Clint Pressley is the new SBC president. — Photo by Van Payne / The Baptist Paper
INDIANAPOLIS — It took “double overtime” but the Southern Baptist Convention now has a new president.
North Carolina pastor Clint Pressley was elected on Wednesday morning, defeating Dan Spencer, pastor of First Baptist Church, Sevierville, in a second run-off at the SBC’s annual meeting.
Pressley, pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, won the second runoff with 4,244 votes (56.12 percent). Spencer received 3,305 votes (43.71 percent).
Pressley was nominated by Chris Justice, senior pastor of Lee Park Baptist Church in Monroe, N.C.
“This is a significant moment and in this moment I believe we need a leader who loves our convention deeply,” Justice said. “Clint Pressley is a man of conviction. Clint Pressley is a leader of courage. Clint Pressley is a pastor committed to our cooperation as Southern Baptists.”
Spencer was nominated by Chris Kendall, senior pastor of Oak City Baptist Church, Seymour. Kendall said, “Make no mistake about it, Dan’s highest aim reflects Christ’s highest call for Southern Baptists to come together in the name and for the fame of King Jesus.”
Kendall commended Spencer for his “track record of Great Commission cooperation” and his loyalty to the Cooperative Program.
Spencer, the son of evangelist Jerry Spencer, is a former president of the Georgia Baptist convention, and is the great, great nephew of M.E. Dodd, the “father of the Cooperative program.”
The presidential race was originally a six-candidate race, with the other four candidates being:
North Carolina pastor Bruce Frank; Oklahoma pastor Mike Keahbone; Tennessee pastor Jared Moore; and dean of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary’s preaching center David Allen.
The first balloting on Tuesday night did not result in a winner, instead leading to a run-off between the top three vote-getters — Pressley, Spencer and Allen.
A run-off was held on Wednesday morning, but once again, none of the three candidates received the required number of votes (“50 percent plus one”), which led to yet another run-off, this time between Spencer and Pressley.
On the first ballot on Tuesday night, Pressley finished with 2,289 votes (25.52 percent), followed by Allen with 1,896 votes (21.14 percent) and Spencer with 1,585 votes (17.67 percent).
Frank, Moore, and Keahbone were eliminated. Frank received 1,396 votes (15.56 percent), followed by Moore with 921 votes (10.27 percent) and Keahbone with 868 (9.68 percent).
Other officers elected
In addition to electing Pressley as president, SBC messengers elected a slate of other leaders.
Brad Graves, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Ada, Oklahoma, was elected first vice president. Graves received 4,072 votes (69.04 percent), defeating Michael Clary, founding pastor of Christ the King Church, Cincinnati, who received 1,812 votes (30.72 percent).
Eddie Lopez, pastor of First Baptist Church Forney (Texas) en Español, won the second vice president spot with 2,074 votes (52.11 percent) over Micheal Pardue, pastor of First Baptist Church Icard, Connelly Springs, North Carolina, who received 1,886 votes (47.39 percent).
Nathan Finn, executive director of the Institute for Transformational Leadership and professor for North Greenville University, was reelected recording secretary, and Don Currence, administrative pastor of First Baptist Church Ozark, Missouri, was reelected registration secretary, both unopposed. B&R — This story includes reporting from The Baptist Paper.
