Charlotte pastor elected Southern Baptist Convention President
Pressley has served as the senior pastor at Hickory Grove Baptist Church since 2010.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (WBTV) - Charlotte pastor Clint Pressley was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention on Wednesday morning, according to the official news service for the denomination.
Pressley has served as the senior pastor at Hickory Grove Baptist Church since 2010.
He beat five other candidates in an election that required two run-off ballots during the annual convention, Baptist Press reported.
Pressley will take the helm of the largest Protestant denomination in the country as it continues to grapple with its response to widespread abuse reported within its ranks.
A 2019 Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News investigation prompted the denomination to commission its own investigation, which found top SBC leaders had stonewalled survivors of clergy sexual abuse over the course of two decades.
During the 2024 annual convention, members overwhelmingly voted to implement two recommendations from the SBC’s Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force.
The 2024 annual convention where Pressley was elected also was tasked with taking up a vote on whether to establish a constitutional ban on churches with women pastors, the Associated Press reported. Members rejected that ban in a vote on Wednesday.
Pressley was nominated for the volunteer role by a pastor in Monroe.
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