Joe Godfrey, pastor of Taylor Road Baptist Church, Montgomery, captured the presidency of the Alabama Baptist State Convention (ABSC) in the first contested president’s race since 1998.
Winning by 51.3 percent of the 1,460 votes cast, Godfrey received 749 votes, while Gerald Hallmark, pastor of First Baptist Church, Alexander City, received 656 votes (44.9 percent).
Mike McLemore, outgoing ABSC president and pastor of Lakeside Baptist Church, Birmingham, said 55 votes were thrown out due to improper use.
McLemore also announced the total messenger count just prior to the vote for president as being 2,000, representing 645 churches and 73 associations. The total vote count at the end of the previous day was 1,542. At the close of the convention, a total of 2,017 messengers had registered.
Elected to first vice president was Henry Cox, pastor of First Baptist Church, Bay Minette. Cox, who served as second vice president last year, was unopposed.
Roger Willmore, pastor of First Baptist Church, Boaz, was elected second vice president with 50.2 percent of the 1,253 votes cast. He received 630 votes, while James Cooley, pastor of First Baptist Church, Aliceville, received 579 votes or 46.2 percent.
Godfrey, who most recently served two terms as first vice president of the state convention, has been president of the Alabama Baptist Pastors Conference as well as a member of the State Board of Missions and its executive committee. He was a member of the search committee that brought Troy Morrison to the executive director post of Alabama Baptists. For the past two years Godfrey has served on the
global partnership and budget advisory committee of the board.
In addition, Godfrey serves on the board of regents at the University of Mobile and the board of ministerial mentors of Samford University.
Godfrey is a graduate of Samford and received his master of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and his doctorate of ministry from Mid-America Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tenn.
The 48-year-old Godfrey has been pastor of Taylor Road Baptist Church for 18 years. He was called as mission pastor by Eastern Hills Baptist Church in Montgomery and eight months later led in founding the Taylor Road congregation.
In nominating Godfrey to the president’s post, Buddy Gray, pastor of Hunter Street Baptist Church, Hoover, said, “Joe is a committed Alabama Baptist. … He is committed to the Word … and will reach out to all Alabama Baptists and move forward in the Word.”
Godfrey and his wife, Joy, have two daughters.
Following his election, Godfrey said, “I want us to be a cooperative body of believers … and focus on the commonality of believers, not what we don’t like about each other.”
Likening cooperation to the dollars churches give through the Cooperative Program, Godfrey said, “The Cooperative Program implies a cooperative spirit — similar beliefs as far as the nonnegotiable things go — what really matters, what the Bible teaches.
Also re-elected were recording secretary Mary Sue Bennett, statistical secretary Bobby DuBois and registration secretary Billy Austin.
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