GREENSBORO, N.C. (ABP) — Kelly Burris, pastor of Kempsville Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, Va., has announced he will accept a nomination for first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
According to Baptist Press, Terry Fox will nominate Burris during SBC's June 12-14 annual meeting. Fox is the senior pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Wichita, Kan.
Burris said that if he won the election, an emphasis on missions and global outreach would help characterize his tenure as vice president. He has led mission tours to Kenya, Korea, the Ukraine, Belize, Central America and Germany.
“I felt very honored when I was asked to be placed in the nomination,” Burris told Associated Baptist Press, adding that he gave it “much prayer” before agreeing to the bid.
Burris will join two, possibly three, others who have said they will allow themselves to be nominated for the position: Jimmy Jackson, pastor of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, Ala.; Keith Fordham, past president of the Conference of Southern Baptist Evangelists; and Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Dever told Associated Baptist Press that he was approached about a nomination and would accept, but so far no one has said publicly they will nominate him.
Burris received a master's degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and received his doctor of ministry degree from Trinity Theological Seminary. He became senior pastor at Kempsville in 1988 and worked as a trustee for the North American Mission Board from 1997-2001. He currently serves on the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia.
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