Messengers to the Baptist General Convention of Texas gave initial approval to the convention's most significant reorganization in almost five decades and elected its first non-Anglo president.

The reorganization will reduce the size of the convention's executive board from 234 to 90 members and streamline the convention's decision-making structure.

Albert Reyes, president of Baptist University of the Americas, an Hispanic school in San Antonio, was elected president without opposition.

The elections and restructuring reflect the BGCT's goal of increasing ethnic participation in response to the state's shifting demographics. The role of Hispanics in the state and BGCT was front and center during the two-day convention, which met under a Spanish-language theme of “Celebrando la Familia de Dios” (“Celebrating the Family of God”). About 2,200 of the 5,700 BGCT churches are non-Anglo congregations.

Messengers approved resolutions supporting traditional marriage and public schools, but those statements make no mention of gay marriage or a proposed “exodus” of Christians from public education. Messengers also rejected a motion to withhold funding for Baylor University, which is currently embroiled in a struggle over its leadership.

Associated Baptist Press

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