Illinois Baptist
The power of sticking around Bryan Price P. 13
Mission Illinois Offering • September 17-24
mission 973 volunteers share God’s love during Serve Tour Chicago P. 9
Bridge builders News journal of the Illinois Baptist State Association
SBC Executive Committee
Willie McLaurin resigns after falsified resume revealed
SEPTEMBER 1, 2023 Vol. 117 No. 9 Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Springfield, Illinois Permit No. 964
Temporary leader named as CEO search starts over
NEWSMAKERS
Q&A with SBC President Bart Barber (with Lottie Moooon) P. 7
After Maui wildfires
Illinois couple leads response P. 4
IllinoisBaptist.org
IB
Nashville, Tenn. | The Interim President and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee (EC) was poised to take the position permanently, until vetting eliminated him from leadership entirely. Willie McLaurin resigned Aug. 17 after the search committee reviewing his resume found that he had not graduated from three schools as he claimed—North Carolina Central University, Duke University Divinity School, and Hood Theological Seminary. The discovery produced a speedy departure, shock across the convention, and a return to square one for the second search committee
charged with finding a permanent replacement for Ronnie Floyd who resigned in October 2021. “Today has been an incredibly hard day for our Southern Baptist family,” tweeted Jonathan Howe, the last remaining full vice president who oversees Convention communications. Howe will hold the reigns until the full trustee board can appoint an interim at their meeting September 18-19 in Nashville. “The SBC Executive Committee’s bylaws require that the Executive Committee officers appoint an existing SBC Executive Committee Vice President to serve temporarily, P. 3