Nathan Finn will be nominated for recording secretary of the Southern Baptist Convention during the SBC’s annual meeting in Anaheim, California, June 14–15.
Finn, provost at North Greenville University, is the second candidate to be announced for that role. Javier Chavez, pastor of Amistad Cristiana Church, Gainesville, Georgia, also has announced he will be nominated for the position that John Yeats has served in since 1997. Yeats 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.
Finn will be nominated by Texas pastor Bart Barber, who made the announcement on March 30, the same day Chavez was announced as a candidate.
“Nathan is highly qualified to serve Southern Baptists. He has worked to achieve expertise in the history of our convention,” Barber said in his statement to Baptist Press. “Nathan is not merely a chronicler and student of our convention; he is also engaged in the present work of our family of churches. Last year he was the vice chairman of the Committee on Resolutions. While holding teaching positions at Union University, SEBTS, and presently at North Greenville University, he has preached and taught in churches throughout our convention.”
Finn also has served on the Historical Committee for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and as a member of the board of directors of the Biblical Recorder for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Finn is currently serving as an adviser to the SBC Executive Committee Resolutions Task Force.
Prior to serving as provost of NGU, Finn served as dean of the School of Theology and Missions and professor of theological studies at Union University. From 2007 to 2015, he taught church history at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Among the books Finn has either authored or contributed to are “The Baptist Story” and “Historical Theology for the Church.”
Finn graduated from Brewton-Parker College with a bachelor’s degree in history. He received his master of divinity and doctorate from Southeastern Seminary.
Finn and his wife, Leah, are members of Mountain Creek Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina. They have four children.
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.
