Jerry Vines Ministries

It has been my privilege to know many Southern Baptist Convention presidents.

There were two presidents who served as pastor at Dauphin Way Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, where I also served from 1974-79. One of them was Dr. Herschel Hobbs. He was a great pastor-theologian. His commentaries and Sunday School helps were used widely throughout the Convention.

The other was Dr. Jaroy Weber. Dr. Weber was a great pastor-evangelist. God used him to stir fires of evangelism throughout our Convention. My immediate successor at Dauphin Way, he was a great encouragement to me in those years.

I remember with great joy the election of Dr. Adrian Rogers. No one would nominate him. Finally, Dr. Homer Lindsay, Senior agreed to do it. Dr. Rogers was elected on the first ballot in a field of five or six. He was elected at a crucial time in the history of our convention. Though we had prayed for it, his election was a delightful surprise!

I remember well seeing my dear friend, Dr. Homer Lindsay, Junior, upon hearing Adrian had won, embracing a prominent moderate leader and running up and down the aisle with him! The dear man looked like Godzilla had grabbed him!

Elected in 1979, Dr. Rogers started the process which led to the returning of our Convention to its conservative roots. We understood how the needed changes were to be made. Through the process of committee appointments, trustees were elected who addressed the liberalism in our entities. He was clearly God’s man for the hour.

I could mention the other conservative presidents who are my friends. Each one has played a crucial, providential role in the whole process of the conservative resurgence. Each was God’s leader for the time. I can clearly see the hand of God working through the election of everyone of them.

Southern Baptists will elect another president in June. The Convention is at another crucial crossroad. I’m sure good men will be nominated.

We need a president who is godly and humble; courageous and committed; involved and supportive at every level of our Convention life; experienced and well versed in our polity, structure and reason for existence. Pray the Lord will lead us to that man.