GREENSBORO, N.C. (BP)–New trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention’s entities are diverse, have an average age of 48 and are overwhelmingly first-time nominees.
Of the 105 nominations made by the Committee on Nominations, only three have ever served on an SBC board, messengers were told in approving the new trustees June 13.
“That is absolutely extraordinary,” SBC President Bobby Welch said. He commended the 70-member committee for “reach[ing] down into the body life of this convention and find[ing] more folks to fill more places at a time like this.”
“We’ve worked cooperatively with a good committee,” said committee chairman Guy Sanders, pastor of First Baptist Church in New Port Richey, Fla. “All along the way I believe we’ve evidenced love for the Lord Jesus Christ, a commitment to excellence and the real spirit of enjoyable unity.”
Sanders emphasized that the committee’s report broadens the first-time representation of people in the convention, demonstrates financial cooperation and enlists people who will encourage evangelism as they guide the SBC’s entities.
The churches which nominees represent give an average of more than 9 percent of their budgets through the Cooperative Program and have an average of 48 baptisms per church. “If we all did that, we’d baptize 2 million a year,” Sanders noted.
Church attendance ranges from 43 in a newly planted church to congregations with thousands of members. The youngest nominees are two pastors, both 29, and the eldest is a 75-year-old female.
“Our committee has worked very diligently to present to this convention a slate of nominees full of diversity, free of personal agenda and faithful to the Great Commission through Southern Baptist cooperation,” Sanders said.
“It follows the full gamut of who we are as Southern Baptists.”
–30–
