Two prominent Southern Baptist churches have called pastors – Robert Jeffress at First Baptist in Dallas, Tex., and Tim Mann at First Baptist, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Robert JeffressJeffress – who is leaving First Baptist Church in Wichita Falls, Tex., – replaces Mac Brunson, who left the church in February 2006 to become pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla. Jeffress attended FBC Dallas growing up.
More than 3,000 people came to hear Jeffress preach and at the conclusion of the service voted to call the 51-year-old minister. They voted by standing. The pastoral search committee had recommended him to the congregation one week earlier.
“I will pour my life – everything I have – into building this church for the glory of God,” Jeffress said, according to The Dallas Morning News.
FBC Dallas has been home to several well-known preachers during its history, including George W. Truett and W.A. Criswell. Truett was pastor of the church from 1897 until his death in 1944, and membership during that time grew from 700 to 7,800. He served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1927-29. Truett was succeeded by Criswell, who served there for 50 years before retiring in 1995. Criswell served as president of the SBC from 1968-70.
Jeffress has been at FBC in Wichita Falls since 1992 and prior to that served as pastor of First Baptist Church in Eastland, Tex., from 1985-92. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University, a master’s from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a doctorate from Southwestern Baptist Seminary.
When Jeffress came to FBC Wichita Falls in 1992, he succeeded Morris Chapman, who left that position to become president of the SBC Executive Committee. In fact, Jeffress asked and Chapman accepted an invitation to preach at FBC Wichita Falls Aug. 12 while Jeffress was in Dallas.
Tim MannBy a 94 percent vote, members of First Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, Fla., called Tim Mann as senior pastor during the Sunday worship service, Aug. 12.
Mann became interim executive pastor of the church in January when David Cox resigned as pastor after only five months in that role.
Nearly a year previous to the day Mann was called as First Baptist’s pastor, he preached there at a FAITH evangelism banquet.
Mann told Baptist Press he was also being considered at that time for the minister of evangelism and missions position at the church – a role he later assumed on October 1 of last year.
“Faith is what got me here,” Mann said.
The FAITH evangelism program was developed by the retired pastor of First Baptist, Bobby Welch, who is now the SBC’s Executive Committee strategist for global evangelical relations.
“There are 32 years worth of footprints and fingerprints of Bobby Welch all over the place here, and I want to honor his legacy and the church’s 32-year heritage of being committed to the Great Commission,” Mann said.
“Along with that, we want to allow the Holy Spirit to bring a freshness and a clear new direction that God would have us to follow in the 21st century as we try to reach the greater Daytona Beach area and all around the world in fulfilling the Great Commission.”
“This is a great church and, needless to say, I am overwhelmingly humbled and honored to be called to this position,” Mann said. “My prayer is that God will raise this church up as a testimony to his glory, reflecting what he can do with a people who will say, ‘We will follow God’s will, no matter what.'”
Before coming to First Baptist, Mann was pastor of West Point Baptist Church in Rutherfordton, N.C., for eight years. He is a graduate of Luther Rice Seminary in Atlanta and has served as pastor of churches in Missouri and North Carolina.