The chances aren’t at absolute zero for this but are pretty close. But, let’s dream and speculate anyhow.
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Those who want to take over the SBC will privately gripe and grumble over the delay in their well-laid plans.
Those who see themselves as The Lord’s SBC Kingmakers will privately fume, since they believe they are doing the Lord’s work to orchestrate who gets or doesn’t get the top SBC positions.
Those who consider themselves experts will declare that the single staff guy is not capable of handling the responsibilities of the office even though the things required of the SBC president aren’t all that great.
The tailored suit guys will rue that they will not be in line for a White House invitation.
The oligarchs will be publicly polite and complimentary , while privately dripping with condescension.
True denominational servants will fall all over themselves trying to help the guy succeed.
If the single staffer is an SBC seminary grad, that seminary will crow about it.
That small church for which the president is, duh, the only clergy staff will be extremely proud and will make whatever accommodation is necessary for him.
Twitter will be active, but mixed.
Bloggers will blog.
Complainers will complain.
Disdainers will up their game.
Explainers will not refrain but come up with something because they have to.
Pulpit committees will show up, if there are such things these days who still do such things the old way.
Those sycophants who like to be close to power will either take a couple of years off or redirect themselves and snuggle up. I don’t know which. You tell me.
The guy will be “God’s man” indeed, the first such in my lifetime. It will be a pleasure to see that phrase resurrected from utter meaninglessness.
It will be a great day for the SBC.
But…dream on hacker and plodder…dream on.
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Whenever I or anyone else touts the small or average church, the single staff pastor, the same responses bubble up. We might be a denomination of small churches, and everyone declares them heroes, but the SBC is a big church world.
Every now and then, particularly at the state conventions level, there’s a rogue nomination of a single staff guy for president. Never works.
Been a slow news week. Thought I’d take a shot…
Yes dream. I will be glad to dream with you. The DMin’s of the SBC will never allow it. Imagine someone who’s only focus is promoting programs that concentrate on seeing lost people get saved, instead of politics and social agendas. Sigh…we can dream though.
I like it in theory, but don’t see it as very feasible in practice. Any single staff Pastor will lack the name recognition and connections needed to garner votes. It’s the equivalent of someone trying to run for President of the US with only $10,000. You can file the paperwork and run, but you won’t have the resources to pull it off.
I’m not sure, but it’s not completely insane. For a short time, I had the privilege to have a well-known leader (his first initials are C B.) as a neighboring pastor of a small church here in Alabama. (He may have had some part-time help at that time, I don’t know). But I think a lot of people would know him and he had served in some much larger venues in the past. I’m sure we don’t agree on everything, but I respect him and would vote for him (then again, I’m a nobody convention-wise, so there’s that.) All this… Read more »
If the CB to whom you are referring is the one who comments here frequently, he is a fine gentleman and the kind you want in your foxhole if you are ever in battle. I admire his ministry, courage, and character, just as I admire many of the other single staff pastors I have known. For that matter, two of my own five pastorates have been single pastor churches. Having said that, I still think such a candidacy is highly unlikely to prevail.
You’re right, I think, but sometimes it’s fun to dream.
As an old deacon, I have much respect for the challenges faced by single staff pastors. It’s a difficult lonely task for many. But I pray that doesn’t rise to a level of jealousy, envy, hostility or even disrespect toward those pastors who faithfully serve with other associates.
We serve where we are. See Jonah. Some comments here seem unkind and beneath the appropriate demeanor expected of a Godly servant. Try singing, “It’s Well With My Soul” to cheer up.
What would happen if the SBC elected a single staff pastor as president?
Nothing because they don’t have time to
You can count on most of them having to resign from the churches that love them in order to serve the SBC well. As a single staff pastor of an SBC church myself, this would be a step down!
Maybe not so far-fetched. Didn’t the SBC once elect Wiley Drake as FVP? He’s a single staff church pastor. FVP is pretty close.
VP is light years away from president. We have a long string of mega church pastors and no other, save for Paige Patterson. If elected Stone would break the mega string. His is a large church but not mega, I’m pretty sure.
If Al Mohler suddenly took a church in Louisville with 30 or so people, then there you have it.
Realistic. Probably not.
I’ve always wondered why a small church pastor could never be elected in the SBC, a state Convention, or even a local Association. It would be a refreshing change to get away from church/convention politics and see what someone with vision and a heart for the people could do! The majority of churches in the convention are small churches.
Associations almost always have small church pastors as moderator.
Not all state conventions have large churches, or not enough to keep recycling the pastors as officers. But apparently none of the larger state conventions elect small church pastors as officers.
I like the idea. I believe the job is pretty big, even if you keep the job to what it’s supposed to be – appointing committees and serving ex officio on the Executive Committee. You would need to know a lot of people in various states to make those selections wisely. Dr. Criswell (even with his large staff at FBC Dallas) said that during his tenures, he did not know people who would be good to appoint in all of the states, so he would ask Porter Routh, the executive secretary treasure of the Executive Committee (Ronnie Floyd has this… Read more »
I for one am overjoyed that Mike Stone is being nominated to the SBC presidency
My dad was a single staff church pastor. He passed away in 2000 and so I can only imagine what he would say (and he would probably speak for most of the men today in his position) but if I had to guess — he would not want the job and would not feel qualified for it. This is why we should elect someone like my dad. His humility would make him the perfect person for the task.