The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. will accept a nomination in June 2020 to serve as Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) president, he told Baptist Press (BP) Nov. 1.
“I am honored by the announcement by Pastor H. B. Charles, and I will accept nomination as president of the Southern Baptist Convention in June,” Mohler told BP. “All my life, I have sought to serve whenever asked by my denomination, and I would hope, if elected, to serve in a way that would unite Southern Baptists, strengthen our work together, add energy to our evangelism, and keep our hearts set on taking the [g]ospel to the nations.”
If elected, Mohler would be the first entity head to serve as SBC president since then-Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson served from 1999-2000.
H.B. Charles Jr., senior pastor of mega Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., tweeted Oct. 31 his intention to nominate Mohler when the SBC meets June 9-10, 2020, in Orlando, Fla.
“I’m delighted to announce my prayerful intention to nominate @albertmohler as our next SBC president when we gather together in Orlando in June 2020 for our annual meeting,” said Charles, a noted preacher, author and former president of the SBC Pastors’ Conference. “Our times are filled with serious challenges from our culture, along with as incredible opportunities for [g]ospel witness.”
Charles promoted Mohler as one capable of mobilizing the SBC behind a common vision.
“I believe @albertmohler is the statesman leader we need at this precise moment,” Charles tweeted. “Southern Baptists know and trust @albertmohler. He’s a proven leader in our convention, capable of uniting us behind our shared commitment to biblical truth and the urgency of the Great Commission.
“At this hour, it’s crucial that Southern Baptists come together,” Charles said. “We need the conviction to stand boldly for Christ. We need the zeal to mobilize our resources to spread the [g]ospel. We must do so together. I believe @albertmohler is the man to lead us forward in that unity.”
Mohler echoed Charles’ comments.
“We are facing a new era in the world and in the United States, and cultural challenges that will test our conviction,” Mohler told BP. “We must make clear that we stand without reservation for biblical Christianity and Baptist conviction, and we must stand together.”
He pledged to build on “the faithful leadership of the past and help develop the faithful leadership of the future.”
Mohler is a member of Third Avenue Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., which reported 609 members and 800 average attendance on the 2019 SBC Annual Church Profile (ACP). With $1.075 million in undesignated receipts in 2019, the church gave $66,000, or 6.1 percent of receipts, to the Cooperative Program, according to the ACP.
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Diana Chandler is Baptist Press’ general assignment writer/editor.)