EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated.
NASHVILLE (BP) – Entities and organizations at various points in the search for their next leader responded to Baptist Press recently on the status of that process.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and Lifeway Christian Resources currently have interim presidents. Danny Akin and Sandy Wisdom-Martin remain at their posts for Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Woman’s Missionary Union, respectively, though steps are underway to identify their successors. The Dakota Baptist Convention (DBC) is in the early stages of finding its next executive director.
ERLC
Mitch Kimbrell, search team chair, estimates 20-30 meetings have taken place among the search committee, ERLC staff and representatives of the CarterBaldwin executive search firm since trustees approved the search team last fall.
“We have an important meeting coming up soon, during which we hope to significantly begin narrowing the list of candidates we’ll focus on moving forward,” Kimbrell, senior pastor of Christ Memorial Church in Williston, Vt., told BP. “I’ve been, quite frankly, taken aback – in the best way – with both the number of people who have applied to lead the ERLC and with the quality of candidates for this important and strategic role.
“Having been a candidate for pastoral positions and experiencing what has felt like radio silence from those conducting the search, it’s been a high priority of mine to communicate quickly and clearly with each person who has gone through the process of applying.”
A prayer guide for the search team is available through the ERLC.
Retired South Carolina Baptist Convention executive director Gary Hollingsworth is currently serving as interim president, assuming that role after a unanimous trustee vote in October. Executive Vice President Miles Mullin had been acting president at that point since Brent Leatherwood’s resignation last July.
Lifeway
The search team has received “an abundance of resumes and applications,” said Billy Stewart, search committee chairman. “We have been blessed by the positive response and interest in the position.”
The team is currently working through resumes to compile a list of applicants for in-person interviews.
“The search committee covets your continued prayers as we collectively seek God’s direction during this important search,” said Stewart, executive pastor for administration at First Baptist Church in Jackson, Miss. “We anticipate providing another update on the search process for trustees and employees in late January or early February.”
Former president Ben Mandrell announced in July that he would be accepting the pastorate of Bellevue Baptist Church near Memphis. Longtime Lifeway executive Joe Walker has been serving as interim president. A full profile of the position is available here.
WMU
Wisdom-Martin will not officially retire until January 2027. Connie Dixon, president of national WMU, will select and announce a search committee by March 1.
Dixon and Wisdom-Martin addressed the transition process at the WMU January board meeting. In particular, they focused on aspects that should be apparent in any Christian organization, such as faithfulness to God, shared responsibility and the importance of the mission.
Southeastern
Akin will remain on the job through the end of July. Board of Trustees and search team chair Carlos Goodrich said the goal is to have his successor named by then.
“The search committee has met on a regular, near-weekly basis since Dr. Akin announced his retirement,” he said. “We have received a healthy pool of candidate recommendations representing a variety of backgrounds, and we are pleased with the range of options available to us.”
Goodrich praised Akin’s leadership, under which “Southeastern has flourished as a Great Commission seminary” and said the committee is prayerfully looking for a candidate who will build on this … legacy.”
State conventions
Garvon Golden retired from his position as DBC state executive in 2019 to become pastor of Christ Church in Rapid City. He is now back in an interim role, with MacDonald’s retirement last August.
A search committee has completed a profile and updated job description, Golden told BP. Josh Bonner, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Rapid City and former SBC Executive Committee member, is the chair. The team is receiving resumes through Feb. 15, Bonner told BP. Those can be sent to [email protected].
The Montana Southern Baptist Convention search committee has unanimously recommended Mikey Mewborn as its next executive director, following Barrett Duke’s retirement last June. Mewborn currently serves as vice president and dean of Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis. A special-called business meeting will take place during the state convention’s annual MPACT conference in March.
Steve Fowler, church planting pastor at Emmanuel Baptist in Billings, and Greg Payton, lead pastor of The Rock Church in Laurel, have been co-serving as interim executive directors.
The State Baptist Convention of Indiana announced yesterday (Jan. 13) that it is no longer accepting applications for its executive director position. Tom Savage, pastor of Sugar Creek Baptist Church in West Terre Haute, has served as interim state executive since August after former executive director Ryan Strother moved to a position with Ohio Baptists.
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