With less than six weeks before the annual meeting of the Alabama Baptist State Convention, The Alabama Baptist has learned of six Alabama Baptist pastors who have agreed to be nominated for one of the top three officer slots.
Being nominated for president are John Killian, current first vice president of the state convention and pastor of Maytown Baptist Church, and Roy Hill, pastor of First Baptist Church, Satsuma. It has been 10 years since Alabama Baptists had a contested election for the office of state convention president.
Chris Crain, pastor of South Roebuck Baptist Church, Birmingham, announced his plans to nominate Killian on Facebook in September. “John has devoted his entire ministry to investing in young pastors and to building up the body of Christ. He has served Alabama Baptists selflessly in numerous ways — formally and informally.”
Crain later shared with The Alabama Baptist that Killian “is a Christlike man who is not afraid to stand on the Bible. … I admire the fact that Dr. Killian has put in the hard work of getting to know the work of Alabama Baptists in our state. He genuinely loves and supports the entities of our state.”
Hill will be nominated by Ed Litton, pastor of First Baptist Church, North Mobile, in Saraland.
“With excitement and anticipation I intend to nominate Roy Hill … to serve as the next president of the Alabama Baptist Convention,” Litton wrote in a September press release. “We need a leader who bridges the generations with a solid commitment to what has gone before and a clear eye for what comes next — a leader who will invite the next generation to discover and engage what is best about Alabama Baptists. Roy Hill is a sacrificial and courageous leader who has a vision for the future of Alabama Baptists.”
The position of first vice president has only one announced nominee, Travis Coleman Jr., current second vice president of the state convention and pastor of First Baptist Church, Prattville.
Rick Marshall, pastor of Eastern Hills Baptist Church, Montgomery, will nominate Coleman.
“Travis has distinguished himself as a trusted leader both as a pastor and in our convention,” Marshall said. “Travis knows our convention well and is well known across our state for his leadership.
“Travis is a strong leader with a pastor’s heart, someone who will keep us focused on missions priorities and together as a convention,” Marshall said.
Three names have been announced for the position of second vice president — Jim Cooley, pastor of First Baptist Church, Haleyville; Dusty McLemore, pastor of Lindsay Lane Baptist Church, Athens; and Lawrence Phipps, pastor of Vaughn Forest Baptist Church, Montgomery.
John Nicholson, pastor of Siloam Baptist Church, Marion, will nominate Cooley.
“It has been my pleasure to personally know, observe and benefit from his genuine leadership in Alabama Baptist life for the past quarter century,” Nicholson said. “In these unsettled and changeable times Jim’s sane, sagacious and sound leadership are rare and needed commodities. Combine these traits with his thorough knowledge of, and love for, Alabama Baptist life and the obvious conclusion is that Alabama Baptists need a man just like Jim.”
McLemore confirmed he had been asked to allow his name to be put in for nomination but said at press time that he had not worked out the final details for who would be nominating him.
John Brock, pastor of Highland Baptist Church, Florence, plans to nominate Phipps.
“Lawrence has a proven track record of leadership that is faithful and visionary,” Brock said. “God has prepared Lawrence, as much as anyone I know, to provide balanced leadership in this season of Alabama Baptist life. His love for the Alabama Baptist Convention, his passion for evangelism and missions, and his faithfulness as pastor of Vaughn Forest all commend him for this position.”
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