[1]LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)–Johnny Hunt, pastor of the Atlanta-area First Baptist Church in Woodstock, was elected without opposition to a second term as president of the Southern Baptist Convention June 23 at the denomination’s annual meeting in Louisville, Ky.
In nominating Hunt, Ken Whitten, pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Fla., said as he listened to Hunt’s Pastors’ Conference sermon June 22 and presidential address June 23, it “became real obvious” to him that “Dr. Johnny Hunt is God’s sovereign choice to lead Southern Baptists for such a time as this.”
“This past year, we have watched Dr. Hunt and we have seen a man with a mission on his mind and a burden on his heart,” Whitten said. “He has been like Moses: He knows the ways of God. He has been like David: A man who has a heart for God. He has been like Daniel: With courage from God. He has crisscrossed our nation to meet with young pastors and future leaders.”
Whitten described his “favorite thing about Johnny Hunt” as “simply this: Like Barnabas … Johnny Hunt is an encourager,” Whitten said. “He has mentored pastors and for the past 23 years he has been the senior pastor of one of the greatest churches in America.
“First Baptist Church of Woodstock has shared their pastor with us at their loss and our gain because they believe in his conviction, they believe in his passion, they believe in his vision and they believe that it really is possible to reach a lost world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
John Mark Toby, pastor of Beacon Hill Baptist Church in Somerset, Ky., was elected first vice president over Ken Render, pastor of Lakeside Community Church in St. Clair, Mich. Toby, who serves as president of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, received 64.14 percent (1,039) of the vote compared with Render’s 35 percent (567).
[2]Stephen Rummage, pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, Fla., was elected second vice president without opposition.
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Garrett E. Wishall is a writer at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.