june 15, 2006
Southern Baptists Elect Frank Page as President
Frank Page, pastor First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C., was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention June 13 by messengers to the SBC’s annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C., according to Baptist Press.
In a three-candidate race, Page on the first ballot defeated Ronnie Floyd, pastor of First Baptist Church in Springdale, Ark., and Jerry Sutton, pastor of Two Rivers Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn. Of the 8,961 votes cast, Page received 4,546 votes, or 50.48 percent.
In the election for first vice president, Jimmy Jackson, pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, Ala., was elected in a runoff. In the election for second vice president, Wiley Drake, pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, Calif., was elected on the first ballot over three other nominees.
The presidential election was the first highly contested presidential race at an SBC annual meeting since 1994, when Jim Henry defeated Fred Wolfe in Orlando.
Page succeeds Bobby Welch, pastor of First Baptist Church of Daytona Beach, Fla., who served two terms as president.
Forrest Pollock, pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Fla., 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 mission endeavors.
“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.”
Page’s church gives 12.4 percent of undesignated receipts to the Cooperative Program, Pollock said.
“This issue is not about theology; it’s about methodology,” Pollock said. “Are we going to support our missionaries or not, and who has the credibility to stand before us and challenge us to do more? You see, we can’t have a double standard.... All of us must give if we’re going to reach this world for Christ.”
Pollock said Page is “not a high flying preacher, just a soul-winner.”
More Church and Ministry on Spiritual Life
More from the Clergy Corner on Spiritual Life
ChurchWatch Front
Page
More from Craig
von Buseck on CBN.com