J.D. Greear, president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), has announced the names of individuals who will serve on the Committee on Committees for the June 11-12 SBC annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala.
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Greear announced the committee’s chairman on Feb. 4, Sky Pratt, associate pastor for mobilization at Prince Avenue Baptist Church in Athens, Ga., and vice chair, Ashlyn Portero, executive director at City Church in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Committee on Committees will assemble in Birmingham, Ala., just prior to the SBC annual meeting to nominate members of the Committee on Nominations who will, in 2020, nominate trustees for the boards of SBC entities.
The Committee on Committees has 68 members, two from each of the 34 states and regions qualified for representation on boards of SBC entities.
Greear issued a 250-word statement about the full committee:
“I am pleased to announce this outstanding group of Southern Baptists. We began last August when I first asked state executives and associational missions strategists for input. These individuals all desire to keep the ‘Gospel Above All’ of our differences and be a unifying group around Jesus’ work and his mission.
“This diverse group of Southern Baptists believe completely that we must continue to work to be a convention that reflects the coming kingdom, that keeps evangelism as our priority, emphasizes church planting as God’s plan ‘A,’ and engages the next generation in cooperative mission. All of these marks are what I believed the Holy Spirit was leading me to by allowing my name to be nominated by Ken Whitten last year and what this group believes as well.
“Many of the members of the Committee on Committees are in churches that were started in the past decade. It’s critical that we engage those new to our processes early in the life of their churches so that they develop a clear understanding of the importance of cooperation toward our common mission as Southern Baptists. This committee represents churches of all sizes, ethnicities and theological persuasions involved in the Southern Baptist Convention.
“It was my goal to select Southern Baptists who would represent their fellow Southern Baptists well, and while Cooperative Program (CP) giving wasn’t used as a measure for these appointments, the average CP giving percentage of this group is higher than the average Southern Baptist church.”
Greear said Pratt and Portero are “two dynamic Southern Baptist leaders, and they will lead this committee well.”
Pratt described the committee as “truly a reflection of Christ’s kingdom. We are thrilled to have such a diverse representation of Southern Baptists serving. Our prayer is that this committee with help our churches reach all nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Greear said the composition of the committee is:
– Male: 45 people, 63 percent of the total; female: 23 people, 34 percent
– Average age: 43
– Youngest: 22
– Oldest: 73
– Nationalities/Ethnicities:
* Non-white males: 46 people, 68 percent
* White: 34 people, 50 percent
* African Americans: 16 people, 24 percent
* Hispanic: 10 people, 15 percent
* Asian: 5 people, 7 percent
* Other/multi-ethnic: 3 people, 4 percent
– Church size:
* Less than 250: 51 percent (less than 100: 24 percent)
* More than 250: 49 percent
* Average baptisms: 26
* Average attendance: 597
– Average Cooperative Program percentage: 7.66
– Number of members’ churches started in the last decade: at least 11
Members of the Committee on Committees listed by state are:
ALABAMA: Terrence Jones, Strong Tower, Montgomery; Whitney Alexander, First, Gadsden.
ALASKA: Dinna Natcher, Filipino Bible, Anchorage; Brian Hicks, True North, Girdwood.
ARIZONA: Delia Comon, North Phoenix, Phoenix; Shannon Jennings, Aletheia, Sedona.
ARKANSAS: Matt Hubbard, Immanuel, Little Rock; Courtney Reissig, Midtown, Little Rock.
CALIFORNIA: PJ Tibayan, Bethany, Bellflower; Shirley Pugh, Reach for the Son, Poway.
COLORADO: Kathy Routt, Redemption Hill, Colorado Springs; Kenna Moreland, Denver Christian Bible, Denver.
FLORIDA: Jose Abella, Providence Road, Miami; Ashlyn Portero, vice chair, City Church, Tallahassee.
GEORGIA: Sky Pratt, chair, Prince Avenue, Bogart; Milton Campbell, Midtown Bridge, Atlanta.
HAWAII: Arjay Gruspe, Pawa’a Community, Honolulu; Sterling Lee, First, Pearl City.
ILLINOIS: Michael Allen, Uptown, Chicago; David Sutton, Bread of Life Missionary, Chicago.
INDIANA: Reginald Fletcher, Living Word, Indianapolis; Alan Scott, Oakhill, Evansville.
KANSAS/NEBRASKA: Jonathan Castillo, First Southern, Topeka, Kan.; Diane Ravenstein, CrossPoint, Hutchinson, Kan.
KENTUCKY: Beth Holmes, Yellow Creek, Owensboro; Todd Linn, First, Henderson.
LOUISIANA: Ryan Rice, Connect Church of Algiers, New Orleans; Michael Wood, First, West Monroe.
MARYLAND/DELAWARE/DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Dan Hyun, The Village, Baltimore, Md.; Ken Fentress, Montrose, Rockville, Md.
MICHIGAN: Josh Tovey, Redemption, Grandville; Eric Stewart, ONElife, Flint.
MISSISSIPPI: Dawson Zhang, Hattiesburg Chinese Christian, Hattiesburg; Reid Guy, Carterville, Petal.
MISSOURI: Sam Bierig, Liberty, Liberty; Kyle Hubbard, The Gate, University City.
NEVADA: Heiden Ratner, WALK, Las Vegas; Danny Reyes-Escobar, Hope, Las Vegas.
NEW ENGLAND: Kaleigh Adams, Harbor, Hyannis, Mass.; Itamar Elizalde, Iglesia Casa De Oracion, Worcester, Mass.
NEW MEXICO: Kyle Bueermann, First, Alamogordo; Amber Celoria, Bethel Baptist, Alamogordo.
NEW YORK: Roscoe Lilly, Starpoint, Clifton Park; James Roberson, The Bridge, Brooklyn.
NORTH CAROLINA: Kallie Wade, Mercy Church, Charlotte; Betsy Bolick, Perkinsville, Boone.
NORTHWEST: Audrey Evans, Pathway, Gresham, Ore.; Matthew Savage, Journey, Everett, Wash.
OHIO: Peyton Hill, Highland, Grove City; Robin Smalley, Lakota Hills, West Chester.
OKLAHOMA: Vanda Wall, Henderson Hills, Edmond; Sophia Geiger, First, Snyder.
PENNSYLVANIA/SOUTH JERSEY: Carlos Pacheco, Iglesia Central Hispana, Morris Plains, N.J.; Venus Sanders, Ezekiel, Philadelphia, Pa.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Philip Pinckney, Radiant, North Charleston; Stephanie Powell, The Mill, Moore.
TENNESSEE: Damon Conley, Brown Missionary, Southaven, Miss.; Bruce Raley, First, Hendersonville.
TEXAS: Alexandra Canales, High Pointe, Austin; Michael Criner, First, Bellville.
UTAH/IDAHO: Bryan Catherman, Redeeming Life, Salt Lake City, Utah; Daniel Savage, Redemption, Ogden, Utah.
VIRGINIA: Vernig Suarez, First, Norfolk; James Ford, Remnant, Richmond.
WEST VIRGINIA: Mason Ballard, Resurrection, Charleston; Timothy Marr, North Charleston, Charleston.
WYOMING: David Grace, Trinity, Laramie; Don Rushing, First Southern, Powell.