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.
