The mission matters most. That’s the mentality Jeff Iorg said he is bringing to the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee as he steps into the role of president and CEO on May 13.
Iorg discussed his priorities for the Executive Committee with Todd Gray, executive director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, on a recent episode of Leadership Lessons podcast.
Identifying the mission
“My number one task is to identify the mission of the organization and keep us focused narrowly on that,” said Iorg, who has wrapped up a near-20-year tenure as president of Gateway Seminary.
Within the overarching mission of the Great Commission, “getting the gospel to as many people as possible,” Iorg said the specific mission of the Executive Committee is facilitating the work of the SBC and its entities.
“The Southern Baptist Convention only exists for 48 hours every year.” Iorg said, referring to the SBC’s Annual Meeting when convention churches gather to do business. “That’s it. If it wants to do anything the other 363 days, someone has to manage that or make it happen. That’s why we need an Executive Committee.”
Iorg described the EC as the convention’s executive process or function that gets its work done, adding that “someone, somehow has to carry out the work the convention assigns.”
Working behind the scenes
As a facilitating entity, Iorg wants to see the Executive Committee “step into the shadows” behind the scenes.
“The entities of the SBC — International Mission Board, North American Mission Board, the seminaries, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, GuideStone, Lifeway, all of these — they should be making the news; we should be helping make their work possible. So, when I say I want us to step into the shadows, that’s what I mean.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Tessa Redmond and originally published by Kentucky Today.
