Ronnie Floyd

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Ronnie Floyd
ChurchCross Church
Personal details
Born
Ronald Wayne Floyd

(1955-11-11) November 11, 1955 (age 68)
Gonzales, Texas
NationalityAmerican
DenominationBaptist (Southern Baptist Convention)
SpouseJeana Floyd
Children2
Occupation
Alma materB.S., Howard Payne University
M.Div., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
D.Min., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southern Baptists
Background
Beliefs
People
Related organizations
Seminaries

Ronald Wayne Floyd (born November 11, 1955) is an American Baptist pastor, and a former Southern Baptist executive. Ronnie was the Senior Pastor of Cross Church (formerly called First Baptist Springdale), a Southern Baptist megachurch located in Northwest Arkansas, and served as the 61st president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 2014-2016. He resigned his post as Senior Pastor in 2019 to become the full-time CEO of the Southern Baptist Executive Committee and run the day-to-day operations of the denomination. His resignation on October 14, 2021 coincided with mounting pressure in the wake of the SBC sexual abuse scandal. [1]

Early life and education[edit]

Floyd was born on 11 November 1955 in Gonzales, Texas.[2] He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Howard Payne University in 1978, then attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he obtained a Master of Divinity in 1980 and a Doctor of Ministry in 1983.[2]

Career[edit]

Pastor[edit]

Floyd was a pastor at First Baptist churches in Cherokee, Texas (1976-1978), Milford, Texas (1978-1981), Palacios, Texas (1981-1984) and Nederland, Texas (1984-1986).[2]

A strong advocate of evangelism and discipleship, Floyd was a member of the "conservative resurgence" that retook control of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) during the 1980s. In 1989 he was a candidate to become president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention, but was defeated by Mike Huckabee.

Floyd became Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Springdale in northwestern Arkansas, USA, in 1986. In 2001, Floyd led his congregation in the building and opening of a second campus, The Church at Pinnacle Hills in Rogers, Arkansas. In 2010, he led the two churches in adopting the unifying name Cross Church. Since that time, Cross Church has added three more locations (Neosho, Rogers, and Fayetteville), with a combined weekly attendance in the thousands. Additionally, Floyd maintains a blog, podcast, and television ministry. Floyd is also the founder of the Cross Church School of Ministry, a one-year residential ministry school that prepares students for life, ministry, and global evangelism. Floyd is the founder and host of the Summit, a weekly lunch seminar for Northwest Arkansas businesspersons which hosts renowned guest speakers.[3]

In 2017, Cross Church opened Heart for the city, which feeds the homeless, ministers to those in need, and advances a ministry to children in the immediate region of its location in Fayetteville.[4]

SBC Leadership[edit]

Floyd became chairman of the SBC Executive Committee (1995-1997) and president of the SBC Pastors Conference (1997). He led the SBC's Great Commission Resurgence Task Force (GCRTF) to generate its 2010 report resulting in "dramatic efforts to penetrate lostness in America and across the globe."[5]

In 2013 he began to lead, along with other pastors, a national Call to Pray initiative. Hundreds of Southern Baptist pastors attended Call to Pray events, all for the purpose of praying for spiritual awakening in our churches and revival in our nation.[6]

On June 10, 2014, Dr. Floyd was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention at the SBC's annual gathering held in Baltimore. Upon close of the meeting, he became the 61st president of the SBC, succeeding the Rev. Fred Luter.[7] Dr. Floyd served as SBC President until June 15, 2016 when Dr. Steve Gaines was elected.[8]

In April, 2019, Dr. Floyd was elected President and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee. On April 7, he announced his resignation as Senior Pastor of Cross Church, so as to devote full time to the SBC EC position.[9]

Management of Third Party Sexual Abuse Allegations[edit]

In October, 2019, at a conference regarding care for those who have been sexually abused in Christian contexts, Rachael Denhollander referenced abusive treatment of a sexual abuse victim by Dr. Floyd and other leaders at the Executive Committee as an example of why those who are abused are reticent to report.[10]

Subsequently, in May, 2021, multiple internal whistle blower reports alleged Dr. Floyd had actively sought to intimidate victims, advocates, and stall progress in the sexual abuse inquiry within the Southern Baptist Convention.[11]

Dr. Floyd issued a statement denying the allegations reported in the leaked letters and stating he had always supported sexual abuse survivors, but days later audio was released by a whistleblower in which Dr. Floyd is captured pressuring leaders from the October 2019 conference for failing to stop Rachael Denhollander from disclosing his actions. The audio clip contradicted Floyd's previous denials of claims made in the leaked letters and captured him stating that he was not concerned about the survivors, because he was concerned with "preserving the base" of the denomination.[12] [13]

In an unprecedented move following weeks of turmoil over allegations of Floyd's handling of the sexual abuse crisis in the Southern Baptist Convention, the delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention voted to mandate an independent third party investigation into the Executive Committee's handling of sexual abuse cases, victims, and advocates, including an investigation into Dr. Floyd's actions.[14]

Floyd's leadership was marked by yet another unprecedented milestone for the Southern Baptist Convention when he and the Executive Committee trustees failed to fully comply with the directive of the Convention's delegates when, amidst calls for his removal and a tumultuous trustee meeting, Floyd's resistance to complete transparency and participation in the commissioned abuse task force was supported by the Executive Committee trustees.[15]

Political Involvement[edit]

