(Left to right) Outgoing Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd together with presidential nominee J.D. Greear congratulate president-elect Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn., after he is elected president of the SBC by acclamation after Greear withdrew from the race and moved that the convention elect Gaines by acclamation during the SBC’s annual meeting at America’s Center in St. Louis Wednesday, June 15. -Photo by Bill Bangham
By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist & Reflector
ST. LOUIS — Tennessee pastor Steve Gaines was elected by acclamation as president of the Southern Baptist Convention after fellow nominee J.D. Greear of North Carolina withdrew his name from consideration.
The day before (June 14), Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, missed election as president by three votes in a runoff election with Greear, pastor of Summit Church in Durham, N.C.
Gaines received 2,410 votes or 49.96 percent, while Greear received 2,306 votes or 47.80 percent. However, 108 votes were considered illegal because the wrong ballot was used or an indistinguishable mark was made. SBC President Ronnie Floyd announced, that according to Robert’s Rules of Order, the winning candidate needed 2,413 votes. Gaines fell short by three votes.
Earlier in the day, on the first ballot, cast by 5,784 messengers, David Crosby of New Orleans, La., received 583 votes or 10.08 percent; Gaines received 2,551 votes, or 44.1 percent of the votes; and Greear received 2,601 votes, or 44.97 percent. None of the candidates received 50 percent or more of the votes.
When it came time for the election on Wednesday, June 15, Floyd recognized Greear to speak.
Greear joked that only in the SBC can there be a runoff between two candidates and neither get majority. “I said in the beginning that it is tricky to lead the SBC,” he said, referring to a video announcing his candidacy several months ago
Greear said he spent a “good amount of time last night (June 14) praying. For the sake of our mission we need to leave St. Louis united.”
“I am withdrawing my candidacy as president and asking you to join me in electing Steve Gaines as president,” Greear said. His announcement was greeted with a standing ovation from messengers.
Newly-elected officers of the Southern Baptist Convention (left to right) are Jim Wells, registration secretary; Malachi O’Brien, second vice president; Steve Gaines, president; Doug Munton, first vice president; and John Yeats, recording secretary. The officers were elected Wednesday, June 15 during the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in St. Louis. -Photo by Adam Covington
In a blog post, Greear reiterated what he told messengers.
“Through this whole process, I’ve been praying for unity. I know that Pastor Steve has as well. But if we go to a third vote, and one of us wins by one half of one percent, it doesn’t matter which of us it is — it’s hard to see how that makes us a united body.
“The task for those of you who voted for me is not to complain that things didn’t go our way. It’s to follow the example of our Savior, who came not to be served, but to serve. It’s time for us to step up and get involved, to keep pushing forward and engaging in the mission with those who have gone before us. It’s time to look at what unites us.
“We exist as a convention of churches because we believe that we can do more together than we can do apart. What keeps us from splitting into a thousand different directions is one thing: our unity in the gospel of Jesus. We stand together because God saved us, and we want to see him save others — whether that’s in our neighborhoods or on the other side of the world.”
Gaines then addressed SBC messengers. He noted he sat in the audience the night before when the results were announced and thought, “There is no way God is not doing something in all this.
“I felt in my heart, Lord I’m pulling out. It has nothing to do with losing. I don’t like division and this tension I was sensing. In my heart I had already pulled out.”
Gaines said he felt a tug on his arm from an old friend who pulled him aside and told him Greear was thinking of pulling out. Gaines told him that he had the same thoughts. The friend suggested that Greear and Gaines get together and the two men did so later that evening.
“J.D. is one of the finest men I know. I love him. We talked and J.D. felt strongly this was what Lord wanted him to do.
“I want Jesus to be lifted high and I want us to be together.”
Gaines was then elected by acclamation as president of the Southern Baptist Convention in an action that Floyd described as historic. Had the second runoff election taken place, it would have been the first time in SBC history that a second ballot for the same two candidates in the presidential election would have been necessary, said chief parliamentarian Barry McCarty.
In a press conference following his election, Gaines said both he and Greear were “sensing the Holy Spirit moving in the same direction. We had a great time talking last night and we talked to the Lord and we talked about the situation.
In response to a question Gaines noted that while God was prompting both men to pull out, Floyd also was praying. “That’s not coincidental,” he said. “That is the sovereign God ordaining something and so I believe with all my heart that it was a special moment when both J.D. and I realized that God had said the same thing to both of us.”
Recounting the conversation, Gaines said, “I looked at him and said, ‘You can have it.’ He said, ‘No, I want you to have it.’ It was more like that. I said, ‘Let’s just don’t vote on it because if we have another vote it’s going to be another tie.’ It couldn’t have gone better. He was just very gracious. He]s the J.D. I know him to be.”
What happened was really a blessing from God, Gaines observed. “I pray God will use it to help us go forward and tell people about Jesus Christ.”
In response to a question Gaines stressed unity. “What you just saw is that when the leaders are unified in the Lord Jesus Christ, it brings unity to the body.”
Gaines cited his three primary emphases as president.
Southern Baptists need spiritual awakening, he said. “I believe with all my heart that we can do more in just a little while with a fresh anointing from God than we can without it.
Gaines wants to see a greater emphasis on soul winning. “I believe we need to be more proactive and intentional in sharing Christ with people,” he stressed.
Finally, Gaines emphasized stewardship from Southern Baptists that will not only keep from having to bring missionaries home from the field but will send them back on the field.
Randy C. Davis, executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, observed that Gaines “will be a great SBC president and Donna Gaines will be a great First Lady.”
Davis noted that Gaines’ “humility, convictional clarity, sharp mind, and gracious demeanor will represent the kingdom, the SBC, and his home state well.
“I’d encourage all Tennessee Baptists to pray for Pastor Steve on a daily basis.”
— This article includes reporting from Baptist Press.
