Curtis Woods, co-interim executive director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention since November, has been named by SBC President J.D. Greear as the chair of the Resolutions Committee. Keith Whitfield, a vice-president as Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, has been named the vice chairman. The rest of the committee will be named at a later date. The Baptist Press article can be seen here.
A few relevant passages from the article, written by David Roach.
Woods, who served on the 2018 SBC Resolutions Committee, will be only the second African American to chair the committee, according to Baptist Press’ review of SBC records. Norris Sydnor, an African American, chaired the committee in 1982.
Greear spoke of his intent and philosophy.
“Southern Baptists must continue to bring new voices and new faces to the table that better represent both who we are and who we want to reach. We must be able to say to all Southern Baptists not just ‘you are represented in the process’ but ‘you are involved in the process.'”
When Greear’s nomination for SBC president was announced last year, he wrote in a blog post that “cultural and racial diversity” would be among his emphases if elected.
Woods expressed his sentiments.
“I am absolutely humbled by this opportunity to lead the 2019 SBC Resolutions Committee. President Greear continues to make good on his promise to pursue diverse leaders throughout the SBC. God has providentially selected a wonderful group of lucid thinkers who will interrogate each resolution through the lens of the Gospel.”
Whitfield has been very active in SBC life.
Whitfield is Southeastern’s vice president for academic administration and dean of graduate studies. He also serves as associate professor of theology. He has served in various pastoral leadership roles at churches in Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina.
There is more to come next week.
Greear’s other appointments to the Resolutions Committee will be announced next week. He said resolutions proposed by the committee in June at the SBC annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala., will “aim to reflect the collective voice of Southern Baptists.”
We try not to editorialize too much on posts like this, but we are excited at our president’s first appointment, affirm his philosophy and look forward to what is to come.
