FARMERSVILLE, Texas (BP) — SBC President Bart Barber has announced his appointments to the 2023 Committee on Committees. Riley Prather, pastor of Green Valley Crossing, Putnam, Conn., will lead the committee as chair, and Cassie Stanteen from First Baptist, Clinton, Miss., will serve as vice chair.
“As a lifelong Southern Baptist, I am thrilled to play a part in helping the SBC keep the Gospel at the center and to remain faithful to our cooperative work in the world,” Prather said. “If you had told me as a kid that I would be serving the Convention in this way, I would’ve called you crazy. But I learned a long time ago to join God where He is at work, and I believe He is inviting me to do this.”
The makeup of the committee reflects the growing diversity of the Convention with 33 percent of appointees being non-Caucasian (10 percent Black, 3 percent Native American, 13 percent Hispanic, 6 percent Asian). Twenty-five percent of committee members are women.
The churches represented are diverse in size as well with 38 percent of the members attending churches with fewer than 100 in weekly worship, 41 percent at churches of 100-500, 12 percent at churches of 500-999 and 9 percent at churches that run more than 1,000 in weekly worship. On average, members’ churches give 5.7 percent through the Cooperative Program.
“These fellow believers represent the manifold beauty of the SBC—different career paths, church sizes, ages, birthplaces, and ethnicities,” Barber said. “What unites them is a love for Christ, passion for the Gospel, respect for inerrant Scripture, commitment to the Baptist Faith and Message and hope for the future of Southern Baptist cooperation.”
The announcement comes in accordance with SBC Bylaw 19, which calls for providing notice to Southern Baptists of the appointees at least 45 days in advance of the Annual Meeting. The committee is composed of 68 members, two from each of the 34 states and regions qualified for representation.
The Committee on Committees is tasked with nominating members to serve on the 2023-2024 Committee on Nominations. The committee will meet in May and June to prepare its report to the Convention. Prather is scheduled to present the committee’s slate of nominees to messengers during the Tuesday afternoon session of the SBC Annual Meeting. The committee’s report will be published in the Tuesday Bulletin.
Committee on Committees members, listed by state are:
Alabama
Ben Hayes, First Baptist, Dadeville; Trish Jackson, Glynwood Baptist, Prattville
Alaska
Michael Bunton, Greater Friendship, Anchorage; Donna Fleury, First Native Baptist, Anchorage
Arizona
Donna Guillott, Green Valley Baptist, Green Valley; Josue Castro, Tierra Fertil, Yuma
Arkansas
Scott Miller, Central Baptist, Conway; Laura Bramlett, First Baptist, Hope
California
Terrence Shay, First Chinese Baptist, Walnut; Abel Galvan, Faith Fellowship, La Palma
Colorado
Lindsay Acocella, Storyline, Arvada; Tyann DeClue, Calvary, Englewood
Florida
Clint Ellis, Fellowship Baptist, Tallahassee; Marcie Coleman, Sheridan Hills Baptist, Hollywood
Georgia
Brad Whitt, Abilene Baptist, Augusta; Pablo Paredes, Rock Bridge Community, Dalton
Hawaii
Amel Dominguez, First Baptist, Haleiwa; Gay Williams, Hawaii Kai, Honolulu
Illinois
Jimmy Fowler, Redeemer Fellowship, St. Charles; Sean Stevenson, Elmwood Park Community, Elmwood
Indiana
Nettie Beck, Elston Family, Lafayette; Bobby Pell, Northwoods, Evansville
Kansas/Nebraska
John Harms, First Southern Baptist, Garden City (KS); Sarah Alexander, Calvary Baptist, North Platte (NE)
Kentucky
Ben Stratton, Farmington Baptist, Farmington; Terry Wilder, Campbellsville Baptist, Campbellsville
Louisiana
Steven Beckham, First Community Antioch Baptist, Lutcher; Jennifer Peloquin, Summer Grove Baptist, Shreveport
Maryland/Delaware
Robert Anderson, Colonial Baptist, Randallstown (MD); Greg Kame, Glen Burnie Baptist, Glen Burnie (MD)
Michigan
Ben Hernandez, Calvary Baptist, Holland; Taylor Springs, Transformation, Waterford
Mississippi
Cassie Stanteen, vice chair, First Baptist, Clinton; Matt Powell, First Baptist, Tupelo
Missouri
Justin Perry, First Baptist, Viburnum; Brian Jump, Forest Park, Joplin
Nevada
Oscar Munguia, Renaissance, Las Vegas; Julio Calderin, Iglesia Bautista Vida Eterna, Las Vegas
New England
Riley Prather, chair, Green Valley Crossing, Putnam (CT); Joe Souza, Celebration, Middleton (MA)
New Mexico
Jared Bridge, Anchor, Albuquerque; Dusty Marshall, The Well, Alamogordo
New York
Gale Dingwell, Ridgecrest Baptist, New Windsor; Bill Pitcher, First Baptist, Amsterdam
North Carolina
J. Allen Murray, Centerville Baptist, Kelly; Quintell Hill, Multiply Community, Monroe
Northwest
Daniel Schreiner, Hinson Baptist, Portland (OR); Andrew Nguyen, Valley Christian Fellowship, Longview (WA)
Ohio
Jonathan Lyons, University Baptist, Beavercreek; John Hays, Jersey Baptist, New Albany
Oklahoma
Jennifer Barnett, Indian Nations Baptist, Seminole; Luke Holmes, First Baptist, Tishomingo
Pennsylvania/South Jersey
Jerome Coleman, First Baptist Crestmont, Willow Grove (PA); Chuck Chamberlain, Bloomsburg Southern Baptist, Bloomsburg (PA)
South Carolina
Lamont Sullivan, Kingdom Life, Simpsonville; Albert Allen, First Baptist, Newberry
Tennessee
Evan Owens, Rutledge Falls Baptist, Tullahoma; Jay Barbier, Belle Aire Baptist, Murfreesboro
Texas
Nhora Medina, Champion Forest Baptist, Houston; Brad Patterson, First Baptist, Lavon
Utah/Idaho
Timothy O’Day, Christ Fellowship, Lehi (UT); Bobby Wood, Redemption, South Ogden (UT)
Virginia
Felix Sermon, Grace International Christian, Springfield; Angie Anthony, Mount Pleasant Baptist, Colonial Heights
West Virginia
Matt Magness, Freedom Southern, Nutter Fort; Ben Moses, First Baptist Fairlea, Ronceverte
Wyoming
Robert Peterson, Hilltop Baptist, Casper; Ronda Groteluschen, Bighorn Baptist, Buffalo
This article was first published by Baptist Press.