ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Mark Croston, pastor of East End Baptist Church in Suffolk, Va., will be nominated for first vice president at the annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, it was announced Sept. 10.
Don Davidson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va., said he would nominate Croston, who is a former second vice president of the BGAV.
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For more than 10 years, the BGAV’s first vice president has been subsequently nominated for — and elected as — president of the state association. If that pattern prevails in 2011, Croston would become the BGAV’s first African-American president.
Croston “is one of our finest leaders, tested in many other positions already, and I believe he will serve us wisely and well,” said Davidson in a statement.
Croston has been pastor at the Suffolk church since 1987. In addition to serving as BGAV second vice president, he has been president of the Virginia Baptist Pastors Conference, a trustee of Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond and moderator of the Portsmouth Baptist Association. He also has been president of the National African American Fellowship of the Southern Baptist Convention, chair of the Suffolk City School Board and a board member of Paul D. Camp Community College in Suffolk.
“If our recent tradition continues, Mark could well be elected next year as BGAV president,” said Davidson. “His unifying spirit, depth of insight and obvious commitment to Virginia Baptist values and mission work would make him just right for that role, too. He will be someone who can help us move forward in cooperation and real kingdom building.
No other nominees have yet been announced for the 2010 BGAV election. Virginia Baptists Committed, an advocacy group which has nominated BGAV candidates for almost 25 years, is scheduled to meet Sept. 16 to consider a slate of nominees.