ICYMI: The SBC now has a new president. J. D. Greear, a 45-year-old pastor from North Carolina, was elected a couple of weeks back. Greear becomes the youngest president to head the SBC in 37 years.
Greear’s election is a strong signal that change is potentially afoot in the SBC. He was elected on the strength of younger voters who are weary of the SBC’s intense involvement in the culture war and Republican politics, and has made clear his intentions to lead the SBC down a different path.
Greear has promised to lead the denomination down a different path, which, he has said, must include efforts both to repent of a “failure to listen to and honor women and racial minorities” and “to include them in proportionate measures in top leadership roles.” If the meeting in Dallas is any indication, his vision is resonating with a large number of the next wave of Baptist leaders.
Some interesting points about Greear which are not mentioned in the writeup: Greear hails from a church which does not identify as Baptist (not publicly, at least). So when the announcement came that Greear was seeking the office of president of the SBC, it was a shock to many in his church. I wouldn’t make too big a deal over this, as it has long been fashionable for churches to downplay denominational affiliations. (How many people at Rick Warren’s church do you think realize they’re Baptist?)
The other piece of this is that Greear is part of a growing movement of Calvinists in the SBC. The most influential members of this wing include Al Mohler and Owen Strachan, among others. Theologically, this movement is excruciatingly conservative and complementarian, though they are not nearly as wedded to Donald Trump as the old guard so at least they have that going for them. In the final analysis, we’ll just have to see.
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