Southern Baptist missionaries receive a new coronavirus vaccine mandate

By Sarah Pulliam Bailey
Reporter covering religion
September 18, 2021 at 7:00 a.m. EDT

The Southern Baptist Convention’s organization that sends thousands of missionaries overseas announced last week that it will require missionaries and their children ages 16 and older to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The SBC’s International Mission Board said in its announcement that it has been requiring various vaccines since the 1980s, but the new mandate came on Sept. 8, a day before President Biden issued his mandate that businesses with 100 or more employees are required to have them vaccinated or tested weekly.

Southern Baptist leaders quickly condemned Biden, with some calling it an overreach and divisive in statements to the Baptist Press. Leaders said they are evaluating the new mandate through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to see if it applies to religious ministries.

The new policy for Southern Baptist missionaries is not unusual, several experts on missions said. But the timing so close to Biden’s announcement has been awkward for Southern Baptists, especially since White evangelicals are less likely to get vaccinated than other religious groups.

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