Via the Associated Press:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Three clergyman will be in the running to become the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention at the denomination’s annual meeting.
The expected nominees so far are Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla.; Bryant Wright, senior pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga.; and Jimmy Jackson, president of the Alabama Baptist State Convention, according to Baptist Press and other Baptist outlets.
The three will be vying to succeed Johnny Hunt, pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Ga., who is completing his service as Southern Baptist president after finishing two one-year terms.
With more than 16 million members, the denomination is the second-largest in the United States, behind the Roman Catholic Church. Southern Baptists have been struggling in the face of stagnating numbers of baptisms and a slight decline in membership.
The convention’s annual meeting is set for June 15-16 in Orlando, Fla.
