An American religious leader, Ronald Wayne Floyd (born November 11, 1955) served as a pastor and a Southern Baptist administrator before retiring in 2007.
While Ronnie was serving as the 61st president of the SBC, he was the Senior Pastor of Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas (formerly known as the First Baptist Springdale).
Adolescence and Schooling
Floyd was born in Gonzales, Texas, on November 11, 1955.
A Bachelor of Science degree from Howard Payne University in 1978, followed by a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1980 and 1983 respectively.
Resign
In the wake of weeks of acrimonious committee meetings about a sexual abuse investigation, the highest-ranking official of the Southern Baptist Convention executive committee, Ronnie Floyd, announced his retirement on Thursday evening.
On Thursday night, Floyd issued an email to the SBC’s executive committee informing them that he was resigning from his position as the SBC’s executive, fiscal, and fiduciary leader because of the personal integrity and leadership responsibilities he had been entrusted with.
After weeks of debate, a vote was taken by the SBC’s executive committee to waive attorney-client confidentiality in order to conduct an investigation into the committee’s treatment of sexual assault charges.
At an Oct. 5 board meeting, the executive committee voted to grant a waiver of privilege despite the advice of legal counsel. That’s why Floyd has resigned, he said.
So, after serving as Southern Baptist Executive Committee’s CEO since 2019, he resigned from his position as Senior Pastor in 2019.
When he announced his resignation on October 14, 2021, it was in response to a rising public outcry over his alleged sexual abuse of children.
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Career
Pastor
Floyd served as a pastor in Cherokee, Milford, Palacios, and Nederland, Texas, all First Baptist churches, from 1976 to 1978. (1984-1986).
As a member of the “conservative resurgence” of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in the 1980s, Floyd was a major supporter of the promotion of evangelism and discipleship.
He ran for Arkansas Baptist State Convention president in 1989 but lost to Mike Huckabee.
A one-year residential ministry school called Cross Church School of Ministry, founded by Floyd educates students on ministry and global evangelism.
The Summit, a weekly lunch lecture for businesspeople in Northwest Arkansas, is hosted by Floyd, the Summit’s founder, and host.
Cross Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas, created Heart for the City in 2017, which serves the homeless, ministers to those in need, and promotes a children’s ministry in the immediate area.
The leadership of The Sbc
SBC Executive Committee Chairman (1995-1997) and SBC Pastors Conference President (1995-1997) (1997).
SBC’s Great Commission Resurgence Task Force (GCRTF) produced its 2010 report under his leadership, which resulted in “dramatic attempts to penetrate lostness in America and around the globe.”
The Call to Pray campaign, which he co-founded with other pastors in 2013, was launched in his honor in 2013. Call to Pray gatherings were attended by hundreds of Southern Baptist pastors, all with the goal of praying for revival in our churches and in our nation.
The annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention was held in Baltimore on June 10th, 2014, and Dr. Floyd was elected president.
His appointment was made official after the convention adjourned, making him SBC’s 61st president, succeeding Rev. Fred Luter. Steve Gaines succeeded Dr. Floyd as President of the SBC on June 15, 2016.
The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention elected Dr. Floyd as President and CEO in April of this year.
Cross Church’s Senior Pastor and Executive Committee member, Dr. James Dobson, resigned on April 7 in order to focus on the SBC EC position.
The Allegations of Sexual Abuse and Exile
Rachael Denhollander cited Dr. Floyd and other leaders at the Executive Committee’s violent treatment of a sexual abuse victim as an example of why those who are abused are reluctant to report in a conference on Christian care for those who have been sexually assaulted.
There were many internal complaints in May 2021 alleging that Dr. Floyd tried to intimidate and stall the investigation into the Southern Baptist Convention’s sexual abuse allegations by deliberately intimidating victims and advocates.
Leaked letters from Dr. Floyd’s office stated that he had always supported sexual abuse survivors, but days later a whistleblower released audio of Dr. Floyd pressuring leaders of the October 2019 conference for not stopping Rachael Denhollander from disclosing his actions; this audio has since been made public.
Floyd’s prior denials of the charges made in the released letters were challenged by the audio clip, which captured him saying that he was more concerned with “maintaining the base” of the denomination than he was with the survivors.
At a tumultuous trustee meeting during Floyd’s tenure as president, the Executive Committee trustees supported Floyd’s refusal to cooperate fully with demands for his removal and to participate fully in the commissioned abuse task force. This was yet another first for the Southern Baptist Convention under Floyd’s leadership.
Involvement in The Political Process
Floyd was appointed to Donald Trump’s evangelical advisory group in June 2016 by the then-candidate.
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There was “too much at risk” to not vote or to turn off the opportunity to influence a possible future president, said Floyd, who had earlier stated that he would not be endorsing Trump for President and had reservations about some of the candidate’s statements.