Editor’s note: Click on the individual videos below to view specific portions of the video. This transcript has been lightly edited to eliminate partial sentences, where appropriate, and filler words.
Dr. Barry Whitworth: Hello, BRN family. It’s good to be with you today. I have a special guest with me today. It’s Dr. Willie McLaurin. He is the current interim president/CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention.
And the best thing about Dr. McLaurin being here is: he took the time out of his schedule to come visit us here in Pennsylvania, South Jersey. Just a couple days that he’s been here. We were able to go and connect with some pastors in Philadelphia, and we had a wonderful time at fellowship and food! Yes, and just exploring the city and getting to hear some of the hearts of the pastors in that location. How I wish that we could have had the time to come all across Pennsylvania, South Jersey, but his busy schedule only allowed for him to be here today. So Dr. McLaurin, I am so glad that you came. Thank you for coming. We don’t often get the privilege, sir, but we seized it when we had the opportunity.
Dr. Willie McLaurin: My joy!
Dr. Barry Whitworth: Amen. Amen. Well, I want to ask you a few questions today to help our viewers to really understand what might be going on in Southern Baptist life. So, Dr. McLaurin, from your vantage point, how are Southern Baptists doing at this time? How is God moving among Southern Baptists?
Dr. Willie McLaurin: You know, Barry, thanks for asking that question. You know there are no network of churches without their own set of problems. You know no matter what tribe you’re a part of there is going to always be challenges, and we do have some unique challenges in our tribe called the Southern Baptist Convention or Great Commission Baptists, if you would. But, man, here’s what God is up to. And here’s what’s really exciting me.
I’m seeing pastors and churches coming out of the pandemic. They are engaging in creativity like never before. It’s a big deal. For many of our churches to switch to virtual worship and virtual giving because a guy like me, I still write out my tithe checks! I haven’t made this shift yet, but to see that type of creativity happened among our pastors and our churches. That’s no small thing. And then in the midst of a global pandemic, Southern Baptists are responding to natural disasters. We’ve got disaster relief teams all across the country. Even today, as we record this session, we’ve got people who are over in Ukraine and over in that part of the world just trying to be the hands and the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And then what I’m really excited about is after the first six months of the year, when so many people are having so many financial challenges, churches are just really trying to make things work together. The Cooperative Program is like 11.5% ahead, which is like $11 million. Yeah-first six months and so that excites me! That gets me pumped up to continue serving Southern Baptists.
Dr. Barry Whitworth: Amen. I want to ask you… You’ve been a vice president in the E.C. [Executive Committee]. And when Dr. Ronnie Floyd moved on, you’re the next man up. That’s how they say it, right? So what are some of the things you’ve learned in your former role that have now helped you in your current role? What are the things that you’re learning yet?
Dr. Willie McLaurin: So, [this is] my 825th day-wow!-serving with the EC and my 63rd day as the interim president and CEO. And so, a couple of things that I’ve learned is: People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. In other words, caring for people, caring for pastors, caring for churches, caring for our state partners. That’s really what it’s all about. So, I learned the value of lengthening strengthening and deepening relationships. In fact, the Southern Baptist Convention relationships are built, and rebuilt, one relationship at a time.
And then the other major thing I learned is simply this: People don’t do what you say. They do what you do. Psalm 78:72 guides my leadership. David shepherded them or he led them with “integrity of heart” and “skillfulness of hands.” The Integrity of heart deals with the character of the leader, and the skillfulness of hands deals with the competency of the leader. And I believe that leaders ought to have high levels of competency and even higher levels of character… and so balancing everyday with high levels of character and high levels of competency those skills or skills I learned as a vice president. And I believe that they have shaped who I am today.
Dr. Barry Whitworth: Amen. Thank you. How are things progressing, people out there might want to ask, how are things progressing in the search for a new president/CEO of the Executive Committee?
Dr. Willie McLaurin: You know what? I’m excited about what God is doing among Southern Baptists. One of the things I tell people all the time is that the Lord Jesus Christ, He is the ultimate leader. And our search committee, they’ve convened. Brother Adron Robertson, a faithful pastor up in the Chicago, Illinois, area. He is the chairperson of that committee. The committee entered into a 21-day season of prayer and so they just finished those 21 days of prayer. And then the next phase is the committee is going to be issuing some surveys. They want to hear what Southern Baptists have to say about what they’re looking for in the next president and CEO of Southern Baptist Convention. And so they are going to engage in that, and then once they get those survey results back, then I think they’ll plot a path forward and begin to put together the profile. And then I believe they’ll move forward with the search, and we’ll be praying that God’s man would come to the surface and will be celebrating the new CEO.
