The Center for Baptist Leadership officially and enthusiastically endorses and supports Willy Rice, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, Florida, as the next President of the Southern Baptist Convention when Southern Baptists meet for our Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, on June 9-10, 2026.

When we launched CBL two years ago, we decided to focus first and foremost on the issues in Southern Baptist life over personalities. Rather than rally behind any one particular candidate for any one particular SBC annual meeting, we committed to both addressing the problems plaguing America’s largest Protestant body of churches and offering solutions that would strengthen and renew our Baptist theology, mission, witness, practice, and impact on a lost and dying nation and world in need of Jesus Christ.

The issues that we identified at our inception—the rising tide of feminist egalitarianism and women “pastors” in the SBC, the disastrous fallout from how the so-called “abuse crisis” was politically weaponized by certain SBC leaders for their political gain, mission drift at our entities, the acceptance of unbiblical ideologies such as Critical Race Theory in our seminaries and pulpits, the divisive liberal advocacy of the ERLC, the cratering trust in the Cooperative Program (CP) which is clearly proven in a multi-year decline in CP giving, the lack of financial transparency from our entities to the churches that fund their work, the loss of our Baptist distinctives, and a lack of a bold vision for how Southern Baptists could lead transformational cultural renewal in America in the 21st Century—will not be solved with any one election at any one annual meeting.

Two years into our mission to cultivate new, courageous, biblical, and uncompromising Baptist leadership in the SBC and the American public square, we believe that prioritizing issues first has proven to be the right call. Both the body of our work and the broader ongoing conversation and debates in the SBC demonstrate that these (and other) issues must be resolved to ensure the SBC remains faithful to its biblical foundations, as expressed in the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 and found in our historic Baptist commitments.

Good faith Baptists may disagree on how to solve them, but nonetheless, these are the top topics of debate across the SBC and continue to be so.

At both the 2024 and 2025 annual meetings, CBL did not officially endorse any candidate for any elected offices in the SBC. We may decline to do so again at future annual meetings.

But for such a time as this, we believe that Pastor Willy Rice has established a track record of speaking Christianly, plainly, courageously, and accurately about the aforementioned issues as well as offering biblical, conservative, practical, and Baptist solutions to many of them, as evidenced by his “Seven Pillars” of Baptist renewal. Furthermore, he has offered a positive, transformational vision for how Baptists can unify in our mission to plant churches, evangelize the lost, win souls for Christ, and reach even more of our nation and the world over the next seven years.

Willy Rice is such an outstanding candidate on the issues, we decided to make our first official endorsement for SBC President, back him, and encourage others to vote for him.

Our personal appreciation for Willy Rice has also grown over the last two years, beginning when he joined our podcast to publicly tell his story, for the first time, about how his previous nomination for SBC president ended in his withdrawal from consideration and his subsequent change of perspective on the issues in the SBC.

You can listen to him tell that story here or read about it in his own words here: “An SBC Odyssey.”

Rice also joined us for a fantastic conversation ahead of the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting, where he defended the forgotten “Billy Baptist” in SBC life and warned that an “earthquake was coming” if leaders continue to ignore and belittle the grassroots Southern Baptists voicing legitimate concerns.

Willy Rice then participated on a panel at our event “For the Faithful Majority” in Dallas, where he addressed the need for real reform in the SBC.

He further displayed courage by offering a motion to abolish the ERLC in Dallas, not to get rid of it, but to force needed reforms. We supported that motion, and ultimately it was successful in securing a change of leadership at the ERLC.

Willy Rice’s love for the Lord and the local church, for Baptists as a Baptist people, and his courage, conservatism, conviction, and humility have been on clear display over the last two years in SBC life. He has earned our support and our vote, and we encourage you to offer the same.

As Charles Spurgeon once asked, “Decision is needed. Here is the day for the man, where is the man for the day?”

Willy Rice is the “man for the day” in the SBC. His vision of cheerful, convictional, and courageous Baptist leadership is our vision as well.

So, we pray and ask that all Baptists gathered here in Orlando today would join us in supporting Willy Rice as our next SBC president, and that his overwhelming election would be the catalyst for a biblical and Baptist renewal in the SBC in our generation—to the glory of God, for the sake of the lost, and for the good of the church and our nation.

Statements of Support for Willy Rice from CBL’s Advisory Board

“Willy Rice is the right leader to transition the Southern Baptist Convention from missional malaise to missionary multiplication. Not only is he an exceptional pastor of one of Florida’s largest SBC churches, but he also has a vision to unite all of us into something bigger than the sum of its parts. I could not be more excited to travel from Missouri to Florida to cast my ballot for Willy Rice.” 

