An Interview with Bryant Wright

Bryant Wright is Senior Pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia, Chairman of Right from the Heart Ministries, and the President of the SBC

SBC Today: What do you think are the greatest challenges confronting the SBC?

Bryant Wright: This is a hard question to answer in the sense that it is so hard to get your arms around the SBC. I would say the biggest challenge is having fully devoted followers of Christ. I think we have, within the SBC, is what you have within the American church, and that is the idolatry of materialism, the idolatry of pleasure or hedonism, workaholism, and busyness, there are just so many things that keep us from having Christ as our first love. I really feel like that’s our number one challenge. For the church to have impact, we’ve got to get that priority right with the Lord. Because materialism is such an idol in the church, people are giving less to the Lord. When they are giving less and churches have less, it is affecting all our missions programs.

As I’ve served now a year and a half as SBC President, I’ve realized that sometimes your greatest strength can also be your greatest weakness. With the autonomy of each local church, with the autonomy of associations, with the autonomy of the state conventions it is very difficult within our denomination to have people all going in the same direction. Amazingly, I think what happened in Phoenix with the unity that Tom (Elliff) and Kevin (Ezell) and David Platt and I and Vance Pitman with the Pastor’s Conference had about focusing on unreached people groups and focusing on church planting was supernatural. It was a unique unity that we felt was really Spirit-led. We all had the same mindset even before we began to talk together. But when you look at all the different autonomous entities within our convention, it is a huge challenge just getting communication out there about how we can better fulfill Christ’s Great Commission. Communication is a huge challenge. Every state convention has got their priorities and they are certainly going to be focused most of all on Baptist work in that state. So, from the national convention perspective, it’s very difficult to have everyone on the same page.

SBC Today: What do you see as the greatest opportunities opening to the SBC?

Bryant Wright: I’m very optimistic about the future of missions within the convention. I do think there has had to be a reprioritizing of state conventions so that more funding would go to international and North American missions rather than staying in the states. I do feel that is a great opportunity because more and more states willing to talk about that now and address it now. That is a huge, historic step. I feel that people are going to give more generously to the Cooperative Program when they see a bulk of that getting out on the international mission field as well as the North American mission field.

If you look at the dynamic spirit in all six seminaries with the students and the spirit they have of planting churches, going to the tough places on the mission field, thinking about the future of the Convention, I think it is a very exciting opportunity. Anybody that visits our seminary campuses today and sees the spirit of our students, you can’t help but be motivated and excited.

SBC Today: What is your vision for the SBC?

Bryant Wright: I really feel that there needed to be a return to Christ as our first love and a radical reprioritization on the Great Commission that calls for the a reprioritization of funding, that calls for mobilizing churches to have hands-on mission involvement. It’s a radical paradigm shift that Tom (Elliff) is leading the IMB in this challenge for reaching the unengaged, unreached people groups. It is really the churches that are being asked to step up to the plate. IMB is becoming the facilitator. I’m so thankful these kinds of things are happening, because I feel it is the vision that God has put on my heart to communicate to Southern Baptists.

Some people say, “What about the folks here at home?” I don’t think there is any doubt that all of us are going to give a priority to our local mission field, from the local church to the state conventions. I understand that. But I think it’s just about prioritizing where there are fewer witness points for the Gospel of Christ that we need to prioritize our resources and our manpower there as much as we possibly can. When you’ve got about 3,000 Baptist churches in Georgia and on top of that probably another 10,000 evangelical churches and then you’ve got places in the world where they don’t even have a witness for Christ or a church there. It just doesn’t make any sense to spend such a high percentage here at home when the need for a Gospel witness is so much greater in other parts of the country and the world.

SBC Today: How do you assess the progress toward the goals of GCR?

Bryant Wright: I feel like Johnny Hunt, Ronnie Floyd and the team did a tremendous service to Southern Baptists in recognizing that we are no longer reaching people for Christ and baptizing people like we need to be. They addressed that and that is painful to have to address that, but it was the right thing to do.

