SBC Presidential Nomination that I Can Finally Support

As recently posted to SBCImpact, Les Puryear will allow his name to be submitted for consideration for president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Rev. Wm. Dwight McKissic, Sr, senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, TX, will announce his intention to nominate Puryear in an official press release tomorrow (Monday, May 12, 2008).

A native of North Carolina, Puryear has been pastor of Lewisville Baptist Church since 2005. Prior to his call into fulltime vocational ministry in 1996, Puryear served as a telecommunications executive for 25 years. Puryear has degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Fort Worth, TX and is currently working on a PhD at Trinity Seminary in Newburgh, IN.

I only know of Les through the blogosphere. But, I am familiar with the area he serves in having lived in Clemmons and Winston-Salem a number of years. Having also started my ministry “career” in a NC small church in the Sandhills region of NC I hear Les’ call to have the heart and soul of the SBC restored — churches cooperating in missions, locally, nationally, and worldwide.

“Les is a small church pastor and he represents the majority of the convention. It’s time for the Southern Baptist Convention to acknowledge that small churches are just as valuable in God’s Kingdom as any other size church. Les will encourage the convention to provide specific support in the way of conferences, materials, etc. for the small church environment.”

In my small corner of influence, I will endorse this nomination.