Jon Whitehead, Attorney, Kansas City, MO

“The greatest challenge facing the Southern Baptist Convention is not organizational but theological: a weakening of conviction, clarity, and confidence in God’s Word amid growing pressure to accommodate the spirit of the age. Willy Rice possesses the pastoral wisdom, doctrinal seriousness, and leadership experience needed to help restore trust, strengthen cooperation, and refocus Southern Baptists on biblical faithfulness and the Great Commission. I believe he can help lead the Convention away from confusion and toward a renewed commitment to truth, courage, and Christ-centered mission.”

Dusty Deevers, Pastor, Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Elgin, OK

“Over the last few years, there have been some leaders who have stood tall in the face of adversity and controversy. Willy Rice has done this while leading his church in successful evangelism, discipleship, missions, and serving their community well. He is a man of proven integrity, wisdom, and pastoral leadership. Because of this, I strongly believe he will lead the SBC well. I support Willy Rice for SBC president.”

Steve Gentry, Senior Pastor, Village Church RVA, Richmond, VA

“I gladly endorse Willy Rice for President of the Southern Baptist Convention because he rightly calls Southern Baptists back to convictional clarity, denominational accountability, and cultural responsibility. At a time when our convention needs courage without compromise and unity in the truth, Pastor Rice articulates a vision rooted in historic Baptist doctrine and trustee accountability, while reminding us that the headquarters of the SBC is the local church. I believe he is well-suited to help lead Southern Baptists toward renewal that is always reforming, always on mission, and always tethered to the truth of the Bible.”

Sam Webb, Elder, University Park Baptist Church, Houston, TX

“The vote for our next SBC president is the single most important vote we’ll take as a convention this year. And I’m more excited to vote for Willy Rice than any previous candidate for president of the SBC. Why? Because he’s a man who has the courage, clarity, and conviction to lead the SBC to a more hopeful and fruitful future. Rice’s leadership is what we need to unify our convention, strengthen our cooperation, and lead us to a more effective mission in the years to come. I hope you’ll join me in voting for him as well.” 

Michael Clary, Senior Pastor, Christ the King Church, Fort Thomas, KY

“Some say that we Southern Baptists need to ‘quit fussing and get back to missions and evangelism’—that prioritizing work on our problems diverts us from our Great Commission tasks. For me, this is déjà vu all over again. It’s the same thing we heard in the 1980s when the conservative resurgence was underway. The premise was that the issues on the table were no big deal and that we were in a zero-sum game, whereby the defense of biblical conservatism sapped our spiritual zeal. 

Apparently, the Apostles didn’t think so. No one was more committed to reach ‘the uttermost part of the earth’ with the message of Christ. But, as we see repeatedly in Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation, they didn’t think they were wasting time in dealing with internal missteps. Rather, they were determined to remove governors from the engines of effectual faith, practice, and outreach. Willy Rice gets it, and he said so boldly back when it was awkward and costly for him to admit his change of mind. I believe he’s the man for the hour.”

Mark Coppenger, Oak Valley Baptist Church, Franklin, TN

“I fully support Willy Rice for President of the SBC. I am grateful for Willy’s willingness to lead with both conviction and humility. In a day when many refuse to acknowledge past mistakes, Willy has demonstrated the courage to confess where he was wrong, the integrity to speak the truth in love, and the wisdom to call Southern Baptists back to biblical faithfulness. His bold vision for reaching the nations with the gospel and his commitment to the mission of Christ make him a worthy candidate to serve as President of the SBC.”

Lewis Richerson, Senior Pastor, Woodlawn Baptist Church, St. George, LA

Support for Willy Rice from Other Conservative Southern Baptist Leaders Across the Country 

“Willy Rice is the kind of leader Southern Baptists need in this moment: convictional, courageous, pastor-hearted, and deeply committed to the authority of Scripture and the Great Commission. He has shown a willingness to speak clearly where clarity is needed, to lead with humility, and to strengthen the churches of the SBC for faithfulness in the years ahead. I’m grateful to support Willy Rice for SBC President and encourage Southern Baptists to vote for him in Orlando.”

Josh Abbotoy, Midway Baptist Church, Cookeville, TN

“Willy Rice leads with courage, conviction, innovation, and a contagious sense of joyful optimism. In both his local church and across Southern Baptist life, he has demonstrated steady leadership marked by faithfulness and wisdom.  One of Willy’s greatest strengths is his ability to stand firmly on biblical convictions without being swept along by the shifting currents of culture, while also building meaningful relationships with people who may disagree with him. That combination of conviction and graciousness is increasingly rare and deeply needed.