Because of their initiative, I think it is a big reason we have Tom Elliff and Kevin Ezell leading our two mission entities that are so important to us. I realize there were all kinds of questions along the way that people had out of concern, but I think it was a good thing and I think we are seeing positive proof now from those two decisions. Now with the men that they are – Tom and Kevin – you are seeing some implementation of really prioritizing church planting and the Great Commission, reaching our world for Christ. I feel like good things have been happening and the GCR set that in motion.

SBC Today: What factors led you toward raising the issue of reconsidering a name change for the     SBC? Do you have any possible names in mind?

Bryant Wright: It was really a matter of prayer after the Phoenix Convention. I’m so thankful the unity of Spirit in reaching unreached people groups and planting churches. And I just praying through as we move into the second year, what kind of things to focus on. One, I wanted to keep focusing on what we’ve been doing with the focus we had in Phoenix. And knowing the challenges of church planters with the regional aspect of our name, I kept praying, “Is it time to explore the idea of a name change that would not be so geographically limited and more focused on our mission?” It’s not so much that people complained about the name, but just wisecracks about how difficult it is, and how they feel like they have to hide the denominational name outside the South. So I just began to talk to key leaders within our Convention and to ask their honest feedback. What would they think? Would it be possible? And would it be helpful for our mission? Because that’s really the big question, especially outside of the South. So after talking with a lot of folks and really getting a pretty universal answer that it would be helpful to our mission outside the South, even though some very skeptical that it would pass, I just felt led to set up a task force to study it. It’s been studied 13 times since 1903. And there have even been a couple of study task forces, but for the Convention as a whole there’s never been an opportunity to make an informed decision. And what I mean by that is, what would the name be? What are the legal ramifications? What are possible financial ramifications? Just an informed study, so that Southern Baptists can decide from an informed study. Would this help us from a missiological perspective? Because in the end, that’s really the main question. It’s not going to have an impact, pro or con, internationally. But is this going to enhance reaching people for Christ in North America? Would it remove an unnecessary barrier? So that’s what the task force is studying.

I certainly have some names in mind, but I really feel it is the responsibility of the task force to consider. I think about 500-600 different suggestions of names have come in through http://pray4sbc.com. We realize there are two issues on the table. One is the “Southern”, which is the main issue. Baptist is not. The task force is unified that we need to have Baptist in the name. For one thing, it would never pass. But I think it’s better from a theological perspective to have Baptist in the name. And then the word “convention”. There is a feeling that the word “convention” is a very dated name. I hope it’s something that’s not geographically limited and somehow communicates our mission of who we are as Baptists. I hope that’s a possibility, if the Convention considers it. I think the task force is interested in studying whether to make a recommendation, but I don’t know for sure if they are going to feel led to make a recommendation.  I have no idea what the messengers at two consecutive conventions will do. Realistically, our name no longer states who we are. If we’re just Southern that’s one thing, but we’re no longer just that geographically and with all the ethnicity and diversity around the country we now have, I would love to see us have a name that was not a barrier outside of the South and reflects more who we are and what are mission is.

SBC Today: What are the keys to being a faithful/effective/successful pastor?

Bryant Wright: Number one is the calling of God — absolutely essential! It’s not just a job or a vocation. Secondly, to be God’s man. There’s nothing that come close to the importance of staying close to Christ and being God’s man. I think then also there is a need to stay focused on the Word of God through our preaching and teaching. I think there’s nothing more important in what we do than feeding the flock. We don’t have anything real significant to share and we are not going to have a real picture of Jesus if we are not preaching and teaching the Word of God. I think also a successful pastor needs to have some leadership ability because you are in a leadership role. It is absolutely essential in a larger church. We’ve been a very small start-up church at Johnson Ferry so I’ve pastored all sizes of churches, it’s just been the same name. But I think in a larger church especially leadership ability is absolutely essential. You’ve got to have those gifts of preaching and teaching and servant leadership motivated by a love for the Lord. I also think the pastor needs to have a passion to see people won to Christ and grow in Christ’s likeness.

