Georgia Pastor Javier Chavez will be nominated for recording secretary of the Southern Baptist Convention during the SBC’s annual meeting in Anaheim, California, June 14–15.
Chavez is pastor of Amistad Cristiana Church, Gainesville, Georgia, and has served there since planting the church in 2016. He also is president of Amistad Cristiana International Inc., a missions ministry of the church that has partnered with other churches overseas. The ministry’s leadership team made the announcement March 30 in a statement, Baptist Press reported.
Born in Peru, Chavez is a visiting professor of global studies at Truett-McConnell University. He served on the SBC Committee on Committees in 2018 and is currently a member of the Georgia Baptist Convention executive committee. In 2019–2020, he served as second vice president of the GBC. Chavez was a candidate for second vice president during the 2021 SBC Annual Meeting in Nashville, and he came in second in a runoff to Ramon Medina, pastor of Spanish ministries for Champion Forest Baptist Church, Houston. Chavez also is a member of the steering council for the Conservative Baptist Network.
Chavez graduated from Lee University and received a master’s degree in history from Wheaton College and his doctorate in intercultural studies from Biola University, according to his church website.
He and his wife, Noelia, have four children.
John Yeats, who has served as recording secretary since 1997, announced March 7 that he would not seek re-election during this year’s SBC annual meeting. Yeats is executive director of the Missouri Baptist Convention.
Role of the recording secretary
The recording secretary duties include overseeing the recording of SBC proceedings. This person is also responsible for training volunteers for convention business sessions, the final edit of the SBC Book of Reports and the SBC Annual. The recording secretary serves as an ex officio member of the SBC Executive Committee.
