The candidate next up to be considered for president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee is Jeff Iorg, the EC announced Friday (March 1).
The SBC Executive Committee’s search team announced a special meeting to be held March 21 in Dallas. There, at the Grand Hyatt in the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, they will officially decide if Iorg will lead the Executive Committee, Baptist Press reported. Iorg currently serves as the president of Gateway Baptist Theological Seminary, where he has served since 2004.
“Jeff Iorg is who we have been praying for,” said search team chairman Neal Hughes in the report.
RELATED: Check out more stories on the SBC Executive Committee here.
The announcement comes a little more than a week after the search team told EC members during their February meeting that an “excellent” candidate “is emerging.” Before that, the team announced in January that the candidate they had planned to introduce at that meeting had withdrawn his name from consideration. Thomas Hammond, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, later confirmed he was that candidate.
If all goes as the search team plans and Iorg is elected, he will succeed Ronnie Floyd, who resigned as EC president and CEO in October 2021. Jonathan Howe has served as interim president following Willie McLaurin’s sudden departure in August 2023 after admitting to falsifying his resumé. Howe has served the EC since 2019 as vice president for communications.
Proven track record
Hughes added that Iorg embodies the qualities they have been seeking, highlighting a “calm demeanor,” his communication skills and “thorough knowledge of Southern Baptist life.” Phillip Robertson, EC chairman, agreed, emphasizing Iorg’s ability to unite Southern Baptists.
Iorg has been praised through the years for his handling of Gateway Seminary relocating from Mill Valley to Ontario, California. Under his leadership, the seminary also established an online campus and increased the endowment from $16 million to $60 million — an accomplishment reportedly achieved without incurring any debt.
The decision to nominate Iorg has appeared to garner widespread support within the SBC.
Prominent SBC leaders, including R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, have endorsed Iorg, citing his integrity, leadership abilities and longstanding commitment to Southern Baptist service.
Prior to his years at Gateway Seminary, Iorg served in various leadership roles within the SBC, including executive director of the Northwest Baptist Convention.
Iorg’s professional journey also includes stints as a children’s minister, pastor and church planter, where he demonstrated a track record of growth and financial stewardship. He holds degrees from Hardin-Simmons University, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Iorg is also an author and is married to Ann with three children and five grandchildren.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was compiled by The Baptist Paper, with reporting from Baptist Press.
