Voting members of the Southern Baptist Convention, who are called "messengers," are expected to vote on several major issues, including race, women's roles and how to handle sex abuse. Several observers said the meeting, which starts Tuesday, would test the direction of White evangelicalism, which is not only the largest religious group in the country but which also has become a major political force in national politics in recent decades.

The newest Southern Baptist battle does not pit liberals against conservatives or Democrats against Republicans. Instead, it mostly pits theological conservatives against those who are ultraconservative in a struggle for powerful positions within a denomination of 14 million people.