Louisiana pastor Brad Jurkovich will nominate Ken Hemphill for president of the Southern Baptist Convention at the upcoming annual meeting, Hemphill told the Biblical Recorder in an email May 9. Supporters announced Hemphill’s candidacy Feb. 1 in a news report by Louisiana’s Baptist Message, but no information was released at that time about who would make the nomination.
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First Bossier photo Brad Jurkovich |
Jurkovich, pastor of First Bossier in Bossier City, La., and member of the SBC Committee on Order of Business, said he is “truly honored” to nominate Hemphill in a Twitter post May 9.
“His passion for spiritual awakening, evangelism, and the future of the SBC is stirring,” he continued. “I believe he’s capable, ready & has the wisdom to lead us at this critical time.”
In addition to Jurkovich’s promise to nominate Hemphill as the SBC’s lead officer, First Bossier has been active in conversations about convention affairs in recent months. The church hosted live interviews with Hemphill and J.D. Greear, also a candidate for SBC president. First Bossier’s executive assistant, Lorine Spratt, publicly criticized SBC leaders recently in a two-part set of open letters published by the Baptist Message and a Southern Baptist blog site.
Hemphill, 70, currently serves as an administrator for North Greenville University and is a member of First Baptist Church in Hendersonville, N.C. He was president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1994-2003 and national strategist from 2003-11 for the SBC’s Empowering Kingdom Growth (EKG) emphasis.
Ken Whitten, pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Fla., announced Jan. 29 that he will nominate Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., for SBC president.
This story is developing.