Dr. Barry Whitworth: So, I think what I’m hearing from you, Brother Willie, is that really the expectation that people are thinking they’ll be a new president/CEO by the annual meeting in June, that’s probably not realistic just because of what’s being played out right now with the Search Committee.
Dr. Willie McLaurin: I think, one of the things I think that’s important is that we have total transparency and in the season that we’re navigating, it’s always good to close that part of the journey and start the next part of the journey afresh. And a guy like me, when our new CEO comes in, I’ll go back to serving as the vice president and the role that I’m in. And I want the new CEO to have a fresh slate, a fresh start, and we can be about charging hell with water pistol.
Dr. Barry Whitworth: Amen, I love that! Love that heart, Brother! I so appreciate. Well, speaking of June. That’s one of the busiest times for the Executive Committee because something big happens every June, and I understand it’s in a place called Anaheim. What can we expect about going to Anaheim in June, as it relates to the Southern Baptist Convention?
Dr. Willie McLaurin: Well, the tradition of Southern Baptists, is every year in June, we gather together as a network of churches to do a couple of things. We gather together to do the prescribed business of the convention and that is the regular stuff of voting on budgets, voting on allocations, and then we have an opportunity to really celebrate what God has been doing all the year long. I’m incredibly thankful for what God is doing through our International Mission Board and the fact that we get to celebrate God’s sending men and women to serve across the world and then to celebrate what God’s doing through our church planting efforts in North America.
This year, we’re excited about folk coming to California, number one, so we can experience the great diversity in California. When you get to California, it’s not going to look like what we normally see in some of our Southern states, if you would. We’re going to see a great diversity of God’s people and a great diversity of churches there. And so come prepared to worship the Lord, come prepared to engage in the business of the convention, and come prepared to just fellowship with friends and fellow Southern Baptists from across the country. And then in the words of C.T. Studd–and I love this! He says the light that shines the farthest is the one that shines the brightest at home. And so we come to Anaheim, let’s shine a light, the Bride of Jesus, so the world can see what God’s up to.
Dr. Barry Whitworth: Well, there’s another thing that I haven’t heard you mention, that I’m hoping and very optimistically thinking that it will be also a celebration at the Anaheim Convention, and that is going to be what God has been doing through the Cooperative Program giving.
Dr. Willie McLaurin: Absolutely! I tell you, I’m a guy that lives, breathes Cooperative Program. It is the financial fuel for reaching every person in every city, and every town, and every state, and every nation. We’re going to celebrate what God’s doing through the Cooperative Program. And we’re going to have a Cooperative Program stage where they’re going to be panel discussions where folk can just really hear what God’s up to. So we’re really excited about that. The best thing about Cooperative Program is we get the opportunity to put put on display what God is doing through every one of our state conventions. I’m just incredibly grateful for what God is doing through the Baptist Resource Network of Pennsylvania and Jersey. And man, we’re going to get the celebrate all of that stuff together.
Dr. Barry Whitworth: Amen, amen. Looking forward to that. Last thing I want to ask you and I want to first say this to the viewers: I want you to respond where you are in your home as you finish up this video of listening to Dr. McLaurin with what he is about to share. So here’s the question: How can Southern Baptists in Pennsylvania and South Jersey pray for you?
Dr. Willie McLaurin: Listen, this is real simple for me. Antonia, my wife, we’ve been married for 25 years. And so I’m praying that we would simply strengthen our marriage relationship. One of the things she said to me when I became the interim [is], if you can’t lead our home well, you can’t help lead Southern Baptists well. And so pray that my wife will feel loved and not lonely. And then we’ve got two kids. The Bible says, in Psalm 127, that our children are a gift. They are a heritage from the Lord. And so pray that my daughters will feel like rewards and not rentals. And then, finally, the Bible says, in the multitude of counsel, there is safety; there is wisdom. And so pray that every decision that I make will be scripture-fed and Spirit-led.
Dr. Barry Whitworth: Amen. Well, thank you for taking the time to have this moment with us. Again, thank you for coming to Pennsylvania and South Jersey. God bless you and thank you for listening in. Pray for Dr. McLaurin.
Dr. Willie McLaurin: Thank you. Appreciate you. My joy. My blessing.
