Ronnie Floyd, an Arkansas pastor, former Southern Baptist Convention president and one-time Trump campaign faith adviser, is the new top executive for the Nashville-based denomination.
The Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee elected Floyd to be its president during a Tuesday meeting in Dallas. Floyd, 63, fills the role vacated last year by Frank Page, who resigned the post because of a “morally inappropriate relationship.”
The executive committee acts on behalf of the Southern Baptist Convention when it is not in session, handling administrative and governance matters. Floyd was picked to be its new president by a vote of 68-1, according to the Baptist Press, an official publication of the network of churches.
Among Floyd’s slate of experience is serving as a faith adviser to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. He counseled then-candidate Trump on issues that concern evangelicals. Floyd said that role ceased when Trump was elected.
But he is willing to provide counsel and pray for any U.S. president in his new role.
“It goes way back where leaders in my position today, they have been asked to come give counsel and prayer for the president regardless of parties,” Floyd said. “I never endorsed. All I did was simply serve and pray for and try my best to encourage this administration toward issues that evangelicals were concerned with.”
Floyd, who also served as president of the convention from 2014-16, is the longtime senior pastor of the Cross Church in northwest Arkansas, but will step down from that role Sunday in order to fulfill his duties as the new president of the executive committee.
“Where I will be as long as I’m in this position, is that I will think like a pastor. I will champion pastors,” Floyd said. “I believe in the church and I will champion the church.”
Read more at Arkansas pastor Ronnie Floyd elected Southern Baptist Convention’s top executive.
