The Baptist Paper
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Of the 61 men who have served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention since its founding in 1845, 41 were senior pastors. That includes current SBC president Ed Litton, pastor of Redemption Church in Saraland, Ala. (formerly First Baptist Church, North Mobile).
The role comes with a travel and incidentals budget of $46,000 and some basic administrative help from the SBC Executive Committee office, but no official assistant or budget to hire staff specific to this role.
Balancing the existing pastoral responsibilities with the new presidential demands requires some creative maneuvering, and how and when to use the budget depends on other resources available to the person serving as president. If the SBC president is a pastor, then most often that means staff responsibilities are adjusted or a new position is developed on staff.
“I still pastor a church in Alabama and am absolutely doing everything I can to make sure that stays my priority.”
Fred Luter, who was elected in 2012 and reelected in 2013, said he kept the same priority during his years as SBC president.
“Even though I had requests to go other places, I was committed to being in my pulpit every Sunday morning. I thought that was important,” said Luter, pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans. “I told the congregation I might not be here much during the week, but I guarantee I’ll be in the pulpit on Sunday mornings. They prayed for me and they were really happy for me because it was such a historical road (being the first African-American elected to the position).”
Being able to still fulfill the duties of pastor while also taking on the responsibilities of SBC president requires help from others.
“Before you are elected, it is almost impossible to grasp just how time-consuming and demanding the role will be,” said Johnny Hunt, who was elected in 2008 and reelected in 2009.
“The meeting, preaching and event invitations alone can be overwhelming.
“Serving as Southern Baptist Convention president was one of the great honors of my life and I grew to love and appreciate Southern Baptists more than ever. So it was an honor, but also had challenges,” said Hunt, who was pastor of First Baptist Church Woodstock, Ga., at the time.
Bryant Wright, who was elected in 2010 and reelected in 2011, said he was able to manage the demands of the role by relying on Olivia Mahon, his executive assistant in the senior pastor’s office. Wright, who was pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., at the time, currently serves as president of Send Relief.
Like other SBC presidents who served prior to his two terms in the role, Wright prioritized being in his pulpit on Sunday mornings. He had two additional goals during his tenure: to grow in his relationship with the Lord and to grow closer with his wife. “Those two relationships can suffer with all the demands,” he said.
Steve Gaines
Tennessee pastor Steve Gaines, of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, who was elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2017, depended on church staff members as well during his time as SBC president. Gaines said, “I never missed a Sunday at Bellevue for any of my responsibilities as president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
“I was in Bellevue’s pulpit every Sunday except for the times when I was on vacation and the Sunday prior to the annual meeting of the SBC itself,” he said. “I depended on the staff at Bellevue to help give leadership to our programs while I was traveling during the week for the SBC.”
A team approach also worked best for Ronnie Floyd, who was elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2015 when he served as pastor of Cross Church in Arkansas.
“I knew if I [served as SBC president], then I was going to give it my all … and that I would need help,” said Floyd, who now serves as president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee. “You’ve got to have various people doing things.”
Along with the day-to-day activities and initiatives that go along with the SBC president’s role, the person elected to serve also has the responsibility to appoint certain committees.
According to the SBC bylaws, the SBC president — in conference with the vice presidents — recruits members of Southern Baptist churches to serve on the Committee on Committees, the Resolutions Committee and the Registration Committee.
Floyd noted that the work involved with making the committee selections gave him the opportunity to pull from a network of trusted ministry leaders, specifically when appointing the Committee on Committees. “It’s a team approach all the way.”
And exactly where the focus of the SBC president lands depends on the person, Floyd added. “Some serve with more of a preaching platform, while others address issues and have matters they want to accomplish. It really depends on who the leader is as well as his personality and influence,” Floyd said. B&R
