After greater than two years of uncertainty and at occasions chaos, the Southern Baptist Conference's govt committee has a brand new president.
At a particular assembly in Dallas, members of the committee — which oversees the work of the 13-million denomination between its annual conferences — unanimously elected Jeff Iorgos as its new president and CEO. The assembly was held in govt session and Iorgos' choice was introduced early Thursday afternoon.
Iorg, the long-time president of Gateway Seminary, a Southern Baptist faculty in Ontario, California, is well-respected in Southern Baptist circles for his regular and low-key strategy to management. At a press convention following his election, Iorg stated he would concentrate on gaining confidence in his new function.
“Organizational belief is earned by two issues: devoted service and demonstrated competence,” stated Iorg, 65, who will start his new function in Could after the Gateway faculty yr ends. “You don't get belief by asking folks to belief you.” You earn belief by doing the correct factor, serving with dedication, and demonstrating competence. And other people belief organizations that do this.”
Iorg is the manager committee's first everlasting chief since 2021 and its third since 2018. His predecessor, Ronnie Floyd, stepped down in October 2021 after a two-year time period overshadowed by the SBC's intercourse abuse disaster. Floyd's predecessor, Frank Web page, resigned in 2018 for misconduct.
The seek for a brand new committee chief was a difficult course of.
Committee members had hoped to endorse one other candidate in February — Georgia Baptist chief Thomas Hammond — however Hammond backed out on the final minute. In Could 2023, the committee voted Texas pastor Jared Wellman, a former trustee of the manager committee, as a candidate for the highest job. Some trustees have been involved that Wellman had served as chairman of the manager committee and was on the search committee earlier than turning into a candidate.
Willie McLaurin, the committee's interim head, was thought-about for the everlasting job however resigned final fall after a search committee discovered he had falsified his resume and claimed he had not earned levels.
Jonathan Howe, who served as interim head of the manager committee, will stay in that function till Could, when Iorg takes over as president.
Louisiana pastor Philip Robertson, who chairs the manager committee, known as the search course of “an extended street” when Iorg was introduced as a candidate. Iorg's election, he stated, marked a “new day” for the committee.
“The way in which Southern Baptists have united round this nomination is one thing we haven't seen in a very long time,” he instructed the Baptist Press, the SBC's official publication. “I’m extraordinarily grateful to God for that.
Iorg's colleagues applauded his transfer to the manager committee.
“He's precisely what we’d like as president of the manager committee at this historic second,” Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, instructed Baptist Press in February.
In contrast to different Southern Baptist seminary leaders like Mohler, Iorg operated largely out of the limelight throughout his 20 years at Gateway Seminary. stated Ed Stetzer, dean of the Talbot Faculty of Theology at Biola College and a former Southern Baptist chief. “This in all probability makes him one of many few candidates who can unite all events in 2024.”
Gateway skilled sluggish however regular development beneath his management. When he was named president of the seminary in 2004, the varsity had a complete of 696 college students and the equal of 403 full-time college students, in response to the Affiliation of Theological Faculties. Within the fall of 2023, the latest semester for which knowledge is on the market, the varsity had a complete of 1,499 college students, the equal of 783 full-time college students.
Iorg additionally oversaw the transfer from San Francisco, the place the varsity was referred to as Golden Gate Seminary, to Ontario, California in 2016. Based on the Baptist Press, Iorg requested the varsity's management final fall to start a seek for his successor as president.
The president-elect stated he plans to fly to Nashville on Thursday to start searching for a spot to stay. He additionally stated he and his spouse plan to purchase a home in Portland, Ore., the place his spouse's dad and mom stay, and that he would probably spend most of his time as govt committee president touring slightly than within the workplace.
In his new function, Iorg will lead a committee that faces fiscal and authorized challenges. In recent times, the committee's authorized prices have skyrocketed in response to the denomination's abuse disaster. At its final assembly, the Govt Committee authorized the finances, which included tapping further reserves to cowl the deficit.
The committee will even play a task in deciding the destiny of quite a few abuse reforms authorized by native church leaders on the denomination's annual assembly. There may be presently no long-term plan to fund these reforms, which have stalled.
The availability of the SBC's cooperative program, which funds worldwide and nationwide ministries, has ended, and belief within the denomination's management has been eroded in recent times.
Iorg stated he has lengthy benefited from the co-op program as seminary president and plans to put it up for sale enthusiastically.
A former pastor and state conference chief, Iorg is the creator of eight books and holds levels from Hardin-Simmons College, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his spouse Ann have three kids and 5 grandchildren.