Another Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee (EC) member has resigned following the committee's decision to waive attorney-client privilege as part of a sex abuse investigation within the denomination.
On Thursday, Rolland Slade, chairman of the SBC Executive Committee and pastor at Meridian Baptist Church in El Cajon, California, detailed the results of a private trustees meeting with the EC where members updated "legal, audit and personnel matters."
In a statement to reporters after the meeting, Slade noted that one EC member resigned, and new leadership was appointed.
"As the EC moves forward, we will be without another member, James Freeman, as he has submitted his resignation," Slade said, according to The Christian Post. "We want to thank him and the other members who have resigned over the past month for their service to Southern Baptists."
"In light of previous officer resignations and the openings created, Archie Mason and Andrew Hunt now will chair the Convention Finances & Stewardship and Convention Missions & Ministry committees, respectively," Slade added. "Both of these gentlemen are godly pastors and will represent Southern Baptists well in their new roles."
The meeting took place just days before the resignations of EC President Ronnie Floyd and EC Executive Vice President Greg Addison go into effect. Floyd and Addison will be relieved of their positions on October 31.
In Slade's statement, he thanked Floyd for his "tremendous ministry to Southern Baptists" during his tenure as head of the committee.
"Today, the SBC Executive Committee held its final meeting with current EC President Ronnie Floyd," he said. "On behalf of the members of the committee, I would like to thank President Floyd for his work at the EC. He's had a tremendous ministry to Southern Baptists for years. We know he loves the Southern Baptist Convention, and we wish him well in the future — wherever God may lead him to serve."
Earlier this month, Floyd announced his resignation after the committee waived attorney-client privilege, warning that the decision would lead to lawsuits and financial turmoil in the SBC.
At least 14 trustees and the EC's longtime general counsel have also resigned in light of the much-debated decision.
Related:
Ronnie Floyd Resigns as SBC Executive Committee President over Decision to Waive Privilege
Greg Addison Resigns as SBC's Executive Committee Executive Vice President
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Pichsakul Promrungsee
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
