Exit interview with Johnny Hunt

Two years ago this month, Georgia Baptist pastor Johnny Hunt was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention. Early in his term he championed the need for a Great Commission Resurgence in the denomination.

That call for a spiritual renewal and structural change in how Southern Baptists operate resulted in the self-appointment of a 23-member work group known as the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. That group’s findings, which have received widespread media attention, will be voted on at the June 15-16 annual meeting in Orlando.

In this exclusive exit interview with the outgoing president, Index Editor Gerald Harris posed some questions to the pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock. The interview provides insight into how Hunt has grown in appreciation of the diversity of Southern Baptists and how he views the future of the denomination.

 

• How has your term as president met your expectations?

HUNT: When I was elected to this office in 2008, it was a complete surprise that the Lord led me to put my name in for nomination. I had been asked by my friends to run for several years but that year, as I prayed through it, I sensed that it was indeed something the Lord wanted me to do; and, to be honest, I feel like I have been a part of doing the will of God for my life.

 

• How has your term as president been different than you anticipated?

HUNT: When I took the office as president, I really just wanted to find out where Southern Baptists were from the perspective of leading. It was in that context that I began to be overwhelmingly burdened by the fact that the decline in baptisms, membership, and dollars, as it pertains to sending missionaries, was at a crisis level that my heart became so burdened and I knew that initiatives had to be put in place to see if that could be changed.

 

• What has been the greatest blessing you have derived from your presidency?

HUNT: One of the greatest blessings has been the overwhelming prayer support as well as encouragement from people all across the Southern Baptist Convention and literally from around the world. I have sensed an undergirding that other presidents had mentioned to me would become a reality and, indeed, it did.

 

• What has been your greatest disappointment as president of the Southern Baptist Convention?

HUNT: One of the greatest disappointments is that if someone chooses to disagree with you, it disappoints me if they cannot continue to have a Christian demeanor. I think that we can agree to disagree without becoming a very disagreeing-type spirit. Many across our Convention seem to be angry or out of control as it pertains to their temperament. This can be rather disappointing. However, the great blessing of leading has been far more that the disappointment of a few.

 

• What do you want to see Southern Baptists accomplish at the convention in Orlando?

HUNT: I would love to see Southern Baptists overwhelmingly embrace the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force Report. My passion is not to go to Orlando with a “win-lose” mindset; it really needs to be a “win-win.” We need to win for the Gospel’s sake, for the Kingdom of God, in the name of Jesus Christ. I believe that it will happen.

 

• Has the Task Force accomplished what you had hoped it would accomplish?

HUNT: Absolutely! The Committee’s commitment has been overwhelming. Literally thousands of hours have been put into the Southern Baptist Convention by prayer, meetings, brainstorming, talking to state execs, directors of missions, and entity heads and hearing their heartbeat. How encouraging it is that almost everyone seems to be on the same page in the concept and commitment that we must do whatever is necessary to be able to effectively and efficiently accomplish the Great Commission.

 

• Do you feel like the Task Force represented grassroots Southern Baptists?

HUNT: Again, the answer would be “absolutely.” I believe that the average Southern Baptist pastor and precious laypeople in our churches across the Convention really desire to see our IMB force of missionaries at 8,000, penetrating darkness in all of the unengaged and unreached people groups. I believe that there is a passionate desire from the grassroots to see local churches planted in underserved regions and the large metropolitan areas.

I do not know of a Southern Baptist who is not concerned about the lack of baptisms, especially as it pertains to the students, realizing that 50 years ago we were baptizing twice as many teenagers as we are today. We baptized over 33,000 more people in 1950, with one-third the number of Southern Baptists, as we did in 2008. This seems to be everyone’s burden.

 

• There seems to be a perception that the mega metro pastors want to control the destiny of the Convention. Do you think that is unfounded, and if so how can that perception be changed?

HUNT: It is totally unfounded. There is not even a meeting at the Mega Metro Conference to deal with the Southern Baptist Convention. This may have been something done in the early days, but the truth is that I have not been a part of anything of this nature.

This year at the Mega Conference, the presidency of the Pastors’ Conference and of the Southern Baptist Convention was not even mentioned in our round-table discussions, and there were no private meetings along these lines either. I am not sure where the perception comes from, and I realize that perception is reality to the person who perceives, but please hear my heart as I want to be as honest and truthful with our denomination as I know how.

The only reason that some of the mega metro pastors end up in leadership in our Convention is because, in fact, God has endowed them with an incredible leadership capacity and they have become known across the Convention by speaking at state and associational events to the point that they have followship that desires their leadership.

 

• The Task Force Report seems to have many who support it and many who oppose it, creating a seeming division in the Convention. How can that kind of division bring about the primary goal of revival for which the GCR Task Force is hoping and praying?

HUNT: I am not so sure that I agree that there is a division. I would agree with your terminology that there is a “seeming division.” I believe that there are strong supporters and some that have strong opposition – not that we don’t need revival or a Great Commission Resurgence, but that maybe it should be done in a different way.

