Wolfe to be Nominated

by T. C. Pinckney                                                                                               Vol. VII, No. 3, April 1994

On 8 February during the Bible conference at First Baptist Church of Jacksonville former SBC president Jerry Vines announced that Dr. Fred Wolfe will be nominated for the SBC presidency at the Orlando SBC convention this June. Vines, co-pastor of First Baptist of Jacksonville, endorsed Wolfe. The annual Bible conference has been the forum several times for such announcements, including those pertaining to Morris Chapman in 1990, Vines himself in 1988, and Adrian Rogers in 1986.

Wolfe is pastor of the 8,500 member Cottage Hill Baptist Church of Mobile, AL., and chairman of the Executive Committee of the SBC.

There seem to be only two arguments against Wolfe: First, Cottage Hill contributed only about 4% to the Cooperative Program in 1993. What Wolfe's critics on this point do not mention is that the church has for several years been involved in a $9,000,000 building program which they have recently completed with no residual debt; everything is paid for. Also, Cottage Hill raised its CP percentage to 5% in 1994, and Wolfe has pledged to increase their giving each year by 1/2% until they reach at least 10%.

The other possible objection to Wolfe would seem to be that he believes the Bible strongly and has been long involved with conservatives in reforming the SBC. That view will convince moderates to oppose him but should strengthen his candidacy among Bible-believing Baptists.

The other name often mentioned as a possible nominee is Jim Henry, pastor of the 10,000 member First Baptist of Orlando. His church's CP giving is admirably high, some 13%, and of course he is well-known in central Florida where the SBC will meet.

I strongly prefer and will be voting for Fred Wolfe. I know Fred and have had the opportunity to observe him closely in Executive Committee activities since 1988. His immediate reaction to any situation, any issue is biblical. Moreover, he is willing to stand on that biblical foundation and be counted without regard to some calculation of how the vote will go. He can be relied upon to do the right thing without factoring in personal considerations; he is truly "an Israelite without guile." Fred has been long involved with the conservative resurgence; he is a veteran of the spiritual wars and bears the scars to prove it. He knows firsthand the nature of the effort and the critical importance of steadily continuing the course to which God has led us. Another attractive quality is that Fred has an excellent sense of humor and enjoys a good joke on himself. In my book that is an important indicator of a servant's heart.

I do not personally know Jim Henry, and as of this writing he has not yet decided whether to allow his name to be placed in nomination. Certainly Henry has built a great church, and there is no question that he is an inerrantist. Further, his church strongly supports the CP, giving some 13 % each year. But I would be uneasy were he to become president because he has not been involved in the battles. He did make one important contribution in 1990 when he and several other pastors of major churches endorsed Morris Chapman’s nomination. The fact remains, however, that he has not been involved directly in the struggle, has not risked his personal reputation, does not bear scars of honor. From all I have heard about Henry, he is a fine man, an excellent pastor, and an inerrantist. But he lacks the personal perspective that can only come from direct experience.

I recommend you vote for Fred Wolfe.