May 17, 2024
NASHVILLE — Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee interim president Willie McLaurin has resigned effective immediately after members of a search team found that he had included false information on his resume.
He had been interim leader since February 2022 and was a candidate for the permanent position.
“While considering McLaurin as a candidate for Floyd’s permanent replacement, the SBC Executive Committee’s Presidential Search Team discovered disqualifying information during their process of vetting and due diligence’ SBC Executive Committee Chairman Philip Robertson said in a statement Thursday.
“McLaurin’s education credentials that he presented in his resume are false,” Robertson said.
McLaurin said in his letter of resignation that he included schools on his resume that he did not attend. Neither did he complete a course of study from the schools, identified as North Carolina Central University, Duke University Divinity School and Hood Theological Seminary.
Robertson urged Southern Baptists to continue to pray for the Executive Committee.
“The need for God’s wisdom and direction is paramount at each and every point in the process of searching and selecting the next president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee.”
McLaurin became interim president following the resignation of former Executive Committee President Ronnie Floyd.
The resume debacle ends McLaurin’s potential ascension to the permanent position. Had McLaurin ascended to the post, he would have become the first African American to lead one of the SBC’s major entities on a permanent basis.
“To the Southern Baptists who have placed their confidence in me and have encouraged me to pursue the role of President & CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, including pastors, state partners, entity servants, colleagues, and SBC African American friends, I offer my deepest apologies,” McLaurin said in his letter of resignation. “Please forgive me for the harm or hurt that this has caused.”
Jonathan Howe, the Executive Committee's vice president for communications, will serve as interim president, pending a meeting of the full Executive Committee on Sept. 18-19.
