May 15, 2024
BLACKSHEAR, Ga. — Georgia pastor Mike Stone will seek the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention at an annual meeting scheduled for June 13-14 in New Orleans.
Mac Brunson, senior pastor at Valleydale Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., distributed a video of Stone explaining why he intends to accept the nomination to run against incumbent SBC President Bart Barber of Texas.
In announcing his decision, Stone cited the need for a Bible-based response to “the horrific issue of sexual abuse” as well as for a commitment to a national evangelism initiative.
Stone said that a biblical approach to sexual abuse would include caring well for victims while “embracing Scriptural principles of due process and of handling and publishing accusations.”
Stone, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church, said the SBC should focus its resources on “helping local churches deal with these matters Biblically, legally, and compassionately.”
Where help from outside the SBC family is needed, Stone said SBC leaders should only partner with those who are “driven by the facts and informed by the truth.”
Stone said he is committed to a national evangelism strategy that he called “Crossover America.”
Southern Baptists, particularly in the Southeast, know Stone as a regular speaker in revivals and Bible conferences. He is an expository preacher whose pulpit ministry focuses on the authority and sufficiency of God’s Word. Stone is a member of the national steering council of the Conservative Baptist Network.
Stone is a former chairman of the SBC Executive Committee. He has served the Georgia Baptist Mission Board in numerous capacities including state convention president in 2017-2018. A graduate of Valdosta State University, he has been at Emmanuel Baptist in Blackshear, Georgia, since 1996.
“While another dear brother will nominate Pastor Stone in New Orleans, I am honored to share this exciting and encouraging news with my Southern Baptist family,” Brunson said in the announcement.
In 2021, Stone was nominated for president of the SBC and received the largest number of votes, 5,216, on the first ballot in a field of four presidential candidates, but narrowly lost in a runoff when he received 6,278 to Ed Litton’s 6,834 votes. Litton, pastor of Redemption Church in Saraland, Ala, was elected president with 52.04 percent of the votes.
In the video announcement Stone said he had agreed to accept a nomination because of the urging of Southern Baptists from across the country.
“I am thankful for the godly men and women who serve our convention and there is a lot to celebrate in the SBC from church planting to international missions and beyond” Stone said. “While I have no desire to disparage anyone, there are also serious causes of grave concern.
“First, we must have a Biblical approach to the horrific issue of sexual abuse. Local congregations must be firmly committed to protecting the vulnerable and caring for the abused. In this critical hour we need leaders who will guide us to care well for victims while at the same time embracing scriptural principles of due process in the handling and publishing of accusations - leaders that honor Biblical ecclesiology, and when outside help is necessary, they are committed to only use those who are driven by facts and informed by the truth.”
Stone has been a critic of the SBC’s use of Guidepost Solutions, a New York-based firm that investigated how denominational leaders had handled sexual abuse allegations in the past.
“When abuse occurs, it happens in local churches, so our convention needs to resource local, autonomous congregations to deal with these matters biblically, legally, and compassionately," he said.
Stone also said the latest audit from the Executive Committee concluded that it is on "an unsustainable financial trajectory."
"Now to be clear, people are infinitely more valuable than financial resources, but we can address this issue wisely in a way that does not lead us into financial ruin," he said. "For Southern Baptists, unsustainable should be unacceptable."
Stone said one thing will bring Southern Baptists back together: "our heartfelt commitment to take the gospel of Jesus Christ across America and around the world."
"So, if I am elected as your next president, my second major focus would be a nationwide evangelistic emphasis called ‘Crossover America,'" he said.
Stone envisions a convention-wide emphasis on evangelism events conducted by and through the 47,000-plus local churches of the SBC.
“As Southern Baptists, we must turn our eyes to the evangelistic harvest fields," he said. "The two issues I have mentioned are not in conflict with one another. We can deal rightly with the abuse issue while staying on mission for Christ.”
In 2022, Stone’s church began designating contributions according to the Great Commission Giving emphasis approved by the SBC as recommended by the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force.
Stone said Emmanuel Baptist remains the leading supporter of the Piedmont-Okefenokee Baptist Association. According to the church’s 2022 Annual Church Profile, gifts to the local association totaled $48,576 out of undesignated receipts of $2,433,397.
He said Emmanuel also gave 4% to church planting and other Baptist causes, including $36,000 to the International Mission Board. The church saw 24 baptisms in 2022 with an average worship attendance of 975.
