There are too many to list all of the reasons why I am permitting myself to be nominated as President of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). However, I will take a moment to list a few of them for you to help you understand why I am doing this. I want to make it very clear: I am not running for President. I never have and will not start. Many of you, our wonderful people, have asked me, “Pastor, why would you do this and take on this responsibility?” That question is worthy and deserves an answer. I began to answer that question on the Sunday I informed you of the nomination that would soon take place. Let me continue by listing just a few of these reasons:

1. I have always appreciated every opportunity the SBC has ever given me. When I was asked to consider the possibility of serving as the next President, if elected at the 2006 annual meeting, I responded as I have always to this denomination with the answer,”Yes.” The opportunities this denomination has afforded me have been plentiful and I am grateful for each one of them. After the prayer process, I eventually said “yes” to the Lord and to Dr. Johnny Hunt, who wanted permission to place my name in nomination on June 13.
2. I love the diversity of our church, and the people called Southern Baptists are very diverse as a people. Within our nation alone, every week our churches across America worship in several different languages of the world. The personalities and cultures are different, as well as models of innovation. Yet, we are united in our one great purpose, which is to mobilize our churches to reach their respective regions, our nation, and the entire world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Due to our diversity, I am not sure one man can represent all Southern Baptists as President, but I am very certain that one man can serve all Southern Baptists, which is my intention if I am elected.
3. I believe Southern Baptists need a leader who will insure the safety of our mission for today, as well as point to the fulfillment of the mission tomorrow. Our mission as a church is to reach Northwest Arkansas, America, and the world for Jesus Christ. The mission of our convention of churches is to take the Good News of Jesus to every people group in the world. The mission and purpose of my life as written on January 4 in my prayer journal, as well as declared to you in a morning service in early February: “to use my gifts, leadership, influence, and resources to take the Good News of Jesus Christ to the entire world.” Taking the gospel to the entire world is what I am about, what we are about as a church, and what the SBC is all about. On this mission, I live and serve from before the sun comes up until exhaustion occurs daily.
4. I believe in our cooperative effort through the Cooperative Program of the SBC, which our church has given over $3.4 million to over the last 10 years for the mission causes of our denomination. In fact, let me state what has happened over the past five years and is happening this year as well: we have increased our Cooperative Program gifts 8% annually over the past five years and are doing so in our present budget this year. This 8% increase represents the amount of both Cooperative Program allocation areas; to Arkansas ($32,000) and to SBC in Nashville ($189,000) which totals $221,000 towards the Cooperative Program. With other SBC allocations, this combines to total $489,000 last year. This 8% increase to the Cooperative Program has happened while we planned and are now in the final stages of construction on two major building projects and expansions that are taking place on both campuses at a cost of $38.5 million. We are a church that is very committed to the Cooperative Program and believe in the cooperative effort to share the Good News of Jesus globally.
5. I love the Southern Baptist Convention. When I think about the privilege and honor it would be to serve in this capacity, I am humbly overwhelmed by the enormous responsibility that accompanies it. I love that we have such a great purpose we can all share. I love knowing that when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast last year, we were the first to be there and we are still there serving people. I love that “can do” spirit you find in our churches and as a denomination. I love the thought that a boy who was raised, then saved, and then called to preach in a small church that may have had an attendance of 40-50 people on a good day, could end up possibly serving as the President of the world’s largest evangelical denomination. This could only happen in the Southern Baptist Convention.
6. I know this denomination and understand the critical times we are in, but I still believe in this convention of churches and our mission in this era of church life worldwide. I served on the Executive Committee of the SBC for 10 years, serving as its chairman two of those years. Two of the years I served were during a very tedious, meticulous, but compelling time with six other Southern Baptists on the Program and Structure Study Committee that proposed the “Covenant for a New Century.” I loved our denomination then and love it now. We must appreciate our past, but we must face the reality of where we are, seeking to bring understanding, unity, and a future that is so bright, we can engage the generations before us.
7. I love the church, and we are a convention of churches. Our heritage is that this denomination is church-centered, with decisions coming up from the church to the denomination, not from the denominational entities to the church. Our churches are autonomous and engage in the denomination with voluntary cooperation. This is our heritage, our heart, and is our future. Never has the church of America needed a clearer voice from our denomination than now. God has positioned us biblically, doctrinally, and missionally as a convention of churches to resound with clarity in this unclear day in American church life.
8. The next generation is what ignites my heart when I think about serving as the President of this denomination. I believe in the next generation. This denomination must engage all generations to invest in generations to come. In our own seminaries alone, we are equipping over 15,000 future young leaders to infiltrate our churches and the world with doctrinal integrity, local church commitment, relevance in engaging the culture, and burning with a commitment to finish the task worldwide. Beyond these students, our churches right now have many young leaders who can assist us in many ways right now. They need to know who we are and what we are about. We must hand forth to them a vision they can believe in that will carry on the great work that was handed off to us by generations in the past. This is a new day. We must step up to it as well as serve and lead a future that is aggressive and ever-changing. I believe the need of the hour is for us to have orthodoxy packaged in innovation. Our churches as well as our denomination itself need to know and find a way a way to be culturally relevant, yet never sacrifice the Scripture nor any of its precious truths. When we do this together, the future is unlimited and God-sized.
9. I believe the greatest need in the American church and in SBC life is a fresh spiritual movement of God among us. If I am elected, I will passionately invite all Southern Baptists to join me in a desperate call to a spiritual movement that is Bible-based, Jesus-centered, and Holy Spirit-controlled. This must begin within each Christian personally, which would result in churches experiencing this kind of spiritual movement. This is the hope and answer for the present condition of the American church, the SBC in all relationships, ministry functions and existent needs, every Pastor and Spiritual Leader in our nation, every church within our convention. The degree to which it occurs will determine the expansion of the gospel of Jesus regionally, nationally, and globally. Every Pastor and Spiritual Leader within their context of leadership will be invited to join me in making this passionate and desperate call to the church and to our denomination. Since we have been entrusted as the denomination that is heralded as the largest in the evangelical and Protestant world, we have no other choice than to experience this kind of spiritual movement for the sake of billions of people in the world. My love for the church, our nation, and the expansion of the gospel worldwide, is the reason I am permitting my name to be placed in nomination to serve as the next President of the Southern Baptist Convention, if elected. I pray that whoever is called upon to serve as the next President will see the urgency and need to passionately lead and invite all Southern Baptists to experience a mighty movement of God as well as lead our convention through the challenges we face today. When this is done, we will finish the task to take the gospel to every people group across the globe in our generation.

I could go on longer, but my dear people, thanks for loving, supporting, and most of all praying for me in the challenges we face now and may face if I am asked to serve our Southern Baptist Convention. The will of the Lord will be done and we will rest in His will.

I love you church!