Willie McLaurin will be the interim president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, EC officers announced Feb. 1. Since 2020, McLaurin has served as the vice president for Great Commission relations and mobilization at the EC.
“We hope that he will help us to reset the tone by which the EC serves Southern Baptists,” said Rolland Slade, EC chairman.
McLaurin, 48, served for 15 years at the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board before joining the EC staff in January 2020.
“Our EC staff is committed to serving our convention well. Jesus’ last words to us in Acts 1:8 should be our first priority as a network of churches. My prayer is that we will continue to put a laser-sharp focus on cooperation and collaboration,” McLaurin told Baptist Press.
Prior to serving at the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, McLaurin was executive pastor at Greater Missionary Baptist Church in Clarksville, Tenn., and senior pastor at Greater Hope Baptist Church in Union City, Tenn.
McLaurin takes over the role after a challenging season for the EC. The process of waiving attorney-client privilege related to the ongoing investigation over allegations of mishandling reports of sexual abuse in the convention took a heavy toll on EC members and the way they are viewed by the SBC.
McLaurin said he hopes to begin restoring trust in the EC during the interim period. “No network of churches is without challenges. My prayer is that this season will bring healing and unity to our convention,” he said.