By Collin M. Hain
June 15, 2021
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – During the Monday afternoon session of the SEND Conference, sponsored by the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the International Mission Board (IMB), pastors and guests gathered to hear nominations and elect a panel of officers for the 2022 Pastors’ Conference to be held in Anaheim, Calif.
The 2020 Pastors’ Conference, along with the Souther Baptist Convention (SBC) Annual Meeting, was cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Before the cancellation, officers, including President David Uth, pastor of First Baptist Church Orlando, drew criticism for the lineup of chosen speakers and guest artists.
Before overseeing the election of 2022 officers, Uth said that he did not anticipate the passion and anger they received, referring to the pushback from 2020.
“We really aren’t passionate about a mission,” Uth said. “We are passionate about our agenda. We need to get back to our mission.”
Uth encouraged pastors, citing the difficult times the global pandemic brought upon churches, and called for pastors to think of the election of officers as “this is our time.”
Pastors’ Conference President
Pastor Matt Henslee of Mayhill Baptist Church in Mayhill, N.M., secured the presidency of the 2022 Pastors’ Conference. Henslee was nominated to the role by Josh Reavis, associate pastor of North Jax Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla.
“The SBC is made up of pastors and churches of all shapes and sizes, and a pastors’ conference should represent all of them,” Reavis said. “When you open up the program, you should see some of the ‘who’s who,’ but you should also see some of the ‘who’s that.’ The pulpit of a pastors’ conference should be shared by large church pastors and church planters, big city pastors and rural revivalizers.”
Reavis described Mayhill, N.M. as a town of 56 people. According to Annual Church Profile (ACP) records, Mayhill Baptist contributed $25,571 (14.9 percent of its annual budget) to the Cooperative Program last year.
Henslee authored “Replanting Rural Churches: God’s Plan and Call for the Middle of Nowhere” and co-produces “Not Another Baptist Podcast,” a podcast focused on pastoral ministry. According to his website, matthenslee.com, Henslee served as the managing editor of LifeWay Pastors until 2020, was selected as a member of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Leadership Council for 2020-2021, and serves as a consultant with Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s (SWBTS) Center for Church Revitalization. He also earned a doctor of ministry degree from SWBTS in 2021.
Other nominees for president included Jamar Andrews, senior pastor of Word Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Ark.; Matt Carter, lead pastor of Sagemont Church in Houston; and Greg Davidson, pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Vacaville, Calif.
Vice President
Pastors elected Cameron Triggs, pastor of Grace Alive Church in Orlando, Fla., as vice president. Triggs is the founder and president of Apollos Institute and previously served as a church planting resident at The Summit Church under current SBC president, J.D. Greear.
In his nomination speech, Fred “Chip” Luter III, senior associate pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, La., called Triggs a “bridge builder.”
“In a time where so many people sow division, Cam has a unique way of pulling people together all across the spectrum, and he wants to do that at next year’s pastors’ conference,” Luter said.
According to ACP records, Grace Alive Church increased its Cooperative Program giving from $6,500 (1.6 percent of its annual budget) in 2019 to $14,300 (4 percent) in 2020.
Also nominated for vice president was Victor Chayasirisobhon, lead pastor at First Southern Baptist Church in Anaheim, Calif.
Treasurer
Sam Greer, pastor of Red Bank Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tenn., was elected as treasurer for the 2022 conference. In nominating Greer, Chuck Herring, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Collierville, Tenn., said that Greer was “motivated by a deep love for Jesus and a surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ in his life.”
Greer defeated Charles Boswell, director of pastoral care and church health at the Colorado Baptist General Convention.
After the election, newly-elected Henslee expressed his thanks for the role in a Twitter post.
“Thank you, Southern Baptists, for trusting me and our team with the 2022 SBC Pastors’ Conference.” Henslee wrote. “Please pray for us, prepare to join us in Anaheim, and persevere until then. 2020 was tough. 2021 is rough. But we’ll gather together in 2022 … hold on!”
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