Ed Litton, pastor of Redemption Church, Mobile, was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention today (June 15) during the SBC Annual Meeting in Nashville.
Litton has served as a pastor for 34 years. He also served 7 1/2 years as a church planter in Arizona.
Litton received 6,834 votes, gaining 52% of the votes cast in a runoff between him and Mike Stone. Stone received 6,278 votes, or 47.81% of the ballots cast.
In the first vote, 14,300 ballots were cast out of 15,678 messengers.
The results of the first ballot:
- Randy Adams: 673 for 4.71%
- Ed Litton: 4,630 for 32.38%
- Al Mohler Jr.: 3,764 for 26.32%
- Mike Stone: 5,216 for 36.48%
- 17 ballots were disallowed.
That vote sent Litton and Stone to a runoff, since more than 50% of votes are required for election.
Former SBC President Fred Luter nominated Litton for the post.
In announcing his agreement to be nominated back in January, Litton said he and his wife, Kathy, had prayed about the opportunity and sensed God’s leading to say yes.
More about Litton
Since 1994 Litton has been pastor of Redemption Church in Saraland — known as North Mobile Baptist Church until 2014. A Southwestern Seminary graduate, Litton served at First Baptist Church, Euless, Texas, in the college and career ministry and in the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention evangelism department. In 1987 he planted Mountain View Baptist Church, Tucson, Arizona.
He has also served in numerous roles in SBC denominational leadership, including the Resolutions Committee, Committee on Committees, as president of the SBC Pastors Conference and on the boards of various seminaries.
During Litton’s pastorate at Redemption, the church has averaged nearly 152 baptisms annually since 1994 with resident membership growing by 27.3 percent over the last 10 years. From 2018 to 2020, the church averaged 3.66 percent of undesignated gifts given through the Cooperative Program. From September 2019 through August 2020, it also contributed 12.33% of its undesignated budget through Great Commission Giving.
Kathy Litton currently serves as director of planter spouse development for the North American Mission Board.
Litton is the third SBC president from Alabama. Jonathan Haralson served from 1889 to 1898 and Jaroy Weber served from 1975 to 1976.
