'Point Them to Our King': New Southern Baptist President on Death of Son, Vision for Church

CHARLOTTE, NC – Pastor Clint Pressley has been leading Charlotte's Hickory Grove Baptist Church, a multiracial congregation that draws 3,000 people each Sunday, for the past 10 years. 

In June, Pressley was elected as the new president of the Southern Baptist Convention. 

CBN News sat down for an in-depth interview with Pressley who is known for traditional three-piece suits in the pulpit and for posting his personal workouts on Instagram.

"It keeps your muscles moving, keeps your joints in good shape, get you good bone density, makes you strong," Pressley explained.  

Pressley will need that strength to help steady the nation's largest Protestant denomination – something he believes God has prepared him for. 

"I have been a Southern Baptist pastor since I was 23, so 32 years now," Pressley said. "And been involved in Southern Baptist Convention really at all levels. Served all kinds of churches. I think all of that prepares you for the role."

The SBC's new president has also faced personal trials. After he and Connie, his wife of 32 years, struggled to conceive, the couple adopted two boys – brothers Nate and Mack. 

"We didn't intend to adopt two," Pressley commented. "We got on an adoption list, and we got a call that there were two children and a legal risk adoption. We trusted that the Lord had done this, brought this to us, and so we agreed to do that. And my oldest son was 20 months, and my youngest was six months."

Then last year tragedy struck. Twenty-four-year-old Nate, who had been estranged from the family, died from an apparent drug overdose. 

Pressley admits that trusting God through the grief has not been easy. 

"You cling to the promises of God," he said. "We all like a smiling, happy providence – things are good. God uses that as well, but then he uses the hard providence to take you into a valley that you have to trust, that is teaching you to hold on."

Pastor Pressley comes to the presidency as Southern Baptists also navigate a variety of challenging issues – such as responding to sexual abuse, women in ministry, and a steep drop in SBC membership.

Last year, the denomination reported 241,000 fewer members and 292 fewer churches. To hopefully turn things around, Pressley wants to get back to basics. 

"We've not done a really good job in the last several years making sure our focus is not just on the things we want to stand against, but what are we for – the gospel. What does it do and how do we share it? And the good news for people that we really do think God saves people, and so we would do well to have our attention turned back to those things we actually do a good job at," he explained. 

In order to begin that turnaround, Pressley will face questions about decisions by Southern Baptist delegates that have made headlines. That includes their approval of a resolution regarding in vitro fertilization, affirming that embryos are human beings from the moment of fertilization whether in the womb or generated in a lab.

In response, Pressley told CBN News, "A resolution is no action, don't do anything. It is to say we recognize this and resolve. And the resolution was to take the logic of pro-life. So, we're against abortion. We think life begins at conception. Taking that logic and then extending it further to what do we do with the embryos? It really was a resolution to challenge people to think another step beyond. It wasn't a ban on IVF. It wasn't saying, if you're using IVF, that is wrong. We weren't saying that. We were saying we need to be careful how we think of these things. If we actually are pro-life, then we need to extend that logic into every arena of life and including in vitro fertilization."

CBN News also discussed the subject of women pastors within the SBC. At its annual meeting in June, delegates voted down the Law Amendment, a measure to formally ban churches with women pastors.

"Within the Baptist faith and message, our statement of faith, it is a statement that while women have all number of roles in a church, provide great leadership, the Bible teaches and as strictly biblical people, that the Bible teaches that the office of pastor is reserved for a man," Pressley said.

Another lingering topic deals with sexual abuse reform. Two years ago, the SBC formed a group responsible for creating resources and building a database of abusive pastors. The task force ended its work in June without creating a database.

While Pressley is not sure if or when it will happen, he hopes local congregations takes the lead.

"We want to make sure and equip our people, our pastors and leaders of the churches where they are, to make sure that they're training their volunteers and that they're taking care of victims at the local level in the church where it happens. And that's where people will be healed," he said. "That's where survivors will be ministered to." 

Meanwhile, as the 2024 presidential election nears, Pressley chooses not to get too involved, hoping instead to lend his voice to matters of eternal importance.

"That's what God called me to do, is be a pastor and a preacher. That's what I do, is spend my time studying the Bible, and then when Sunday comes, take the Bible, teach the Bible as the word of God. That is food for our people's soul to point them to our king Jesus."

"I'm not saying that people shouldn't vote. We should and exercise that right. But that's not where our hope is," said Pressley.

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