Brunson

Mac Brunson, conservative pastor of Green Street Church in High Point, was elected president of the BSC. Mike Cummings, conservative director of missions for Burnt Swamp Association, was elected first vice president, while David Crocker, moderate pastor of Snyder Memorial Church in Fayetteville, won the second vice president's race.

After the convention ended, the three men joined hands and prayed together.

The president and the two vice presidents nominate members to the BSC Committee on Committees. The General Board then acts on the nominations.

In a press conference a few minutes after the presidential election results were announced, a reporter asked Brunson if he would appoint a moderate.

"I'm going to be fair," he said. "I'm going to be balanced."

When he was asked if he thought the BSC had been unbalanced, Brunson said, "I didn't say that."

Charles Page, pastor of First Church in Charlotte, nominated Brunson for the presidency. Page said Brunson would continue the balance in the BSC.

Conservatives said that a conservative needed to be president to balance with the moderates' control of the BSC General Board.

The elections give conservatives control of the Convention offices for the third straight year. Greg Mathis, conservative pastor of Mud Creek Church in Hendersonville, completed his second year as president at the convention Nov. 10-12.

Mathis and Mike Queen, pastor of Wilmington's First Church and president of BSC General Board, have worked to bring conservatives and moderates together in the Convention.

Larry Hovis, pastor of Mocksville's First Church, nominated Jack Causey, pastor of First Church in Statesville, for president. He said Causey was inclusive "long before it was the popular thing to do."

Brunson said he plans to draw on (Causey's) wealth of wisdom and work he's done in this Convention."

Brunson said he plans to consult with Causey about Convention issues. Brunson he believes there's a "new spirit" in the BSC.

"We have the opportunity to do something here that is unique in the Southern Baptist Convention," he said. "We don't have to go the way of Virginia and we don't have to go the way of Texas."

Conservatives in Virginia have formed a separate state convention. The Baptist General Convention of Texas adopted a report that conservatives say distances the state from the conservative-dominated Southern Baptist Convention.

Brunson said the cooperation in North Carolina between conservatives and moderates is a result of the moving of God's spirit.

"It is nothing that we've done," he said. "We tried to work at this thing before. We've attempted to work this thing out and we've not been able to."

Cummings was nominated for first vice president by Larry Locklear, pastor of Island Grove Church in Pembroke. Wayne Wike, pastor of Covenant Church in Gastonia, nominated Charlotte Cook, a member of Jersey Church in Linwood.

Nominations for second vice president stirred some controversy.

Some messengers were concerned by David Hughes' choice of words when he was nominating Crocker. Hughes is pastor of First Church, Winston-Salem.

Phillip Davis, who was then the first vice president, nominated Allan Blume, pastor of Mt. Vernon Church in Boone. Convention observers said it was the first time in recent memory that a sitting officer had nominated a candidate.

Attempts to pass resolutions about both issues did not make it to the floor of the convention on Nov. 12. Messengers declined to suspend parliamentary rules, which was necessary to consider the resolutions.