Southern Baptists will have at least three distinct options for president of the convention when they meet June 14–15 in St. Louis, Missouri.
At press time, the 2016 nominees are (listed in order of their announcement about being nominated): J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church, Durham, North Carolina; former Alabama Baptist pastor Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova, Tennessee; and David Crosby, pastor of First Baptist Church, New Orleans.
Greear, 42, who will be nominated by Florida pastor Jimmy Scroggins, has served as pastor of The Summit Church for 14 years, and is married to Veronica. If elected he would be the second youngest SBC president in history.
Under his leadership, The Summit Church has grown from 350 members to just under 10,000.
Leading the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) as president was not on Greear’s “radar at all and definitely not on my five-year plan,” he told The Alabama Baptist.
“But then several older leaders in the SBC whom I love and respect told me they believed the Holy Spirit wanted me to let my name be put in the nomination this season,” Greear said.
“We believe that it’s time for a new generation to join up with ‘older’ generations to take responsibility for the entities and mission boards of the SBC. There are still 6,000 unreached people groups in the world and … church planting in the United States is not keeping up with population growth. … We can’t be OK with these things. This has to break our hearts and we have to do something,” Greear said.
“The SBC intentionally has a ‘wide tent,’ but sometimes we let our rather minor differences obscure the glorious gospel and urgent mission that unites us. The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 (BF&M 2000) is our doctrinal rallying point. I believe the BF&M 2000 is an ideal confession of faith, narrow enough to keep us unified on the essentials and broad enough to encompass all gospel-loving, scripturally faithful Baptists. For the sake of the mission, that kind of unity is absolutely crucial. Every time we fight about a non-essential, evangelism loses and the enemy wins.”
Gaines, who will be nominated by former SBC president Johnny Hunt, has served as pastor of churches for 33 years, including Gardendale First Baptist Church. He followed Adrian Rogers as pastor of Bellevue Baptist, which has a membership of close to 30,000.
He’s served on the SBC Committee on Nominations and as chairman of the SBC Resolutions Committee, among other roles.
Gaines told The Alabama Baptist that he and his wife, Donna, had been praying about the idea of serving as SBC president after several SBC leaders had approached him about the role.
“The climactic point of sensing that call came while I was preparing a sermon from 1 Kings 1 titled, ‘Self-Appointed or Spirit-Appointed Leadership.’ After God gave me a clear go-ahead, Johnny Hunt … felt led of the Lord to nominate me.”
When looking at the SBC’s future, Gaines said, “We need spiritual leadership. God’s people must rediscover the power of desperate, fervent prayer. … America needs God to move miraculously in our midst. Only God can save our nation’s problems. … If we verbally share the gospel of Jesus with lost people, many will be saved. We must also champion the truths that all people are created in God’s image, God loves everyone and Jesus died for everyone. … Each of these emphases must start in us.
“We must also be a loving, biblical, prophetic voice to our culture that has lost its way.”
Working together
Crosby, who will be nominated by former SBC president Fred Luter Jr., has served for 20 years as a pastor of an “average Southern Baptist church,” he said, noting that he understands how an “average” church operates.
He said he never imagined himself in the role of SBC president but began praying about the position after he spoke with several friends in the SBC who encouraged the idea. He and his wife, Janet, prayed extensively about the role, he said.
“I believe our convention exists primarily to do work together for the gospel,” Crosby said. “Cooperation is our distinctive. But I feel like cooperation is taking a beating these days. … Cooperation requires sacrifice and the setting aside of ego and a determination to care for one another and release control of our resources into the hands of brothers and sisters that we trust and entrust to do our cooperative work. … We can get a lot of things done working on our own but working together is a better plan.”
Crosby said he has worked to proclaim the gospel in his city and “if surviving difficult situations is a benefit for the president of the SBC, then I’m most likely the guy who has seen the most difficulties,” reflecting on overcoming the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
When it comes to Alabama churches, Greear said they “typify, in many ways, the core-competency work of evangelism and discipleship that the SBC should be most proud of.”
Alabama Baptists ‘inspiring’
He also recognized the “great work of the Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief group … and the Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries — both funded by Cooperative Program dollars. The convention there is ‘getting its hands dirty’ with the work of the ministry, planting churches in the state, mobilizing for missions, resourcing churches and helping out in times of crisis. It’s inspiring.”
Gaines recalled his 14 years as pastor of Gardendale First Baptist and noted his involvement in sharing the gospel across the state.
“Many pastors and lay people in Alabama know me. I would be grateful to have the privilege of serving Alabama Baptists as president of the SBC and I want us to experience a spiritual awakening and emphasize soul winning and financial stewardship.”
Crosby recognized how Alabama Baptists have historically been “very supportive of cooperative work and given sacrificially so we could do missions at the high level we’ve been doing it.”
“I would suggest they look at the candidates and see which one reflects that value. … I’m a pastor who has been deeply involved in all the different levels of Southern Baptist work together.”
For more information on the voting process, visit www.sbc.net/aboutus/legal/bylaws.asp.
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