Texan Bart Barber elected SBC 1st VP

HOUSTON—Pastor Bart Barber of First Baptist Church of Farmersville was elected first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention on Tuesday following a nominating speech that praised him as a “Bible-believing, Jesus-loving, soul winning pastor-theologian.”

Registration Secretary Jim Wells cast the vote for Barber on behalf of messengers after he drew no opponents.

Memphis pastor Steve Gaines told how Barber, 43, was converted and baptized in 1975 and ordained to preach the gospel in 1991 at First Baptist Church in Lake City, Ark. Gaines said Barber preached his first sermon at age 11 and continued preaching throughout his teenage years.

Barber is a Baylor University graduate with a master of divinity degree and a Ph.D in church history from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

He has been a pastor for 23 years, the last 14 at First Baptist Farmersville. Barber has taught adjunctly at Southwestern, served on the SBC Committee on Committees, and currently serves on the boards of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and Southwestern Seminary, where he is trustee vice chairman.

Gaines told messengers that First Baptist Farmersville averages 292 in Sunday School and gives 10 percent of undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program. It also gave $33,000 through the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions.

FBC Farmersville is also working with a previously unengaged, unreached people group (UUPG) in Senegal, Gaines said.

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