At the SBC Executive Committee meeting Sept. 20-21, recently elected convention President Willy Rice is expected to present several challenges to the 86-member panel about next steps to secure final approval of the constitutional amendment dubbed by its author Al Mohler the “Truth & Unity Amendment.” Passage by two-thirds majority of messengers meeting at the 2027 SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis is not guaranteed, Rice told the Illinois Baptist last month. He repeated what he considers the central issue in the reservation of the role of “pastor/elder/overseer” for men only while in Indianapolis Aug. 11 unveiling some details on the upcoming convention.
“The Great Commission says you baptize and you teach. Those two things are inextricably bound together in our movement,” he said. “We want convictional clarity. We want the world to know who Southern Baptists are. And that Southern Baptists are not eroding. We are not equivocating. We are not evolving. We are enduring. We are like a tree planted by stream of water that will bear fruit in and out of season.”
Both Rice and his immediate predecessor, Clint Pressley, used the term convictional clarity. At the EC meeting in Nashville, Rice is likely to call on leaders of Southern Baptist entities to “row in the same direction,” a phrase he used several times in the Illinois Baptist interview. At the time a similar amendment came up for a vote in 2024, also in Indianapolis, newly elected EC President Jeff Iorg released a lengthy statement that the constitutional amendment wasn’t needed.
Asked just a month after being elected to the big job, Rice told the IB that he would welcome prayer by Southern Baptists. Many people have asked how they can pray for him.
Rice asked for “wisdom to prioritize the things that matter most and to be able to balance the demands of leading our local church and serving our people” in the convention.
“Pray for the health of Southern Baptists,” Rice requested. We’re always going to be a people with a lot of ideas, and there are always going to be conflicts when you have this many people, but we can be healthy. We can be strong. We can be a revitalized force for the gospel. We all want to see a healthy Southern Baptist Convention full of healthy churches.”
The Great Commission is on Rice’s mind. He may present a recommendation for an global mission and evangelism thrust tied to the upcoming 2,000th anniversary of Jesus’ final instructions to his disciples.
Father figure
Rice said he heard from previous holders of the office he just assumed, with assurances of prayer and support. A letter he received from past president Jimmy Draper was especially touching.
“He has been such an encourager to so many people,” Rice said. “He is famous for writing cards and letters. I think the convention is full of people who got letters from Jimmy Draper.
“I received a rather long letter. It was written like a father would write, you know, a spiritual father. So tender, it’s something I’ll treasure forever. He addressed some of the issues we’re talking about in terms of practical fatherly advice: Don’t get overwhelmed. Don’t try to please everybody. Stay prayerful. Stay in your church as much as you can.”
Draper, now 91, served as SBC President 1982-84, then as President of Lifeway Christian Resources 1991-2006.
“It was a letter from somebody who’s been there, who knows, and deeply cares about Southern Baptists,” Rice said. “I’ll treasure that forever.”