Here Louisiana Baptists go again, preparing for what has become an every-two-years
ritual of convention passage election of a new president.
Here Louisiana Baptists go again, preparing for what has become an every-two-years
ritual of convention passage election of a new president.
If recent history is any indication, the ritual is likely to
be record-breaking and close.
Indeed, when it comes to predicting Louisiana Baptist Convention
presidential elections, the only statement that can be made with any degree
of certainty is that a new state leader will be elected at the annual denominational
meeting in the Alario Center in Westwego on November 12-13.
Of course, election of a convention president is not the only
item of importance during the annual convention. Messengers to the annual meeting
also will consider a record Cooperative Program budget, handle various items
of business, vote on key resolutions and hear several addresses and Bible study
presentations. They also will receive reports on work going on throughout the
state and through various convention agencies.
In addition, they will be challenged anew to be involved in
the ongoing work of seeking to impact Louisiana and beyond with
the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Even so, there is no denying that the prospect of electing
a new convention president is a prime focus in the days leading up to the annual
meeting.
Two Louisiana Baptist pastors have announced intentions of
being nominated for the post Waylon Bailey from First Baptist Church
of Covington and Steve James from Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles. (See
Pages Six and Seven for interviews with both pastors)
James clearly has identified himself as a fundamental-conservative
candidate. However, Bailey has rejected the moderate/conservative label, choosing
to cast himself as a peacemaker. Still, no one can deny he will be supported
by that group within the state.
Thus, the election continues a struggle that has gripped the
state for a number of years now and that has mirrored the controversy
at the Southern Baptist Convention level. As on the national level, the Louisiana
Baptist presidency is a key in the struggle and for good reason.
The state president is responsible for various appointments,
including naming one-third of the persons to serve on the Committee on Committees
each year. That body then nominates persons to serve on the state committees
each year, including the Committee on Nominations, which nominates persons to
serve on convention boards.
The reasoning runs that if a president can appoint like-minded
persons to the Committee on Committees, and they can nominate like-minded persons
to serve on the Committee on Committees, and they can nominate like-minded persons
to serve on convention boards, the direction of the state convention can be
set.
Since only a portion of committee members and trustees are
replaced each year, the process takes time and that makes it important
that persons wishing to move the convention in a particular direction hold the
presidency for a number of years.
Thus far, no group has been able to do so in Louisiana. However,
fundamental/conservative presidents have held the office for four of the last
six years. Their string is broken only by a peace movement in which a consensus
candidate was elected president without opposition for two years.
So it is that Louisiana Baptists arrive at 2001.
The subsequent election figures to be tight as history
attests. Consider the last 10 open election years in which no sitting president
was eligible for re-election:
In 1981, retired Pastor Perry Webb was elected president
in a runoff election.
In 1983, layperson Ray Boswell of Shreveport was elected
president, also in a runoff election. Also, the convention that year surpassed
the 1,000 mark in messengers for only the third time in history.
In 1985, retired Pastor Robert Magee was elected president
in a two-nominee race in which final vote tallies were not announced.
In 1987, Pastor Calvin Phelps of Winnfield was elected
on a vote of 480 to 436 just a margin of 44 ballots. In addition, registration
surpassed the 1,000 mark again, launching the convention on a string that continues.
No annual meeting since then has dropped below 1,000 messengers.
In 1989, Pastor Fred Lowery of Bossier City was elected
by a margin of four votes 723 to 719.
In 1991, former Louisiana Baptist Pastor Roger Freeman
was elected in a runoff by 35 votes 958 to 923. Meanwhile, by this time,
the convention has surpassed the 2,000 mark, registering 2,101 messengers.
In 1993, Pastor Mark Sutton of Shreveport was elected
by 171 votes 1,301 to 1,130. Once again, the convention surpassed the
2,000 mark to total 2,537 messengers.
In 1995, Pastor Michael Claunch of Slidell was elected
on a vote of 1,256 to 1,136 a margin of 120 votes. In addition, the trend
of large registration totals continued with 2,456 messengers. (In 1996, Claunch
faced an unprecedented challenge for a second term. In perhaps the first challenge
of a sitting president in convention history, he won re-election by a comfortable
557 votes.)
In 1997, retired Pastor Robert Anderson was elected
as a consensus candidate without opposition.
In 1999, Pastor Tommy French of Baton Rouge was elected
on a vote of 905 to 848 a margin of 57 votes. Meanwhile, registration
remained high, totaling almost 2,000. (Like Claunch, French also survived a
challenge to a second term last year, winning re-election by 389 votes. By that
time, registration had topped 2,000 messengers in five of the last 10 years.)
As has been the case in four of the last
six open-election years, most observers
anticipate a registration of more than
2,000 messengers at this months annual convention.
Both those seeking to continue the current direction of the
convention and those seeking to change it have been working throughout the year
to rally participation.
Whether the efforts will result in a record registration
surpassing the 2,600 total of 1996 remains to be seen.
Likewise, whether the selection of a new president continues
the trend of close sometimes razor close elections remains to
be seen as well.
In addition, what other matters of business Louisiana Baptists
handle remains a question as well.
It is likely they will approve the record state Cooperative
Program budget of $23,923,076, an increase of some $1.1 million (5.2 percent)
from the current year.
And up until last year, it could be said that it is likely
messengers will approve resolutions addressing key areas of concern. However,
last year, messengers failed to muster a quorum for the consideration of resolutions.
This year, the Resolutions Committee already has proposed four
statements. Two are traditional ones of appreciation for convention organizers
and for the Louisiana Moral and Civic Foundation.
Another declares “our conviction that the Bible is inerrant,
infallible, true, trustworthy, without mixture of error and that, singularly
or together, these words mean that every statement and word of the Scripture
is absolutely accurate concerning every field of knowledge it discusses.”
The fourth affirms the Cooperative Program and urges churches
“to reject all appeals to divert all or part of their Cooperative Program giving
to other channels (and) to remain loyal to the (giving plan).”
Of course, as with the election of the president, what will happen with the
proposed resolutions still remains unknown but only for a few more days
by now.