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PLANO?Much of the preparation Jack Graham needed to serve as Southern Baptist Convention president came at an early age. In a Christian home where his parents grounded him on the Word of God, a grandfather who lived with them read Scripture to him each evening. In a Fort Worth church the pastor convinced him that to preach God’s Word and share the message of Jesus was the primary goal of a pastor. And influential professors at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary taught him to believe and trust the Bible.
The pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, presides over the annual meeting of the SBC June 17-18 in Phoenix, Arizona. “I’ve never attempted anything in my life without a sense of God’s call,” Graham told the Southern Baptist TEXAN. “With that there is grace and provision to accomplish the task.”
Few Southern Baptists are asked to comment on such a range of topics as Graham has encountered the past year. The murder of SBC missionaries, the space shuttle tragedy, the war in Iraq, the evangelistic purpose behind humanitarian efforts, and closer to home, the new missions initiative by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, are just a few of the subjects reporters offer for the SBC president’s commentary. Yet his response on a national level is the same approach he utilized while pastoring in Cross Plains, Texas, over 30 years ago.
“Even though I’ve been a pastor for a long time, I can never completely prepare for the world situations and crises we’ve known in this past year,” Graham said. “It’s important for me to pray and ask wisdom from God,” he emphasized, appreciative of the willingness of Southern Baptists to pray for him and other SBC leaders.
“Throughout my ministry and certainly these days in serving as president, I have collected files from many sources on ethical and cultural issues. It’s always been important to have a “go to file” of materials and a well thought- out worldview that is biblically based and solid on the Word of God.” He looks for guidance on issues of the day in his study of Scripture.
Taking a cue from his grandfather’s instruction that “readers are leaders,” Graham strives to be informed by reading extensively, even beyond the normal parameters for sermon preparation, from books, magazines and newspapers. “It’s important to be alert to news,” he said, appreciative of “a media environment that makes it easy to go online, turn on a television, listen, watch and observe the debate.”
A call from a reporter comes at unexpected times and Graham has to be prepared to offer a response that speaks on behalf of Southern Baptists while giving a message of hope to the nation in times of crisis. While walking with his wife in the mall on a Saturday morning in February, Graham received a call on his cell phone, informing him of the shuttle explosion and asking for a comment.
“I heard a statement one time that the church must never play water boy to the game of life,” Graham said. “I’m grateful in these days that Southern Baptists have had an opportunity to be on the playing field of the great issues of our times. Other Southern Baptists have been weighing in on every conceivable subject. They’re not on the sidelines, but in the debate, engaging the culture with power.”
While his family grounded him from his earliest days on the truth of Scripture, Graham describes the influence of Sagamore Hill Baptist Church pastor Fred Swank as immeasurable. “He encouraged us to believe God’s Word without question and to study to show ourselves approved unto God.”
Graham began to see God at work in people’s lives during the days of the Jesus Movement in the early 1970s. “Those early years established me in my faith,” he said. “I went on to seminary where professors like Roy Fish, Huber Drumright, Curtis Vaughan further taught me and led me to believe and trust Scripture and to minister with that solid conviction.
“When you preach the Word of God it gives you a sense of boldness and authority. I never have to wonder what I’m going to preach next. That was the habit at my first church in Cross Plains to my current church of Prestonwood?to simply open the Scripture, explain, illustrate and apply.”
As president of the SBC Graham believes he must be a voice for Southern Baptists, offering a pastoral and prophetic role. That may involve presenting a gospel that is offensive to many, he said, referring to a life verse of Romans 1:16 to “never be embarrassed or ashamed to proclaim the message.” Truth cannot and must not be compromised, Graham said, “especially in a world in which belief systems are perceived as being equal.”
