to implement reforms.
• The SBC abuse reform task force will present report of its work at the upcoming 2023 SBC annual meeting and ask for renewal for another year to finalize a database and strengthen oversight.
• Other decisions to shape the trajectory of abuse reform in the SBC, including presidential election and vote on whether to uphold a church’s ouster over abuse-related concerns, are expected.

The Southern Baptist Convention decided a year ago it would take steps toward abuse reform and as the denomination gathers for its annual meeting this week in New Orleans, questions remain whether it can sustain the changes. 

Thousands of Southern Baptist voting delegates, called messengers, will decide whether to renew the SBC Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force and allow it to continue its work for another year, a key element in the convention’s ongoing response to a historic report published May 2022.