MC Graduate Jimmy Jackson Seeks SBC Presidency

Mississippi College graduate Jimmy Jackson is among four candidates seeking the presidency of the Southern Baptist Convention in mid-June.

The president of the Alabama Baptist State Convention, Jackson has served as senior pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville for 31 years.

A native of Greenwood, Mississippi, he also holds a divinity degree and doctorate in Hebrew and Old Testament from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

The race for SBC president will be decided during the first day of the organization's annual meeting in Orlando on June 15.  Jackson served as SBC's first vice president for 2006-2007.  He's led the Alabama Baptist Convention for the past two years.

Under his leadership, Whitesburg Baptist Church has grown from less than 3,000 members in 1978 to more than 7,000 today. He's also pastored churches in Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.

Jackson told the Baptist Press his greatest concern was for spiritual revival among Southern Baptists.  He said he would work to bring Southern Baptists together for a convention-wide effort of “prayer and fasting, Bible study and spiritual focus.”

And he added: “Until we individually and corporately humble ourselves before God, we cannot expect Him to bless us with greater fruitfulness and effectiveness as a Convention.”

Also competing for the SBC presidency are: Leo Endel, executive director of the Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Convention since 2002, Ted Traylor, pastor of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fla. and Bryant Wright, pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga. and a trustee with GuideStone Financial Resources.

The month of June marks a major milestone for Jackson. He and his wife, Bobbi, celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in June. They have two grown children and six grandchildren.

The four-man contest for the SBC presidency and other convention business will draw big crowds to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Mississippi College leaders, including President Lee Royce, will be on hand for a reception to welcome the Christian university's alumni and friends.