It was recently announced that current SBC president, Ed Litton, would not seek a second term of office. His announcement guarantees that a new president will be elected this year in Anaheim. Southern Baptists would be wise to carefully consider the type of biblical leader who should lead us in grace and truth through difficult days. As Anaheim draws closer, I would humbly recommend Southern Baptists remember three biblical principles when prayerfully considering our next convention president.
1. Conviction over charisma.
Southern Baptists need a man of conviction and character, not one of clout or charisma. People are often attracted to impressive numbers and outward signs of success. Everyone wants a leader who looks like one. However, the world’s image of leadership rarely translates to true biblical leadership. We see this truth most clearly when Israel called its first king who outwardly looked like a leader – King Saul. Yet after Saul’s failings, God reminded Samuel what matters most in a leader – “for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 17:7) Leadership comes from internal qualities, not external attributes. If our best days are still ahead of us, we must be more impressed by what God’s done in a man’s heart more than name recognition, past accolades, or numerical successes. We need a man of unashamed biblical conviction.
2. Fear of God over fear of man.
Leadership is hard precisely because it’s often not popular. Biblical leadership in an increasingly secularized culture will mean personal earthly cost. Yet disobedience to a sovereign God will mean a greater eternal cost. Strong leadership counts the cost of biblical faithfulness and ultimately fears God rather than man. Southern Baptists need a leader who fears “the Lord who searches the heart and tests the mind”. (Jeremiah 17:10) Rather than seeking the praise of man, our leaders must seek the exultation of Christ. A man who rightly fears God doesn’t fear those who can only kill the body, but rather “fears Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) Southern Baptists need a man after God’s own heart who leads in the fear of the Lord.
3. Humility over hubris.
Pride must have no place in Southern Baptist leadership. There’s a reason why Proverbs, the book of wisdom, frequently warns against pride. Pride is deadly, destructive, and pervasive. Pride brings shame to the Lord because it attempts to supplant God’s glory. Rather than pointing to Christ, pride points to self. Instead of impressing others with the glorious Gospel, pride attempts to impress with personal accomplishments. Since everything we have is a good gift from the Lord, our only boast is in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:31). Southern Baptists need a biblical leader who is humble before a sovereign God. We need a president who biblically leads by humbly pointing us to Christ.
While it’s true the local church isn’t dependent upon denominational leaders, we would be wise to select our next president only through the wisdom of Scripture. We must approach this decision in Anaheim carefully and prayerfully, remembering our leaders are a mirrored reflection of our own values and priorities. May the selection of our next Southern Baptist president accurately reflect our desire for the exultation of Jesus Christ in our churches, nation, and the world.