I believe it says a great deal that so many respected leaders across the Florida Baptist Convention are enthusiastically supporting Willy. Florida has become one of the strongest and most influential state conventions in the SBC, and Willy is widely trusted, respected, and appreciated by pastors and church leaders throughout our state.  There are many faithful Southern Baptists serving our convention, but I believe Willy Rice is uniquely gifted for this moment. His proven leadership, steadfast convictions, and ability to bring people together make him an excellent choice to serve as president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Chad Weeks, Pastor, Russell Baptist Church, Green Cove Springs, FL 

“I encourage you to vote for Willy Rice for SBC president. He’s demonstrated that he’s not willing to ignore our problems, but desires to name them, solve them, and move past them so we can be fruitful in our Great Commission work. I believe Pastor Willy has the courage and wisdom to lead us to do just that!”

Rhett Burns, Pastor, First Baptist Church Travelers Rest, Travelers Rest, SC

“It’s exceedingly rare when a bivocational pastor in a rural setting among ordinary Baptists thinks to himself, ‘Now this is an SBC leader who understands my church!’ But I can confidently say Willy Rice is that leader. Willy possesses a firm commitment to the truth of God’s Word without apology or embarrassment in an age of compromise. He demonstrates the kind of zeal for evangelism and Great Commission cooperation that have been the hallmark of Southern Baptists for ages. Willy’s vision for our convention won’t require me to explain to my congregation why we need to remain Southern Baptist despite their misgivings about past missteps. I will enthusiastically be voting for Willy Rice for President of the SBC.”

Erik Smith, Pastor, Canon Baptist Church, Canon, GA

“I am excited to endorse Pastor Willy Rice for President of the Southern Baptist Convention. Pastor Rice has articulated a compelling vision for Baptist renewal rooted in biblical conviction, accountability, and a renewed focus on the Great Commission. At a time when many Southern Baptists are calling for greater clarity, transparency, and faithfulness, Willy Rice offers principled leadership that seeks to strengthen our churches, increase trust, and keep the SBC focused on reaching the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Tim Overton, Pastor, Kingston Avenue Baptist Church, Anderson, IN

“I endorse Willy Rice for SBC president because he has demonstrated integrity over the course of many years of faithful ministry. He understands, perhaps better than most, how self-styled moderates acting in bad faith can take advantage of SBC pastors who are seeking to cooperate in good faith. Unlike many who attain positions of influence, Willy has the humility and integrity to acknowledge when he is wrong. More importantly, he has the chutzpah to take the necessary steps to make things right afterward. That is precisely the kind of leadership the Southern Baptist Convention needs. As president, he will appoint conservative, biblically faithful Southern Baptists to the Committee on Committees and other key positions that help shape the future leadership of our entities. I am confident that Willy Rice will lead with conviction, wisdom, and integrity, and I am glad to support his nomination for SBC president.”

Stephen Feinstein, Pastor, Sovereign Way Christian Church, Hesperia, CA

“I remember sitting under the leadership of Dr. Bill Anderson more than 40 years ago when he was pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater. Recently, Willy Rice and his wife spoke with me about the impact Bill had on their lives when they were saved and taught the Word of God by Dr. Anderson at that church while they were growing up. From his youth, Willy has been faithful to God and is the right man for this moment.  He has the spiritual wisdom and maturity to lead the Southern Baptist Convention forward now! I will be casting my vote for him this week at SBC26 in Orlando.”

Doug Sides, Pastor, Yulee Baptist Church, Yulee, FL

“The SBC President appoints the committees that choose the leaders of all SBC entities and the convention. We need a bold, loving, strong Christian SBC President who stands unashamedly upon the word of God, affirms the BF&M 2000, and appoints like-minded leaders. Willy Rice is that man. I will vote for him and encourage you to do the same.”

Dr. Jared Moore, Pastor, Cumberland Homesteads Baptist Church, Crossville, TN

“I strongly support Willy Rice for SBC President because of all the major SBC leaders who flirted with or actually embraced Wokeness, Willy is the only one I can think of who publicly said he was wrong. I always believed he was a man of integrity. He proved he’s also a man of humility, a characteristic in short supply in today’s SBC.”

Rod Martin, Founder and CEO of Martin Capital, Inc., Florida

“I have the highest regard for Willy Rice at this point, and it’s based on at least 3 characteristics. First, He understands the times and knows what the SBC should do. Second, He’s sharp and intelligent, and yet still enough of a “Billy Baptist” to easily bond with the average Southern Baptist. And third, of all the institutional leadership of the 2010-20’s, he alone recognized the folly of going woke and has publicly recanted of his previous positions. That speaks volumes about the man’s character; it’s true humility.”