I have said from the beginning of my presidency that I believe we make our decisions based on where we sit. As a local church pastor, I believe that we are bringing to the Convention that which can lead to a Great Commission Resurgence. Some of our entity heads may feel differently, however, I have been overwhelmingly encouraged as I have seen state convention executive directors, directors of missions, and entity heads fully embrace the Great Commission Task Force Report.

I am hoping and praying that God will choose to touch Southern Baptists with a fresh wind of revival once again in my lifetime and to see us reach our God-given potential to the end that God would be glorified. I believe that it is OK to agree to disagree, but Jerry Vines taught me early on in my ministry that a Christian never has the luxury of being unkind.

It is my prayer that we would all be Christian gentlemen, Christian brothers and sisters, in glorifying God by our Christ-honoring demeanor in that people would know that we have been with Jesus.

I am in great hopes that we will not only embrace and support the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force’s recommendations, but the truth is that it is easy to adopt and it is another thing do. It is my prayer that we will fully embrace, with our heart and soul, the intent of the Task Force’s report, and then join our Lord Jesus in the great task of seeing the nations come to Him.

 

•What is the most important thing the SBC president does?

HUNT: I have been told, and I have been so busy that I guess this is a good observation, that the SBC president becomes the face of our Convention, and by and large becomes the voice. The one thing that is for sure is that it is not the only voice, and for that I am grateful to God, but it is a voice that is able to attempt to set a direction in order to continue to keep us on the right track in doing the will of God.

 

• How much influence do you think the SBC president has?

HUNT: Probably no more influence than he had when he took the office. I feel that God has given me so many wonderful relationships over my 34 years of pastoring and I feel that these same ones who have encouraged me, blessed me, and allowed me to speak into their lives continue to do so. I doubt seriously the office would have caused me to have greater influence.

 

• What kind of spirit prevailed at the Easter Prayer Breakfast at the White House? How did you feel about being part of such an ecumenical group?

HUNT: At the particular table where I sat, there were wonderful brothers in the Lord. There was a good number of African-American pastors at my table who were actually from the Atlanta area. I felt that what was said and prayers that were offered were all done in a way that indeed honored the Lord Jesus. As we know, our president’s speeches are written and I can only hope that deep in his heart he embraces what he shared at the breakfast that morning.

It was a wonderful celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. As it pertains to being part of an ecumenical group, I can only sense in my heart that if I am going to influence others of different persuasions, I am going to have to be in contact with them somewhere, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have attempted to be an influence for the Lord Jesus.

 

• What kind of advice would you have for the next SBC president?

HUNT: My advice would be to continue to lead us for a Great Commission Resurgence, even if they lead differently, and I would hope and think that they would, based on their particular giftedness, their convictions, and their compassion. I would pray that they would help Southern Baptists keep their hands on the helm of the evangelistic fervor that needs to be in our denomination.

 

• Has being the SBC president given you more or less of an appreciation for our Convention?

HUNT: I have more appreciation than ever, which is one of the reasons First Baptist Church Woodstock chose to increase its Cooperative Program giving by $400,000 for this year alone. In 1986, our church gave $30,000 to the Cooperative Program. Last year, we gave $475,000, and this year we will give $900,000. First of all, I pray that our Southern Baptist Convention will learn to celebrate the incredible increase that churches like First Baptist Church Woodstock have made.

There is nowhere in our history where we have been mandated, or even challenged in writing, to give 10 percent of our budget to the Cooperative Program. Many choose to do as Woodstock does by giving large gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, supporting Annie Armstrong, and then when special needs arise, such as the disaster in Haiti, we join with many other brothers and sisters in giving wonderful contributions to SBC causes in those regions, along with our local Baptist Association.

It is my prayer that we would all begin to say, “Let’s do more.” That was the challenge at the Mega Metro Conference this year by Dr. Ronnie Floyd, who also has given a tremendous increase to the Cooperative Program gifts. If we do not learn to celebrate what others are doing through the challenge of this denomination, our death is not very far in the future.

I have been told over and over again the millions of dollars that would be added to the Cooperative Program giving if every church would only give a 1 percent increase.

Many are possibly unaware that over 5,000 of our Southern Baptist churches that report on their church profile did not give anything whatsoever to the Cooperative Program. I pray that we would challenge all churches – those that are not giving at all to give, and those that are giving to give more.

I pray that churches that are not as active in sending short-term missionaries, in church planting, and involving their people in disaster relief around the world would entertain giving even greater than their 10 percent. It is my prayer that we would all learn to work together to make a difference for the Kingdom of God.

I plan to lead First Baptist Church of Woodstock to increase our CP giving every year that God allows us to. Even though it has been a challenging economy in the last couple of years, our people have been faithful to increase, and I realize that we are just one of many across this denomination. I pray that this type spirit will continue.