What are the minimum requirements, if any, for a church to be in the SBC?

Never thought about it before, so it will be interesting to hear, we have a couple of SBC pastors maybe they will know.

 

To my understanding:

a) it varies from state convention to state convention (e.g. to be a part of the Southern Baptists of Texas you have to affirm the BFM2000)

b) to my knowledge to be in the SBC you only have to:
1. give to the Cooperative Program
2. affiliate yourself with the SBC
3. join state and local associations
4. send messengers to the annual convention
5. Buy 5 Lifeway books a year...okay that one was made up

 

#3 I believe is incorrect. There are plenty of churches that are associated with the national without being associated with lower association (Capitol Hill Baptist being one I believe.)

Also, I've heard, that if 1 member of a church designates funds be given to the SBC, then that church is counted as "SBC" but that could be anecdotal.

Further, #4 wouldn't be a requirement as far as I can tell. I've been in churches that didn't send messengers every year, but were still SBC.

 

I found the following quote on SBC.net...

"A church technically becomes Southern Baptist by contributing to the mission causes of the Convention.

If that contribution is made within the fiscal year (October-September) preceding a particular annual meeting (June), then the church is entitled to send as many as ten messengers to the Convention. The messenger card spells out the criteria. These cards can be secured from your state Baptist convention.

We encourage churches who wish to identify with the Southern Baptist Convention to notify the convention offices. Even if they've not yet qualified to send messengers to the annual meeting, their report of current giving to denominational causes will signal their prospective affiliation and prompt their addition to the convention mailing list."

http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/clchurches.asp

 

Send a contribution either to the SBC directly or to a cooperating state convention. No minimum. (There may be a minimum to send a messenger to the convention, though.)

Membership in an association or state convetnion is not prerequisite. But...if a church is a part of a state convention, it is counted automatically as "SBC" unless the church requests specifically not to be counted a member of the national convention.

 

And...associations and state conventions vary widely in their requirements for membership...

(we changed local associational affiliation recently...as our area has grown, our once rural county now supports a thriving association, which we now have joined)

For our particular local association, there is a one-year probational watchcare before full membership. Dunno about the $$ side of it locally or statewide though.