New SBC Prez: Good Things OK -- 'Best Thing' Better
by Allie Martin
June 21, 2006
(AgapePress) - - The new president of the nation's largest evangelical denomination says he will encourage churches to seek God's forgiveness for what he says is a loss of focus.Dr. Frank Page, pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, South Carolina, was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention during that denomination's annual meeting in Greenboro, North Carolina, last week. Page, in a bit of a surprise, was elected by SBC "messengers" in a race against two other higher-profile Southern Baptist pastors. Time Magazine, in fact, describes Page's election as an "upset victory," and notes the unprecedented influence of Internet bloggers on the race.
| | 
Dr. Frank Page |
Described during his nomination as "just a soul-winner" and "not a high-flying preacher," Page assumes the SBC presidency at a time when the denomination reports a sharp drop in baptisms. He says that during his term he will visit churches throughout the denomination and encourage pastors to seek God's forgiveness and power."I'm going to ask churches to seek the Spirit of the Lord in forgiveness for where we have failed Him," he says, "for doing good things when we're supposed to be doing the best thing. So I'm going to tell churches to seek the forgiveness of God -- and then to seek the filling full of God's Holy Spirit."
Page believes the drop in baptisms throughout the denomination is an indication that many churches need to examine their priorities.
"The Bible says in Ephesians to be filled with the Spirit of God," the new SBC president shares, "and when you are, I believe we start wanting to witness to people and share. So I believe there's a heart problem -- and our hearts need to be woken up."
The SBC has 16 million members throughout 43,000 churches. Page won the SBC's top post on the first ballot when he defeated Ronnie Floyd, pastor of First Baptist Church in Springdale, Arkansas, and Jerry Sutton, pastor of Two Rivers Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
