The following was originally published as the second half of a post titled “A Humble Plea to Southern Baptist Politicos: Observations and Proposal.” The original post appeared on this blog on April 7, 2007. My thoughts have not changed, so I have decided to start this conversation again as we get closer to the 2008 Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis. The paragraphs below have been mildly edited to better reflect the current situation in the convention.

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As it stands right now, there are two or three candidates for the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention. Bill Wagner and Frank Cox are definitely running. I keep hearing that Wiley Drake is also running, but I don’t recall any official documentation to that effect. Al Mohler, of course, backed out of the race a few weeks ago due to health concerns. No one I know of is ruling out another candidate or two before all is said and done, and several names continue to circulate in the corridors. Unlike many, I think this is a healthy thing; it is good to see actual elections again in the SBC.

In light of the fact that the era of the contested presidential election has returned, I want to ask everyone out there who is part of any group discussing potential presidential candidates, whether formally or informally, to nominate a Baptist layperson in 2008.

If you are in my generation, you have never seen a non-pastor or SBC administrator serve as president of the SBC. In fact, if the SBC presidency is any indication, we are a clergy-dominated denomination, which is quite interesting considering our non-hierarchical polity. Historically, the vast majority of SBC presidents have been pastors or administrators, though seven convention presidents have been laymen, most recently Owen Cooper in 1973-74. But that was over thirty years ago.

Now to be fair, there are a number of non-clergy who have been very active in SBC life. In the 1980s, Charles Pickering, John Baugh, T. C. Pinckney, Norman Cavender, and Jimmy Carter were all involved, to varying degrees, in denominational life. Zig Ziglar served as a vice president of the convention. And of course there would likely have been no conservative movement were it not for a certain judge from Houston. In our post-Controversy context, there continues to be a number of laymen active in SBC leadership, one of whom made headlines last year due to his controversial (and ill-informed) comments about the emerging church movements. But none of these folks have been president of the SBC. Not even Judge Pressler.

Which raises an interesting question–are we past the point in SBC history when an informed layperson can serve as president of the SBC? Is it really the case that only seminary presidents and men who pastor churches of 1500 or more (and often 5000 or more) are competent to lead Southern Baptists? I certainly hope not. [Note: with the backlash against Al Mohler's earlier nomination, one wonders if administrators have now been disqualified so that large church pastors are the only viable candidates.]

I admit up front that it would take a special type of layperson. First, he would have to have some name recognition, something my friend Bart Barber noted in a comment on the earlier version of this post. Second, he would have to have the ability to do some traveling as he represents Southern Baptists in various settings, a concern raised by several folks in their comments. Third, he would have to be knowledgeable about how the SBC works; now is not the time for neophytes. Rather, it is the time for statesmen.

Finally, he would have to be someone who could help unify a divided denomination and be willing to stand up to “prickly” personalities, both within the status quo and among various dissenting movements. This last one should be required of anyone who seeks to be president, whether layman, megachurch pastor, administrator, or youth minister. Again, what we need right now is a statesman.

I also admit that I do not have a particular layperson in mind at this time. Frankly, even if I did, I would not nominate him; as a paid SBC employee, I would be uncomfortable nominating a candidate for a national denominational office. So there is no judge, food distribution magnate, secular politician, or self-help guru in the back of my mind. Which is why I am asking those who do know a layperson who would be a good candidate to take the lead and nominate him.

The time has come–is probably long past–for a layperson to serve as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. So I hope that convention kingmakers, whether real, perceived, or wannabe, will consider nominating a non-ordained individual to serve as the next president of the denomination.

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