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ANAHEIM, CALIF.—Jared Wellman, pastor of Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington, was elected chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee’s during its Monday meeting at the SBC Annual Meeting.
The Executive Committee acts as the SBC’s fiduciary entity and conducts its affairs during the time between the convention’s annual two-day meetings. This work includes receiving Cooperative Program and designated gifts and disbursing them according to the allocation budget approved by messengers to the annual meeting, in the case of Cooperative Program funds, and according to the instructions of the donor in the case of designated offerings. The entity also has program assignments that include convention news, Cooperative Program promotion, and stewardship training.
At a Monday afternoon press conference, Wellman described the committee to an NBA referee: “…If they’re doing a good job you should never recognize that they are on the court. The way the Southern Baptist Convention is structured, [the Executive Committee is] best when we’re following the will of the messengers, we’re being faithful to what our marching orders are, so to speak.”
Wellman is one of the longest-tenured members of the committee.
“It’s been a wild ride,” he noted. “I’ve served under four different Executive Committee presidents [two elected, two interim].”
Ronnie Floyd was the Executive Committee’s most recent elected president. Floyd was elected in spring 2019 and resigned in October 2021 after the committee voted to waive attorney-client privilege for some materials related to the committee’s handling of the reports of sexual abuse survivors. Floyd’s predecessor, Frank Page, resigned in 2018. The Executive Committee currently operates under the direction of Willie McLaurin as interim president of the committee.
As chairman, Wellman will serve ex officio as a member of the search team for a permanent Executive Committee president. Asked about his vision for some of the characteristics of a new leader for the entity, Wellman placed humility as a priority.
“One of the first words that comes to mind is humility,” he said. “We often think of that position as a pastoral role. I’d like to think of the Executive Committee as more of an administrative committee and the president and CEO as a servant or treasurer—someone who has some administrative capabilities to serve the charges that the [convention] messengers give.”
Wellman has pastored four churches in Texas since his first at age 21. He is married to Amanda and the Wellmans have four children.