Tim Bushong, Pastor, Syracuse Baptist Church, Syracuse, IN

“Institutional pride, theological ambiguity, and an obsession with numbers are the very things that can weaken a strong association. Pastor Willy Rice has demonstrated that he will not allow these distractions to derail the work of renewal. For that reason, I wholeheartedly endorse Willy Rice as the next SBC president.”

Nicholas S. Noyola, Pastor of Discipleship, Riverside Baptist Church, Miami, FL

“The SBC is headed in the wrong direction and needs to change its present course. I believe Pastor Willy Rice is the man to help get that job done. In a time when our convention needs steady, faithful, and courageous leadership, Pastor Willy brings the kind of wisdom that comes from decades of shepherding Christ’s church, preaching the Word, and leading with conviction. He understands that the SBC is at its best when churches are healthy, the Gospel is preached, and our cooperation is grounded in truth rather than mere institutional loyalty. I believe Pastor Willy can help lead Southern Baptists where clarity is needed, firmness where courage is required, and humility where brothers need to walk together. I’m thankful for his willingness to serve, and I’m glad to endorse him as the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention.”

Joshua D. Holler, Pastor of FBC St. John, St. Louis, MO

“One of the best endorsements I can give for Willy Rice is that I trust him. Trust is hard to come by these days, but I trust Willy Rice. I trust him to stand on his convictions rooted in and governed by Scripture. I trust him to champion the local church as the heartbeat of the convention. I trust him to lead with honesty, humility, and integrity. I trust him to appoint faithful servants who faithfully steward the responsibilities given to them. I wholeheartedly encourage the messengers to vote for Willy Rice.”

Scott Gleason, Pastor, Tabernacle Baptist Church, New Bern, NC

“I have watched Will Rice do real work that has truly helped the SBC maintain and increase its faithfulness to the Lord. I’ve seen him do this with shrewdness and dignity. He has my vote and my endorsement. I encourage other Baptists who would like to see the SBC increase its stability and fidelity in the coming years to vote for Willy Rice in 2026.”

Jonathan Helvoigt, Pastor, New Covenant Church, Thornton, CO

“Willy Rice is the man Southern Baptists need for our challenging hour. He knows what a force for the Kingdom the SBC is and is uniquely positioned to end the internal distractions and put us full speed ahead for Christ and his gospel. I’m incredibly excited for the chance to vote for him and encourage you to do the same.”

Jeff Wright, Pastor, Midway Baptist Church, Cookeville, TN

“Rarely do you hear well-known pastors admit they were wrong. Willy Rice has publicly admitted he made some mistakes at the height of the woke revolution. Since then, Willy has sought to counteract the leftward drift within the SBC. Willy is the kind of leader the SBC needs to help restore trust in our cooperative efforts. I fully endorse Willy Rice to be the next president of the SBC.”

Rick White, Pastor, CityView Church, Fort Worth, Texas

“God’s Word teaches us that ‘Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.’ (Proverbs 18:19). Willy Rice has a clear and prophetic vision for Baptist Renewal in the SBC. If we are not clear and consistent in our commitment to God’s good law/word, then we will be a convention that casts off restraint rather than continuing to be yoked together under our shared biblical convictions as the most effective church-planting, missionary-sending, and pastoral-training partnership in modern church history. Yet we will be blessed, as we have been for the majority of Baptist history, if we renew our commitments to Convictional Clarity, Denominational Accountability, Missional Integrity, Cultural Responsibility, Biblical Unity, Global Intentionality, and Spiritual Vitality as Willy intends to lead us to as president of the SBC. We Southern Baptists are a congregational people, and Willy Rice reflects the biblical convictions of the vast majority of members in our SBC congregations and will do a faithful job of ensuring that our Convention reflects those convictions across all of our entities and endeavors. I prayerfully hope that you, too, share this prophetic vision for Baptist renewal and that you, too, will be blessed because of it. Don’t just vote for a man, vote for a godly vision of a renewed SBC.”

Alex Lanou, Pastor, Hague Baptist Church, Hague, FL

“It has been said that weak men create hard times, and quite frankly, we have been dealing with weak men in leadership. Compromising doctrinal truth to play the political game, bending the knee to be more culturally relevant, is a problem that must stop, and Willy Rice is that man. There is no doubt that Willy is the man to bring us back and give us the desperate Baptist renewal we need for the glory of God. He is a Southern Baptist in every respect and will stand and move forward with conviction and confidence on the Word of God, where others simply retreat. I pray you all will stand with me as I stand with Willy and vote for Willy in Orlando.”

Ethan Jago, Pastor, 5 Bridges Church, Panama City Beach, FL