Clint Pressley. – Screengrab
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP) – SBC President Clint Pressley calls on pastors and churches to spend a dedicated time in prayer for the nation this Sunday (Sept. 14) in a video released on Sept. 11.
“Our nation needs us to ask God to help,” Pressley said, “God has providentially placed us where we are at this time in history.”
The call is delivered in a video posted to social media.
Reminding viewers that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble” (Psalm 46:1), Pressley referenced the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the recent killings of Charlie Kirk in Utah and Iryna Zarutska in Pressley’s native Charlotte and last month’s Catholic school shooting in Minneapolis.
Kirk, 31, was assassinated by a gunman while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University near Provo, Utah, Sept. 10.
A Ukrainian refugee, Zarutska, 23, was killed on a city train Aug. 22 by a man she didn’t know and the video appears to show an unprovoked knife attack.
Two children were killed and 21 people were injured by a gunman Aug. 27 as the school held a convocation mass at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis.
“We as Christians have a very present help and since God is our refuge, let’s you and I, as pastors and as leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention, and, in our churches, let’s lead our churches with courage,” Pressley said.
Pressley told BP he wants to help pastors as they lead people through troubling times.
“Pastors carry a special weight when tragedy strikes. People look to them for hope and courage,” he said.
He believes the reminder will be a boost to congregations and pastors.
“I made the video to encourage them to lean on the Lord during these difficult times and to be quick to lead their church to do the same,” Pressley said.
Pressley is serving his second term as SBC president.
“Let’s you and I boldly proclaim the hope of the Gospel in Jesus Christ and do so with enthusiasm,” he said in the video. “Let’s continue to do the work of the ministry in the town or the village or the city where you serve with your church, doing so with conviction and with joy.”