I think also that longevity is important. I think it’s a tragedy the average length of a pastor in our denomination. On my first sabbatical in 1988 I visited 36 growing churches around the country of different denominations and I came away so convicted that one common denominator of those growing churches was long-term pastors. And I said, “Lord would you just give me the privilege of staying at Johnson Ferry?” I just think there’s a joy in longevity seeing people in different seasons of life winning the trust of the church and the community — just with the stability that occurs there.

SBC Today: Who are two or three of our “heroes in ministry?”

Bryant Wright: Billy Graham would be the number one hero, not only for all the people he has preached the gospel to and reached for Christ, but he and his ministry has stayed so above reproach. They are such a great example. And one of the things I love about the Graham team is that they have had such longevity. It’s a joy here that so much of our ministerial staff have been on staff for such a long time. That’s really exciting when you get a team approach to ministry like that.

I certainly am thankful for a Bible teaching type of pastor like Chuck Swindoll. That really had a great influence, especially in the early days of ministry. I am thankful to be mentored some in pastoring by Ed Young and the time I served with him at First Baptist Columbia and Second Baptist Houston. I think we have a lot of heroes in ministry in today’s culture in the evangelical world. It’s just that you don’t have one person like Billy Graham has been. There are a lot of different folks out there that are having a great impact.

SBC Today: What is the toughest lesson you have learned in ministry?

Bryant Wright: I think that the toughest lesson that probably all of us pastors deal with is that with good intentions we can sometimes go ahead, whether it’s a new ministry or program, in the flesh versus being Spirit-led. I think the longer I’ve been in the pastorate I just really want to be sure before I move ahead with something I feel the Holy Spirit is really convicting and leading and guiding in the process. And I think a lot of probably good things that young pastors want to do are good things, but they are not necessarily led by the Spirit. I also think it is tough that there are some seasons with “less fruit” than others. I still don’t enjoy “the less fruit” seasons like I do the “greater fruit” times.

SBC Today: What are some key mistakes that you see pastors and/or church staff members making that causes them problems in their churches?

Bryant Wright: I think the pastor’s biggest temptation in everyday life is to become a people pleaser rather than being God’s man and walking closely with the Lord. The needs of the sheep will always be there. But when we become a people pleaser more than seeking to stay close to Jesus and following Jesus we are not going to have anything of eternal significance to offer the people. That people pressure is a real challenge for a lot of pastors.

I think pastors and church staffs have to have a unity. You certainly want to have a healthy discussion in your staff meetings about things that need to be done, but we still have to have unity in the body of Christ. The larger a church is, the more that staff is going to be in a leadership role just out of necessity, in order to keep things going. If one or two staff members are at odds with the mission of that church or the pastoral leadership of that church, you got some real problems.

Pastors sometimes overlook that a lot of problems simply arise from a lack of communication. We are so fragmented in communication today.

SBC Today: Johnson Ferry Baptist Church has helped plant six churches in the metropolitan Atlanta area, and two in other cities. How have you gone about doing that?

Bryant Wright: We felt like we learned with every situation. Our first church plant was done with another strong church here in Atlanta. It was going great and the church called a good man as their first pastor, but he just wasn’t a good fit for the community. Then a year later they ended up firing him. We realized then that we were going to have to have veto power on the calling of the pastor, because that is going to set the tone and personality of that church.

After starting two or three churches with just a single pastor, we began to get convicted that Jesus sent people out two by two. It’s just tough being the single staff member. So we made the decision that we were going to start with a team. We’ve seen much greater fruit from doing it that way.

The big challenge we face in metro Atlanta is the land cost. When you go in to start a church, you’ve got to get enough property so that you are not land locked too quickly. That’s a huge expense.

