Frank Page SBC president

GREENSBORO, N.C. (BP/FBW) – Frank Page, pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C., elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention during its annual meeting June 13-14 in Greensboro, was the first of five men to complete the slate of officers to lead the 16.2 million-member denomination for the next year.

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In a three-candidate race for president, of the 8,961 votes cast, Page, with 4,546 votes, or 50.48 percent on the first ballot, defeated Ronnie Floyd, pastor of First Baptist Church in Springdale, Ark., who was second with 2,247 votes or 24.95 percent, and Jerry Sutton, pastor of Two Rivers Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn., who had 2,168 votes or 24.08 percent of the votes.

The presidential election was the first highly contested presidential race at an SBC annual meeting since 1994 in Orlando, when Jim Henry, now retired as pastor of First Baptist Church there, defeated Fred Wolfe, now of Canton, Ga.

Page succeeds Bobby Welch, pastor of First Baptist Church of Daytona Beach, who served two terms as president.

Jimmy Jackson, pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, Ala., won the election for first vice president in a runoff. He received 51.44 percent (1,107 votes) of the vote, edging Mark Dever (47.86 percent, 1,030 votes), pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.

On the first ballot, Dever received a plurality of the votes, with 29.72 percent (1,090 votes) to Jackson’s 27.48 percent (1,008 votes). Convention rules state that the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff. On the first ballot Kelly J. Burris, senior pastor of Kempsville Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, Va., received 22.76 percent (835) while Keith Fordham, an evangelist from Fayetteville, Ga., and a member of Harp’s Crossing Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ga., received 19.79 percent (726 votes).

Wiley Drake, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, Calif., was elected to the post of second vice president. Drake received 50.37 percent of the vote (2,408 votes) on the first ballot over three other nominees — J.D. Greear (1,508 votes), pastor of the Summit Church in Durham, N.C.; Bob Bender (635 votes), pastor of First Baptist Church of Black Forest in Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Jay Adkins (207 votes), pastor of First Baptist Church in Westwego, La.

By acclamation, messengers re-elected John Yeats, director of communications for the Louisiana Baptist Convention and a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria, La., as recording secretary and Jim Wells, director of missions for Tri County Baptist Association in Nixa, Mo., as registration secretary.

Messengers chose Rob Zinn, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Highland, Calif., to preach the convention sermon at next year’s annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas. Pat Pajak, pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Decatur, Ill., was selected as the convention sermon alternate, while Scott White, minister of music and worship at First Baptist Church in Woodstock, Ga., will serve as the meeting’s music director.

Forrest Pollock, pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, nominated Page for president.

Pollock described Page as a man who will “not only love the Word of God — the inerrant Bible — but also will support the Cooperative Program.”

Page’s church gives 12.4 percent of undesignated receipts to the Cooperative Program, Pollock said.

“We’ve got to work together if we’re going to accomplish the Great Commission,” Pollock said. “That’s the reason that we started the Cooperative Program in the first place — so that granddaddy’s church could work with your church and my church to reach the world for the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Pollock said Page is “not a high flying preacher, just a soul-winner.”

In an interview with Florida Baptist Witness, Pollock said he met Page about four years ago at a meeting for pastors of large churches.

“When I found out he was running for president my heart just skipped a beat because I knew of the man’s love of the Word of God, his integrity and his love of soulwinning and evangelism — and missions. I wanted to be involved in that and help in any small way that I could,” Pollock said.

Pollock said Page has been actively involved in Baptist life and leadership, citing a time Page urged Georgia pastors to adopt the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message and wrote a resolution which urged the expulsion of churches which condoned homosexuality.

“Frank Page is a conservative’s conservative,” Pollock said. “I mean he just loves the Word of God. He is an inerrantist. Rock solid that way, but he also has a heart for missions and evangelism and cooperating with other Baptist churches evidenced by his 12.4 percent cooperative giving percentage.”

Pollock said he was “utterly flabbergasted” Page won the election. “I’m still not altogether certain I’m not in some kind of a dream and will wake up tomorrow and we really did lose by 70 percent like we thought we would,” Pollock added.

Calling both Floyd and Sutton “godly men,” Pollock said he and Page felt like the timing was right to step out and voice support for electing a president who strongly supported the Cooperative Program, although he said CP should not be used as a litmus test for cooperating in the convention’s ministries.

“I praise God for the church that gives 0000.0001 percent. I praise God for them because they’re cooperating, but I really believe that a leader needs to lead by example,” Pollock said. “Frank Page had such a tremendous track record in that regard.”

Pollock said he believes the SBC’s Executive Committee’s raising the issue of CP giving among leaders was the impetus for “putting the issue front and center” by suggesting, but not mandating, a certain level of commitment from leaders — that put the issue on the “radar screen” for messengers in the first place.

In reference to Floyd having served a number of years on the Executive Committee, Pollock deferred speaking specifically about him or other members of the EC, but said “the fact they all were [involved in] mission giving churches is to be celebrated.”

“I believe that the traditional Cooperative Program whereby we give through the states through the Cooperative Program to the Southern Baptist Convention is a vital means and a time-proven means of funding our mission causes,” Pollock said. “I just believe if churches would follow Frank Page’s lead we could just see a renaissance in evangelism and missions-effectiveness worldwide.”

Of records which show the pattern of giving adjusted according to inflation, Pollock said it has been “flat” for years.

“We’re coming to the place we need to give more and that pricks my heart. I want our church to do more because souls hang in the balance. People are going to die today and go to a devil’s hell because someone hasn’t reached them for Christ and that is a burden and a joy we have to be able to proclaim the name of Christ,” Pollock said. “And so Southern Baptists have always taken that seriously and we’re going to keep the main thing the main thing.”

Pollock said he could not recall how much his church contributes to CP.

“You know I don’t have the exact figures, but Frank Page puts us to shame. I told Frank Page when I spoke to him, I said, ‘Frank, you inspire me. I want our church to move in that direction,’” Pollock recalled. “And I feel if there is less wrangling among mission boards and if we’re focused on soulwinning then it makes it easier for pastors like me to raise our percentages year after year after year.”

According to the 2004-2005 Annual Church Profile, Bell Shoals gave 5.86 percent of undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program in 2005. Pollock has been pastor since 2002.

With increasing CP, “everybody wins,” Pollock said, noting the Florida Baptist Convention benefits when churches give more to CP. “The church wins because they are stretching themselves and being selfless outside of their own mission field; the state wins and the Southern Baptist Convention wins and the missionaries finally win — no they don’t finally win — the person who’s reached for Christ finally wins, so everybody wins,” Pollock said. “I’m just glad this issue has been put on the front burner.”

In closing, Pollock said he considers Welch a friend and believes the Daytona Beach pastor paved the way for Page to continue to emphasize soulwinning and evangelism. “I think Frank really benefits from that because he can keep now the momentum going attempt to even accelerate it. So praise God for Bobby Welch,” he added.

With reporting by Michael Foust, Eva Wolever & Allen Palmeri.