I am doing a couple follow up posts to this one so bear with me!
It is over a year away, usually, but I want to know who you would choose if YOU could pick the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention?
It can be anybody… Obviously, I would appreciate you choosing someone who would have a chance of being elected.
Tell me who you could choose and why… try and take EVERYTHING into account. Are they Calvinist? How do they get along with the ‘other side?’ Missions oriented? Theologically respected? and on and on…
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Al Mohler would be my first choice. He is highly intelligent and articulate, theologically respected, evangelistic, and able to provide penetrating cultural analysis. I also believe he can build bridges between Calvinists and non-Calvinists.
Barry Wallaces last blog post..Are you inoculated against Jesus?
I would pick Bruce Pearl to be the next SBC President, and Pat Head-Summit as Vice, with Lane Kiffin as second vice.
David
David,
Pat Head-Summitt is the only proven successful leader of those three so I would have to strongly oppose the other two!
Matt Svobodas last blog post..Looking Ahead to The Big 12 Tournament
No names come immediately to mind, but I will seek to elect persons who identify with the “Great Commission Resurgence” (see Tom Ascol’s recent blog posts), agree with the concept of theological triage, and oppose the IMB personnel policies.
Todd,
You don’t know anyone who fits that criteria?
Matt Svobodas last blog post..Looking Ahead to The Big 12 Tournament
Al Mohler. In addition to what Barry said, the man is genuine.
Stan McCullarss last blog post..ESV Classic Reference Bible; this is premium calfskin leather?
Al Mohler is a great choice.
I would definitely consider Tommy Vinson, now of Collierville, TN.
His heart and desire to pray first gives him the edge over so many in our convention.
David,
If they were saved, they wouldn’t coach at Tennessee.
Dave Millers last blog post..Thorns on a Rose: An Analysis of Dr. Yarnell’s Sermon
What about the coach from Facing The Giants? He’s media pastor at an SBC church and can do a lot done one a tiny budget.
Danny Akin.
Todd Buruss last blog post..Navigating the Darkness- Dr. Lloyd-Jones on the Believer Suffering in Depression
Danny Akin is my choice as well.
He is someone with great intellect and passion. He has also shown a desire to unite as opposed to dividing.
Eric Carpenters last blog post..Finally Alive
i’m not up to date on sbc “contenders,” but i would rule out any of the sbc seminary presidents, even the great men mentioned above. they don’t have the luxury of laying down seminary work to do convention matters, especially right now as seminary’s are making lots of decisions relating to the economy and such.
mikes last blog post..sometimes money is just not the issue
1. Albert Mohler
2. Danny Akin
3. David Dockery
I think Mark Dever, Al Mohler and Danny Akin are all great choices. They are articulate, intelligent, godly and great commission minded.
Bill Pfister
Brevard, NC
Jimmy Jackson, who served as First VP in 2006-07.
Dr. Jackson is Pastor of the great Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, baptizing hundreds yearly. Whitesburg Baptist leads Alabama each year in Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong offerings. Hundreds from Whitesburg make international mission trips yearly.
Jackson was the first member placed on the SBC Executive Committee due to the election of Adrian Rogers in 1979. Jackson has since served on the Board of Southwestern Seminary.
Jackson is a Th.D. graduate of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and currently serves as President of the Alabama Baptist State Convention.
Brother Jimmy’s forte is his love for preachers. Known as a great encourager of preachers, Jimmy Jackson preaches far and wide in Pastor’s Conferences.
The 2010 Convention will be held in Orlando. Jackson served for years at FBC Merritt Island, following Adrian Rogers.
Let’s start the ball rolling to elect Jimmy Jackson as President of the Southern Baptist Convention.
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Without doubths, I think Albert Mohler is the theological response, the reformissionary approach guy and the person that has the grace by God to have in the same table, calvinist and non-calvinist pastors and officers and at the same be the instrument to encourage both of them to give fruit for the glory of God and the enchancement of God’s Kingdom and the Great Plan of Salvation. (GPS) We need Al or a person with the same calling.
And now for something completely different…
Matt Chandler (The Village Church)
Think about it – his church was a classic, old-school, dying SBC church…like many in the convention. Now it’s a theologically-solid, missionally-focused, rapidly growing church. What if many more of our struggling SBC churches were to do the same? Revitalization for the convention? Just a thought
Brett,
Yeah, but wouldn’t a plan like that require all of the churches to embrace Calvinism? I don’t know of any examples off the top of my head of guys who have revitalized SBC churches that weren’t at least mildly Calvinistic. Do you?
Plus, there is a better chance of Pope Benedict XVI getting elected than an SBCer who works with Acts 29.
Not that I don’t like your idea though. Maybe in 5 years when the convention has split we can elect Chandler the president of the GCR side (*he says with tongue in cheek*)
Todd Buruss last blog post..What We Believe- Article VIII, The Lord’s Day
Todd,
hahahaha – I think you’re right and appreciate the way you put it…BUT…
I’m just saying, no one would have guessed he would have ended up the pastor of an SBC church because of the same reasons…God works in mysterious ways…
hahaha, the Pope
Dr. Al Mohler
i’ll just add one more time, as i said above, an sbc seminary president just won’t work. those guys are maxed out as far as workload and scheduling goes. right now they are all overseeing campus improvements and building projects and/or dealing with budget issues. love doctors akin and mohler, but i really believe it would be a bad move for them to tackle convention-president issues and oversee seminaries right now.
i sound sane, right?
mikes last blog post..sometimes money is just not the issue
mike,
I get your point. I just disagree that they shouldnt be considered. If it were not for the convention as a whole then the seminaries wouldn’t matter. The SBC as a whole comes first. Every seminary has a staff that could handle the responsibilities if the president had to take off some of the load in order to lead our convention.
In my opinion, if a seminary president is the best guy to lead the convention than he should be the man voted in, regardless of their position at the seminary.
But yes, you do sound sane.
Matt Svobodas last blog post..The Holy Spirit and Biblical Counseling
Hmmm, decisions… decisions…
Sallies last blog post..A view of today…
Two Things
1) mike,
I agree with Matt on both counts–you are sane, and you can’t rule out seminary presidents. Almost everyone who has any chance of being elected has a very busy schedule. Many past presidents have been pastors of large churches. In theory, at least, no one has more demanding responsibilities than they do.
2) Andy Davis, FBC Durham.
He’s not nearly as well known, and may not be at all interested, but he is just as well qualified, I think, as anyone already mentioned.
Barry Wallaces last blog post..Insulted by the Gospel… “We are worse off than frogs.”