We are now at the point that we want to take part in the church planting initiative with NAMB and go to the West and go to metropolitan areas where the need is so great. The need is always going to be great in cities like Atlanta, but there are at least a ton of strong evangelical churches in the city of Atlanta. In addition to our six church plants in the Atlanta area, Johnson Ferry helped with the launch of the Journey Church in Manhattan and is now a part of a team of 15 churches supporting the launch of the South Bay Church in the Silicon Valley in metro San Francisco.

SBC Today: Johnson Ferry Baptist Church had a Sunday focused on baptism a year or so ago, what some call “spontaneous baptisms.” You were able to baptize a large number of people that day, and on several other Sundays since then. From this experience, what are your reflections on the effectiveness of that practice? What “do’s or don’ts” to suggest to a church considering attempting this themselves?

Bryant Wright: I still say it was the greatest day of worship in the history of our church. I really believe that our church members would tell you the same thing. We had 228 baptisms. We’ve done it several times since and we are still having good results.

Since that time we’ve gotten some criticism from others saying, “You are baptizing people who don’t even join your church.” We say, “Absolutely!” Because you are baptized as a testimony of your faith into the church, it’s not so much a local church, it’s the body of Christ. There’s nothing in the Bible that says you have to join that local church the day of your baptism, although most wind up doing so in our follow up. We are perfectly at peace about what we have been doing, but there has definitely been criticism. I think we are following what the Bible commands the Christian to do and that is to profess their faith through believer’s baptism. And believer’s baptism by the word “baptism” is by immersion.

About “Do’s or don’ts”– first, you’ve got to really prepare logistically. When we are calling on people to be baptized that day when they didn’t even think about it before they came to church, you’ve got clothing issues, you’ve got the ‘why should they do it now,’ there’s a ton of things. You’ve got to think through all of that and be prepared to answer the objections in your message. I present the example of Jesus and the biblical foundation of baptism and then I deal with their objections. It’s been a tremendous blessing to do it. I can’t say enough good about it, but do think that when a church goes into it, they really want to go the extra mile on the logistical preparation. Our staff will be glad to assist any church that is open to praying about doing this. Just give us a call.

SBC Today: How do you balance ministry and family responsibilities?

Bryant Wright: Well, it’s a real passion of mine to have a weekly Sabbath. And obviously when you are in full time ministry, Sunday is not a Sabbath, so you’ve got to have another day. But we really promote that on our ministerial staff. And Anne and I try to follow that. I just feel like a weekly Sabbath is really a key. I think a pastor having a weekly date with his wife – especially when the children are at home. Obviously when you have an empty nest, that’s a lot easier to do, you have a lot of dates. Just the two of you is vitally important to keep the marriage fires burning. And I think with our children, we always hoped that our children would number one love the Lord, and they would grow up loving the church, not resenting the church, because of negative impact on the family. It’s a joy now. Please hear me, I don’t want to come across as boastful because Anne and I still to this day with grown sons realize we are just a phone call away from a crisis. But when your three boys love the Lord and have married committed Christian gals, that is a wonderful payoff. We are very thankful and are thankful that God’s grace overcomes our shortcomings as parents.

SBC Today: What do you do for fun?

Bryant Wright: I love to read. Because I’m reading so much biblical theological Christian material at work, at night I’m usually reading biographies, novels, or history that rarely have a Christian perspective. Love to read current events. Love to follow sports, especially SEC football. I like to stay in shape. Fitness is a big part of lifestyle. I think we are able to function better. The number one fun is the times we get to be with family. That’s great in our busy world to be able to have those times. And get me away to a quiet beach to rest, to pray, to dream – oh, what a blessing!

SBC Today: What are your two or three favorite TV shows or movies?

Bryant Wright: I watch so little TV other than cable news or ESPN. When 24 was on, that was definitely our favorite TV show. So much of TV today, especially reality TV, is just pitiful.

SBC Today: Thank you, Bryant, for taking the time from your very full schedule to answer these questions. Thank you also for modeling faithfulness in serving Johnson Ferry Baptist Church consistently and effectively for 30 years, and for your leadership as President of the SBC this last year and a half. May God continue to bless your ministry!

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