Southern Baptist Convention Elects Clint Pressley as New President

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Pastor Clint Pressley of Hickory Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. According to The Christian Post, Pressley was elected on the second runoff ballot following a vote by messengers gathered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The first two votes took place on Monday evening. He received 4,244 votes or 56.12 percent, defeating five other candidates. Pressley defeated Dan Spencer, who pastors First Baptist Church of Sevierville, Tennessee, on the second runoff ballot, receiving 3,305 votes, or 43.71 percent of the vote.

Following the result of the first ballot, Pressley received 2,289 votes or 25.52 percent; second place was David Allen, dean of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary’s preaching center, with 1,896 votes or 21.14 percent; and third place was Spencer with 1,585 votes or 17.67 percent.

In fourth place was Bruce Frank, pastor of Biltmore Church, Asheville, North Carolina, with 15.56 percent of the vote; Jared Moore, pastor of Homesteads Baptist Church in Crossville, Tennessee, placed fifth with 10.27 percent of the vote; and Mike Keahbone, pastor of First Baptist Church of Lawton, Oklahoma, placed last with 9.68 percent of the vote.

Pressley, Allen, and Spencer were on the first runoff ballot since all three candidates had a total vote count that equaled more than 50 percent of the ballots cast in the first round.  

The results of that ballot had Pressley in first place with 3,330 votes or 39.01 percent, Spencer in second place with 2,600 votes or 30.46 percent, and Allen in third place with 2,577 votes or 30.19 percent.

However, a second runoff ballot was held since none of the three candidates received 50 percent of the vote. Messengers voted between Pressley and Spencer, who had the two highest totals.

Pastor Chris Justice of Lee Park Baptist Church in Monroe, North Carolina, nominated Pressley in January, stating he considered Pressley “to be a man of conviction who is joyfully orthodox, devoted to the Great Commission, and committed to our cooperation as Southern Baptists.”

Justice added that Pressley “has led his church to plant and revitalize other churches, send missionaries, and sacrificially given to the Cooperative Program and Great Commission causes.”

Pressley will succeed Bart Barber, who was elected president of the SBC in 2022 and was reelected last year but ultimately stepped down since individuals are prohibited from serving two consecutive terms.

Photo Credit: ©RNS/AP Photo/Mark Humphrey/File

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.