Former Gladeview pastor elected Southern Baptist president

Former Gladeview pastor elected Southern Baptist president

Former Gladeview Baptist pastor, the Rev. Willy Rice, was elected Southern Baptist Convention president, drawing praise from friends and colleagues.

SBC26: Messengers gather to conduct the business of the convention at annual meeting

ORLANDO—The 2026 meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention drew 11,690 messengers June 9-10. A number of noteworthy decisions were made over the course of the two-day meeting: Convention officers Willy Rice, pastor of Calvary Church in Clearwater, Fla., was elected president over Josh Powell of South Carolina. Joining Rice is first vice president Craig Carlisle, director of missions for the Etowah Baptist Association in Alabama; Allen Murray of…

Florida Pastor Elected President of Southern Baptist Convention

Willy Rice, senior pastor of Calvary Church in Clearwater, Fla., has been elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention. His election is a triumph for critics who claim that the denomination has lost its way in recent years, according to Religion News Service. He has alleged that the SBC’s sexual abuse crisis was more hoax than reality and said that the denomination’s leaders had followed the culture more than the Bible. “Look, if you loo…