Clint Pressley, newly elected SBC president, answers questions during his first press conference at the conclusion of the 2024 SBC annual meeting in Indianapolis. — Photo by Pam Henderson / The Baptist Paper

INDIANAPOLIS — In his routine, succinct style of responding to inquiries, Clint Pressley completed his first press conference as Southern Baptist Convention president in roughly 10 minutes.

Media representatives from across the nation gathered to ask questions and hear from Pressley following the conclusion of the SBC Annual Meeting on June 12. [Read more…]

Mike Law speaks for the Law Amendment during the second report of the SBC Executive Committee at the 2024 SBC Annual Meeting. — Photo by Van Payne / The Baptist Paper

INDIANAPOLIS — In a highly anticipated vote on the final day of this year’s Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, messengers narrowly defeated the proposed Law Amendment which specified that only men can serve “as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.”

During last year’s annual meeting in New Orleans, messengers adopted a motion by Mike Law, pastor of Arlington Baptist Church in Virginia, that the SBC Constitution be amended to note that any church in “friendly cooperation” with the SBC “does not affirm, appoint or employ a woman as a pastor of any kind.” 

The motion was amended by Juan Sanchez of Texas to read that a cooperating church “affirms, appoints or employs only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.” [Read more…]

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. [Read more…]

INDIANAPOLIS — Messengers at the SBC annual meeting are still waiting to see who the next president will be.

With six candidates originally in the race, voting on Tuesday night did not result in a winner, instead leading to a run-off between the top three vote-getters — Clint Pressley, pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C.; Dan Spencer, pastor of First Baptist Church in Sevierville; and David Allen, a professor at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis.

The 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. [Read more…]

Members of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force field questions during a press conference at the 2024 SBC annual meeting in Indianapolis. — Photo by Van Payne / The Baptist Paper

INDIANAPOLIS — During a 20-minute press conference on Tuesday night, Josh Wester sounded almost like a football coach after a significant victory.

Moments earlier, Wester, who serves as chair of Southern Baptist Convention’s Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force, had seen the SBC messengers overwhelmingly approve recommendations presented by the task force.

“I’m thankful, filled with gratitude, for what we just saw from the messengers,” said Wester during the press conference. “The affirmation of the recommendations is really a sign that (the messengers) are resolved to see these reforms go forward in the SBC.” [Read more…]

Former SBC presidents pray over current nominees at the conclusion of the June 10 presidential forum, held the night before the election. — Photo by Van Payne / The Baptist Paper

INDIANAPOLIS — The six announced nominees for president of the Southern Baptist Convention spent almost 90 minutes answering questions about recent SBC concerns. The Q-and-A session, which lasted late into the night on June 10, drew a crowd of roughly 2,000 Baptists.

The presidential forum was hosted by The Baptist Review, which describes itself as “a curated platform devoted to Convention conversation.”

A recently formed digital platform, “The Baptist Review exists for Southern Baptists to engage in good faith discussion about the issues, current events and questions that matter in our Convention,” according to thebaptistreview.com. [Read more…]

INDIANAPOLIS — The 2024 SBC Pastors Conference ended just like it started: With a pastor from the Tennessee Baptist Convention in the pulpit.

Steve Gaines, senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova and a former SBC president, preached the conference’s final sermon on Monday night. Roughly 24 hours earlier, the two-day event opened with a message from Bartholomew Orr, senior pastor of Brown Missionary Baptist Church, which is located in Southaven, Miss., but is a TBC church. 

Also representing the TBC was Adam Dooley, senior pastor of Englewood Baptist Church, Jackson, who delivered one of the sermons during the Tuesday afternoon session. [Read more…]