On the Election of Officers

Many bloggers have published endorsements of candidates they will support when our convention elects a new president next week in Indianapolis. Here are the candidates I plan to support.

Second Vice-President: Dr. John Newland

I don’t much like being away from the pulpit on Sundays, but one of the highlights for me is the opportunity to enjoy another preacher opening God’s Word, live and in person. I listen to several sermons in a given week, but a podcast simply doesn’t compare to being in the pew. Next Sunday, I plan to take my family to Fall Creek Baptist Church in Indianapolis, where Dr. John Newland serves as pastor.

I first heard of Dr. Newland during the controversy over his church’s planning of a Super Bowl party, a party which drew the ire of the attorneys for the National Football League. I remember at the time admiring Dr. Newland’s character for the way he handled the controversy by pledging to abide by the law as it stood, and as a football fan, I was certainly glad to hear that the league ultimately relaxed its stance toward such gatherings.

I was excited to hear of Dr. Newland’s nomination to this office, and I look forward to supporting his election.

First Vice-President: Dr. Bill Henard

Dr. Bill Henard has been a faithful servant in his roles as president of the Kentucky Baptist Convention and as a trustee, and chairman of the trustees, of LifeWay. But most importantly, he has been a faithful servant in his role as the pastor of Porter Memorial Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky.

In the most recent year for which statistics are available, Porter Memorial gave 10.6% of its undesignated receipts to the Cooperative Program, and over $54,000 to our two mission offerings.

Dr. Henard has been a strong conservative voice in the Kentucky Baptist Convention, and I look forward to supporting his election as our convention’s first vice-president.

President: Dr. Frank Cox

There is not much I can say about Dr. Cox that has not already been said in other endorsements. His answers, both in the SBC Today interview and to the BP questionnaire, were spot-on, he has led his church to be an outstanding example of Cooperative Program support (>13%), and he has an outstanding record of service to his state convention in Georgia.

But what is perhaps most impressive is his dedicated commitment to the local church, and specifically to the local church he has pastored since leaving New Orleans Seminary in 1980.

No, that’s not a typing error; Dr. Cox has served the same church for some 28 years. He has been there through some very difficult times, including the premature death of his first wife and some severe opposition from a disgruntled faction of church members. His faithfulness and perseverance over so many years challenges and inspires me, and uniquely qualifies Dr. Cox to be the president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Les Puryear, another candidate whom I consider a friend, has written a post on his blog today titled, “Advantages of Starting Out in a Small Church.” Dr. Cox has experienced all those advantages, because he started out in a small church nearly thirty years ago. But unlike so many who start out in small churches, he has not spent his time looking to step up to a larger church, but rather has stayed where God put him.

At the recent conference Les hosted at his church for small-church pastors, our current president, Dr. Frank Page, was quoted as saying it is time for a small-church pastor to be elected as president of our convention. I agree wholeheartedly, and I look forward to supporting small-church pastor Dr. Frank Cox, and I urge all who read this post to do the same.

Travel Notes

My family and I will hit the road this Thursday to travel to Indianapolis. We’ll stop to visit some family along the way, and on Sunday my dad, who lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, will meet us in Indianapolis to relieve us of our two children, whom we’ll rejoin in Grand Rapids after the convention for some family vacation time.

One of the highlights of the convention is the opportunity to renew friendships and make new acquaintances, and I’m especially looking forward to sharing these opportunities with my wife for the first time. If you’re going to be in Indianapolis, I wish you a safe trip, and I’d love to have the opportunity to meet you.