The Next President of the Southern Baptist Convention

The Next President

I love Clint Pressley. In 2024 and 2025, I voted for him for president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and told others to as well. More than that, I think he has served with distinction. Every Southern Baptist should be eager to serve in any way helping him to serve out the vast majority of his second term.

Pressley has so much time left in his term that I am shocked to be writing about the next president of the convention.  The conversations about who comes next inevitably happen but have happened quicker this year because recent SBC history has reminded us of the importance of that post. Every conversation I have had with every SBC leader for weeks has touched on this issue.

For my part, there is one SBC pastor that I have asked to seriously consider running. I am praying for him. You may already have your preferred candidate.

Since so many are talking about this, I am going to relate what I have been sharing in private conversations about what we need in the next SBC president.

Qualifications for Three Jobs

The qualifications of the next SBC president correspond to the three main jobs of the office.

The most obvious job is presiding over the SBC annual meeting. Southern Baptists need an obvious servant who will faithfully call balls and strikes on the convention floor and who will work with Southern Baptists of conviction to accomplish their crucial work at the SBC.

The most important job is appointing people to the committee on committees. This job is so crucial because it ultimately ensures that all our Baptist entities stay convictionally connected to the Baptist Faith and Message (BFM). Southern Baptists need a president with the courage to appoint persons who are qualified by their character and their unflinching commitment to Baptist doctrine. Such commitments are the only things that will ensure the future faithfulness of the SBC.

The unofficial job of the SBC president is to serve as spokesman for the convention. In these dark days of confusion and compromise, Southern Baptists need a man of deep and abiding Baptist conviction who will boldly articulate our principles in a winsome way to the watching world. As Southern Baptists, we have the truth of God in his Word, the Bible. We know that Jesus Christ alone is the way to everlasting life. We are on the right side of history. We need a president who will stand on God’s Word, proclaim God’s grace and bravely shine the bright light of faithfulness into the darkness of our stumbling culture.

Caution

The job of SBC president is so crucial, and these days are so important that Southern Baptists need some special caution.

We need to be cautious about those who would put themselves forward for this job. A desire to serve is often a good thing. But the prestige of this position will also be attractive to prideful men. This is no time for arrogant ambition but humble service. All of us should have as much trust in God to raise up a humble servant as we are suspicious of those selfish servants who seek to raise up themselves.

Another caution regards confusion. Conservative Southern Baptists have been guilty of the unforced error of running conservatives against one another, diluting the vote, and making matters worse. I am praying for faithful Southern Baptists to build early consensus around our next leader and eliminate that ambitious rush for the presidential gavel.

We also must be cautious about how we have this conversation. I don’t want this conversation to distract from the good work that needs to happen before next summer. But the conversations are already happening in meetings, calls, and text messages all over the country. Because that is true, we might as well be honest about it and commit to pray. The conversations happening in our convention is a reminder to ask God to raise up his man and bless our convention. Talking to Him will do more good than all the other conversations we we could possibly have.