As the term of the current president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is about to end and the SBC's annual convention -- where the next president will be elected -- is fast approaching, nominees for the next president of the denomination have been announced through Baptist Press, the official news service of the SBC. This year’s nominees include J.D. Greear, Steve Gaines, and David Crosby.
North Carolina J.D. Greear "is leading his generation to live out a passion for the SBC, missions and the local church," wrote Florida pastor Jimmy Scroggins in a news release. He stated his intention to nominate Greear at the SBC annual meeting in St. Louis in June on March 2.
Greear pastored The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., for 14 years during which worship attendance has grown from 350 to about 10,000 and the number of baptisms has increased from 19 to 928 between 2012 and 2014.
"One of the things God has put on my heart is that my generation needs to take personal responsibility for the agencies and the mission boards of the SBC and not just think of them as the SBC's, but think of them as ours,” Greear told the Baptist Press.
Tennessee pastor Steve Gaines’ nomination was announced by former SBC President Johnny Hunt on March 9.
"With such a passionate desire for spiritual revival in our churches and nation, and knowing him to be a man of deep intense prayer, it brings joy to my heart to nominate Dr. Gaines,” Hunt told the Baptist Press.
Gaines has pastored the Memphis-area Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn., for 11 years.
According to Hunt, Bellevue has partnered with the International Mission Board since 2007 in leading evangelism training in 34 countries.
Gaines told BP that he would like to carry on with current SBC president Dr. Ronnie Floyd’s focus on spiritual revival.
“I've been praying for an awakening for a long time, and that's really my heart. I want the manifest presence of God in our churches and also in our denomination,” he told Baptist Press.
It was announced on March 24 that David Crosby, who has pastored the First Baptist Church in New Orleans for 20 years, will be nominated by former SBC President Fred Luter.
"I have watched David the last 10 years here in New Orleans as he has taken the leadership of all the churches and pastors of our city in helping to rebuild New Orleans, which everybody knows was totally destroyed in Hurricane Katrina," Luter told BP in an interview.
"I really believe in cooperation, and I believe the Southern Baptist Convention exists primarily to facilitate cooperation among our churches for the world mission of the Gospel,” Crosby said according to BP.
Crosby has held numerous leadership positions which include being a moderator of the New Orleans Baptist Association, member of the SBC Committees and Resolutions, and Executive Board member of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. He is also a trustee at the Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.
Candidates serve one year terms and can hold the position for a maximum of two consecutive terms. The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the nation with over 50,000 churches and 15 million members.
