EDITOR’S NOTE — The Baptist Paper reached out to each of the six individuals who have announced intentions to be nominated for president of the Southern Baptist Convention at the 2024 SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, June 11–12. To read the responses of the other five other candidates, click here.
Clint Pressley
Current position and title: Senior pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina
What led to me being nominated?
I was first approached a few years back and after praying it through I did not feel as if it was the right time. This summer, after the Convention, I was approached again, so my wife and I started to pray it through and felt like this is a great time to run. I love the SBC, have a sense of indebtedness to it and would count it a great honor to serve as president.
If elected what are the goals?
- I want us to celebrate the Truths we hold dear like the sufficiency of Scripture, the power of the gospel and the need for evangelism.
- I want us to strengthen the churches investing in pastors, especially young pastors. With so many of our churches without pastors and the average age of pastors continuing to be on the rise, we need to do all we can to promote and call out those God has already called to serve his church.
- I want us to focus on the mission. We certainly have significant issues to face and our own housecleaning to do, but we have a great house. The genius of our connectivity and cooperation has led us to be the largest mission agency in the world. We need to celebrate that, promote that and focus on the mission. We are a great commission convention and we need to be great at the mission.
What are some things that can strengthen the SBC’s relationship to churches?
I think in the days ahead, we will see a resurgence in association and state conventions, and there on the local level is where genuine connection happens. The best way to strengthen the relationship of the SBC, and the churches within the SBC is to keep the mission in front of us. We need to focus on the mission, to point toward the mission and join in the mission.
What are the strengths of the SBC?
There are so many strengths, but I’ll just name a few:
- Our love for the Bible and insistence on inerrancy has given such strength and consistency over the last two and a half centuries.
- The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 is a robust confession that has proven to be such a great tool in maintaining doctrinal fidelity.
- Our faithfulness to the gospel and call for conversion by faith in Christ alone.
- Our intentional connectivity that is the currency of our cooperative mission.
- Six theologically conservative seminaries that provide a world class education at a fraction of the cost.
- Our love for the Great Commission and how that love plays out in all the various missions endeavors we support.
- Our connectivity which not only supports the mission but makes us a great family of churches.
There are others but you get the idea.
What are the weaknesses?
- We have cooled on evangelism and that needs to change.
- We haven’t settled completely on the boundaries of cooperation.
What is your take on the Law amendment?
When the Law amendment came out, I was glad to sign it as it seemed to make sense to me, providing clarity to what we have already stated in the Baptist faith and Message 2000. I think the overwhelming majority of Southern Baptists joyfully embrace complimentary and the Law amendment gives good clarity for that.
We are not without issues in the Southern Baptist Convention. Many of those issues are significant, but none of them are insurmountable. Because we trust in a good and sovereign God, the power of the gospel and the fellowship of believers, we as Southern Baptists will find a God honoring way forward. I love being a Southern Baptist and look forward to the days ahead with great hope.
