DAYTONA BEACH (FBC/FBW)—At the 146th Florida Baptist State Convention annual meeting Nov. 12-13 in Daytona Beach, 1,258 messengers and 736 visitors rallied around the theme, “We Are Better Together.”

Messengers also heard Southern Baptist Convention pres­ident, Frank Page, and re-elected Clearwater pastor Willy Rice for a second one-year term. He was unopposed.

In other action taken during the meeting, only teetotalers will be allowed to serve as trustees of the Florida Baptist Convention’s agencies and boards.

With no discussion and less than half a dozen opposing votes, messengers approved a Florida Baptist State Convention bylaw revision that requires all nominees for the role of trustee to “agree to abstain from drinking alcoholic bev­erages and us­ing any oth­er recreational drugs.” It was a recommendation from the State Board of Missions.

The revision was added to an existing bylaw that stipulates nominees must have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, be a member in a Cooperative Program-giving church for at least one year, demonstrate good stewardship and support the Baptist Faith and Message. Persons nominated for leadership roles are required to sign a document stating their support of the statement.

The abstinence provision resulted from a pledge announced by John Sullivan, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention, at the state’s 2006 annual meeting in Fort Myers. Reacting to a prolonged debate at the SBC annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C., over the use of beverage alcohol, Sullivan said he was “embarrassed” by the protracted discussion and wanted to clarify Florida Baptists’ position on the issue.

The Convention approved a Cooperative Program goal of $41,023,077 with the following distributions: Florida Baptist Convention causes, 52.75 percent; Southern Baptist Convention causes, 40 percent; church planting assistance 4.25 percent; and church annuity, 3 percent.

A new budget plan that continued the 40/60 distribution of CP gifts between national and state causes, drew discussion from Joel Breidenbaugh, pastor of CornerStone Baptist Church in Panama City Beach, who argued that historically the Cooperative Program was intended to be a 50/50 split between the national and state conventions.

The budget plan was approved with only his dissenting vote.

The Panhandle pastor and State Board of Missions member later offered a motion asking the Board to study Cooperative Program giving and move toward increasing national funding over the next five years.

Speaking to the motion, Breidenbaugh explained, while “we are a great mission state and we need to be doing more here, there is also some five billion lost people in the rest of the world.”

“I would simply ask if we can’t move toward increasing percentages to reach the world in addition to our state with the Gospel of Jesus Christ because of an historical precedent set by the intent of the Cooperative Program.” Doing so, he added, would set a great example for other state conventions.

His motion was referred to the State Board for consideration.

Jerry Nash, a messenger from Cornerstone Baptist Church in High Springs, spoke against a recommendation by the State Board of Missions to accept three churches to affiliate with the State Convention through an at-large status. Nash said this procedure is “contrary to the spirit of cooperation and doctrinal integrity.”

Wayne Briant, SBOM president, told Nash and messengers he appreciated the concern but that each of the three churches being presented had been through “an extensive credentialing processing.” Briant urged messengers to support the board’s recommendation. The recommendation was passed with about 25 percent of the messengers raising their hands to vote against the recommendation to receive the churches-at-large.

The only other motion introduced during the meeting, presented by Caroline McKeithen of Antioch Baptist Church in Live Oak, asked the convention to develop resources, materials and training to equip local churches to minister to widows of all ages. The resolution was referred to the Convention staff for study.

Messengers unanimously re-elected Rice, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, to a second one-year term as president of the Florida Baptist State Convention. Rice was nominated by Bob Greene, director of missions of the Pensacola Bay Baptist Association.

Other persons elected to serve for the next year also without opposition: Elbert Nasworthy, pastor of Myrtle Lake Baptist Church in Land O’ Lakes, first vice president; Jim Brown, layperson from First Baptist Church of Daytona Beach, second vice president; and Randy Huckabee, pastor, First Baptist Church, Okeechobee, recording secretary.

The next annual meeting of the Florida Baptist State Convention is set for Nov. 10-11, 2008, in Lakeland.