Johnson Ferry pastor Bryant Wright elected president of SBC Pastor’s Conference

For the seventh time in the last 23 years a Georgia Baptist pastor has been elected as president of the Southern Baptist Convention Pastor’s Conference. Bryant Wright, pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, was elected to serve in this position for the 2006 Pastor’s Conference to be held in Greensboro, N.C.

Bryant Wright

Since 1935, when M. E. Dodd became the first president of the SBC Pastor’s Conference, ministers and laity alike have been gathering for the inspiring “preaching” meeting that immediately precedes the annual session of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Georgia Baptist pastors who have been elected as president of the Pastor’s Conference include: Charles Stanley, Nelson Price, Richard G. Lee, Dwight “Ike” Reighard, James Merritt and Johnny Hunt.

In addition to the election of the Johnson Ferry pastor as president, Doug Munton, pastor of First Baptist Church in O’Fallon, Ill., was elected vice president and Gary Urich, pastor of Southern Hills Baptist Church in Bolivar, Mo., was elected secretary.

Wright was called to be the first pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in December of 1981 when it was a mission of First Baptist Marietta. He started with a membership of about twenty families and met in a doctor’s office. The church membership has now grown to more than 7,000 and nearly 4,500 worshippers gather each Sunday morning in one of five worship services provided by the church.

Under Wright’s leadership the Johnson Ferry church began to experience success from the very beginning. It was chartered on September 25, 1983 with 373 members and the construction of a permanent building beginning immediately. The first sanctuary was filled beyond capacity when it opened in March of 1984. A second worship service was begun the second Sunday in the new building, and three morning services were needed by the end of the year. Now, the sprawling campus dominates much of the landscape between Johnson Ferry Road and Woodlawn Drive in east Cobb County.

Johnson Ferry has had a strong missions emphasis from the very beginning and presently gives 18.5 percent of budgeted receipts to missions causes (11% to Southern Baptist Convention causes). The Marietta church has sponsored six mission churches in Cobb County and north Atlanta. Johnson Ferry at Cedarcrest is the newest church start (January 2005) with a campus in northeast Paulding County.

Personalizing missions is important to Wright and the people of JFBC. Last year more than 1,200 members went on 62 mission trips to 25 nations around the world.

In 1991 Wright began Right From The Heart Ministries, a radio and television ministry that airs one-minute and thirty-second spots, mostly on secular radio. More recently, this ministry has been expanded to include the Internet.

The new Pastor’s Conference president is married to the former Anne Hoskins and they have three sons: George, who is married to Megan Pickworth, Andrew and David. They have one grandchild, McKenna.

Many believe that Wright will help bridge the gap between the present generation of leadership in the SBC and the emerging leaders to whom the mantle will one day be transferred. His fresh, innovative style, yet firm commitment to Biblical principles, will no doubt be reflected in next year’s Pastor’s Conference.