In June 2016, Floyd was tapped by then-candidate Donald Trump to serve on an advisory board of evangelical leaders.[16] Floyd had previously announced that he would not endorse Trump for President and had concerns about some of the candidate's comments, but he believed there was "too much at stake" to refrain from voting or to turn down the opportunity to attempt to influence a possible future president.[17]


Bibliography[edit]

  • Ronnie Floyd (1983). Implementing a theology of stewardship that will build a biblical attitude of giving in the local Southern Baptist church. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
  • Ronnie Floyd (1988). Coping with life in a confused world. Spirit Publications.
  • Ronnie Floyd (1993). Reconnecting: How to Renew and Preserve the 3 Vital Elements of a Powerful Spiritual Life. Broadman & Holman. ISBN 0-8054-6088-8.
  • Ronnie Floyd (1994). Choices: Making Sure Your Everyday Decisions Move You Closer to God. Broadman & Holman. ISBN 0-8054-6152-3.
  • Ronnie Floyd (1996). God's Gateway to Supernatural Power. B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 0-8054-9296-8.
  • Ronnie Floyd (1997). The Meaning of a Man: Discovering Your Destiny as a Spiritual Champion. B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 0-8054-6348-8.
  • Ronnie Floyd (1999). How to Pray. Thomas Nelson Inc. ISBN 0-8499-3746-9.
  • Ronnie Floyd (2000). Life on fire: radical disciplines for ordinary living. Thomas Nelson Incorporated. ISBN 0-8499-3748-5.
  • Ronnie Floyd (2004). Family Life Illustrated For Teens. New Leaf Publishing Group. ISBN 0-89221-586-0.
  • Ronnie Floyd (2004). Family Life Illustrated For Women. New Leaf Publishing Group. ISBN 0-89221-583-6.
  • Ronnie Floyd (2004). Family Life Illustrated For Men. New Leaf Publishing Group. ISBN 0-89221-584-4.
  • Ronnie Floyd (2004). Family Life Illustrated For Finances. New Leaf Publishing Group. ISBN 0-89221-587-9.
  • Ronnie Floyd (2004). Family Life Illustrated For Parents. New Leaf Publishing Group. ISBN 0-89221-588-7.
  • Ronnie Floyd (2004). Family Life Illustrated for Marriage. New Leaf Publishing Group. ISBN 0-89221-585-2.
  • Ronnie Floyd (2004). The Gay Agenda. New Leaf Publishing Group. ISBN 0-89221-582-8.
  • Ronnie Floyd (2005). Family Life Illustrated Study Guide. New Leaf Pr. ISBN 0-89221-599-2.
  • Ronnie Floyd, Ronnie Floyd (2005). Finding the Favor of God: A Discovery That Will Change Your Life. New Leaf Publishing Group. ISBN 0-89221-619-0.
  • Ronnie Floyd (2006). 10 Things Every Minister Needs to Know. New Leaf Publishing Group. ISBN 0-89221-655-7.
  • Ronnie Floyd, Bill Bright (2010). The Power of Prayer and Fasting: God's Gateway to Spiritual Breakthroughs (revised & expanded from 1997 ed.). B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-8054-6483-2.
  • Ronnie Floyd (2011). Our Last Great Hope: Awakening the Great Commission. Thomas Nelson. ISBN 978-0-8499-4707-0.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Ronnie Floyd resigns as Southern Baptist Executive Committee president amid sex abuse investigation fight". The Washington Post. October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Biography Dr. Ronnie W. Floyd" (PDF). Ronnie Floyd. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
  3. ^ Art Toalston (February 20, 2014). "Ronnie Floyd to be SBC president nominee". Baptist Press. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  4. ^ "Ronnie Floyd". www.ronniefloyd.com. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  5. ^ Staff (June 24, 2009). "Hunt names GCR task force members". Baptist Press. Archived from the original on May 15, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  6. ^ Diana Chandler (August 14, 2013). "47 SBC pastors call massive prayer meeting". Baptist Press. Archived from the original on May 15, 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  7. ^ Baptist Press (June 10, 2014). "Ronnie Floyd wins Southern Baptist Convention presidency". townhall.com. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  8. ^ "Gaines recounts presidential decision". Baptist Press. Retrieved 2016-06-16.
  9. ^ "Ronnie Floyd Leaves Cross Church After More Than 30 Years". 5 News Online. April 8, 2019. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  10. ^ "The Scandal Rocking the Evangelical World". The Atlantic. June 7, 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  11. ^ "Newly Leaked Letter Details Southern Baptist leaders mishandled sex abuse claims". The Atlantic. June 5, 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  12. ^ "Secret Recordings show Southern Baptist Dispute on Abuse Claims". ABC News. June 10, 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  13. ^ "A Statement from Ronnie Floyd". Baptist Press. June 5, 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  14. ^ "Southern Baptists Vote to Probe Leaders' Sex Abuse Response". U.S. News & World Report. June 16, 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  15. ^ "Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee Declines to Waive Attorney Client Privilege in Abuse Probe". The Tennessean. September 22, 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  16. ^ Shellnutt, Kate; Zylstra, Sarah Eekhoff (June 22, 2016). "Who's Who of Trump's 'Tremendous' Faith Advisers". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  17. ^ Floyd, Ronnie (2016-05-24). "Southern Baptist Convention president: Why I agreed to meet with Donald Trump". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-06-18.
Preceded by President of the Southern Baptist Convention

Ronnie Floyd
2014–16

Succeeded by
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