DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF) – Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church of Farmersville, who was just elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, vowed to expedite sex abuse reforms in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. Barber’s promise came one day after thousands of delegates voted overwhelmingly to create a way to track pastors and other church workers who were credibly accused of sex abuse.
Delegates also voted against a proposal to defund the convention’s public-policy arm, which has come under fire from critics claiming it is not conservative enough. Barber said a top priority of his is to unify Southern Baptists and heal divisions. Membership among Southern Baptists has been declining for over a decade.
