SBC Leadership Shift
Florida Pastor Willy Rice Elected SBC President, Vowing to Challenge Denomination's 'System' and 'Wokeness'
Key Points
At a pre-election forum hosted by Baptist21, Rice warned, “if we are not careful, we’re going to hug ourselves to death,” adding, “We are going to wake up one day and be Kodak or Blockbuster.”
Rice said he wanted to “challenge ‘the system’” and exert greater control over denominational institutions, including “Baptist seminaries and entities, like its embattled public policy arm.”
Rice characterized his victory as reflecting pastors’ sense they are not represented, saying: “I don’t think it’s hostility, I don’t think it’s some great open revolt.”
The SBC annual meeting opened with prayer from Jonathan Parnell, pastor of Cities Church, months after anti-ICE protesters disrupted worship at his church.
Rice’s opponent, Josh Powell, framed his own strategy in the forum as “challenging less and championing more.”
Florida pastor Willy Rice won the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention on June 9, defeating South Carolina pastor Josh Powell with 57.56% of the vote — 5,217 ballots to Powell's 3,821 — at the denomination's annual meeting in Orlando. Jubilee Cast reported that 9,063 total ballots were cast, making Rice's margin more decisive than many observers expected.
Rice, senior pastor of Calvary Church in Clearwater, Florida, leads a right-leaning insurgent faction that has accused SBC leaders of going too "woke" and botching the denomination's sexual abuse crisis. His win signals a sharp shift in direction for the nation's largest Protestant denomination.
Rice Ran Against the SBC's Own "System"
Rice did not run as a typical insider candidate. He told a pre-election forum hosted by Baptist21 that the SBC risks becoming obsolete. "If we are not careful, we're going to hug ourselves to death," he warned. "We are going to wake up one day and be Kodak or Blockbuster." Religion Unplugged noted that Rice has pushed to exert greater control over SBC seminaries and entities, including the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the denomination's public policy arm.
His opponent, Josh Powell, took the opposite tone. Powell framed his own approach as "challenging less and championing more," positioning himself as a candidate of stability. Rice won anyway — and by a wide margin. Baptist Standard described Rice's victory as a win for pastors who feel the denominational "system" does not represent them.
Abuse Crisis Skepticism Defined Rice's Campaign
Rice's candidacy was shadowed by his past comments on the SBC's sexual abuse scandal. He and his allies have characterized the third-party abuse investigation as "politically weaponized" and, in some framing, "more hoax than reality," according to MinistryWatch. Critics warned his election could roll back transparency measures the denomination adopted in recent years.
Rice previously ran for SBC president in 2022 but withdrew after a controversy involving a past church member. His 2026 comeback was fueled by the sense among local pastors that leadership had failed them. "I don't think it's hostility," Rice said after his win. "I don't think it's some great open revolt."
Outgoing Leader Warns Against Pride at the Handoff
Outgoing SBC president Clint Pressley used his final remarks to urge humility. According to Christian Post, Pressley called on Baptists to "hate pride" as the denomination moves into a new era. The meeting itself opened with prayer from Jonathan Parnell, pastor of Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota — whose church was disrupted by anti-ICE protesters in January 2026.
Women Pastors Ban Moves Forward After Election
The day after Rice's election, messengers voted to suspend the rules and immediately take up a constitutional amendment proposed by Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The amendment would limit the title of pastor, elder, and overseer strictly to men, according to Baptist Standard. Both Rice and Powell had supported banning churches with women pastors, but the swift procedural move signals the new leadership intends to enforce that position quickly.
The SBC has already expelled several churches over women in pastoral roles in recent years. A stricter constitutional definition could accelerate those expulsions. Rice's election, paired with Mohler's amendment push, suggests the convention is moving toward tighter control over both its politics and its theology, Word & Way reported.
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