The Executive Board of the SBTC is composed of forty-four members along with the Convention officers. It acts for the Convention and reports to the messengers each year at Annual Meeting. The board typically meets three times a year. Term of service for board members is four years with the possibility of serving no more than two consecutive terms.
leadership
sbtc executive board
Board and Convention Officers
BOARD OFFICERS
Chairman — Caleb Turner, Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church, Mesquite
Vice Chairman — Steven Gaither, First Baptist Church, McAllen
Secretary — Leslie Bradley, Southcliff Baptist Church, Fort Worth
CONVENTION OFFICERS
(serve on the Executive Board by virtue of office)
President — Todd Kaunitz, New Beginnings Baptist Church, Longview
Vice President — Eddie Lopez, First Baptist Forney en Espanol
Secretary — Sharonda Cooper, Emmaus Church, Georgetown
Board Members
Stephen Ammons
Meadowbrook Baptist Church, Rockdale
Michael Annas*
Katy’s First Baptist Church
Miles Arnold*
First Baptist Church, Prosper
Leslie Bradley*
Southcliff Baptist Church, Fort Worth
Keith Collier
First Baptist Church, Groesbeck
Marty Collier
Rush Creek Church, Arlington
Sharonda Cooper*
Emmaus Church, Georgetown
Drew Erickson
Travis Avenue Baptist Church, Fort Worth
Jay Evers*
Sagemont Church, Houston
C.W. Faulkner
First Baptist Church, Wolfforth
Steven Gaither
First Baptist Church, McAllen
Moises Gomez
First Baptist Church, Irving
Leah Green
Second Baptist Church, Houston
Damon Halliday
Keystone Fellowship Church, Fort Worth
Cole Hedgecock
First Baptist Church, Rowlett
Carlos Hinojos
Redbud Baptist Church, Lubbock
Brett Hoyle
First Baptist Church, Friona
Ed Johnson III
Harvest Fellowship Baptist Church, DeSoto
Todd Kaunitz
New Beginnings Baptist Church, Longview
Charles Lee
Acts Fellowship Church, Austin
Averri LeMalle
Champion Forest Baptist Church, Jersey Village
Sam Little
First Baptist Church, Stowell
Eddie Lopez
First Baptist Forney en Espanol
Byron McWilliams
First Baptist Church, Odessa
John Meador
Cross City Church, Euless
John Muzyka*
Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano
Ryan Napier
Freedom Hill Church, San Antonio
Marissa Payne*
First Baptist Church, Burkburnett
Bob Pearle
Birchman Baptist Church, Fort Worth
Christy Piles*
Emory Baptist Church, Emory
Matt Pitts
Minden Baptist Church, Minden
Rebekah Powers*
Glen Meadows Baptist Church, San Angelo
Steve Ramirez
Immanuel Baptist Church, Fort Stockton
Drew Rogers
Cedar Pointe Baptist Church, Cedar Park
Donald Schmidt
Lakeland Baptist Church, Lewisville
Tony Sheffield
First Baptist Church, Maypearl
Robert Slavens*
Houston’s First Baptist Church
Bryan Sloan
The Fields Church, Mansfield
Dusty Smith
Waddill Street Baptist Church, McKinney
Shawn Smith
Immanuel Baptist Church, Marshall
Caleb Turner
Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church, Mesquite
Tracy Turner*
East Paris Baptist Church, Paris
Courtney Wilcox*
Calvary Baptist Church, Rosenberg
David Wilson
Southcrest Baptist Church, Lubbock
* layperson
executive director - Nathan Lorick
Dr. Nathan Lorick is currently the Executive Director for the Southern Baptists of Texas Conventon. His desire is to see a movement of God in this generation through intentional evangelism, missions, discipleship and church planting. He has served the Southern Baptist Convention on the nominating committee as well as a trustee for the International Mission Board. He is a graduate of East Texas Baptist University and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary where he earned both a Masters of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degree. He also holds an Honorary Doctor of Divinity from Louisiana Baptist University. He and his wife Jenna live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with their 4 children.
Nathan has been a guest on media outlets such as “Fox and Friends,” “Glen Beck Radio,” “American Family Radio,” “Tony Perkins Live” and many others for taking a stand for religious liberty. His passion to see culture transformed by the power of the gospel sets him apart in his generation. Nathan is the author of Dying to Grow, the initiator of the 1Cross app that shares the gospel in over 60 languages and creator of the “Game Plan” evangelism initiative. When not traveling Nathan enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, reading and running.
Dr. Nathan Lorick is currently the Executive Director for the Southern Baptists of Texas Conventon. His desire is to see a movement of God in this generation through intentional evangelism, missions, discipleship and church planting.
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executive director emeritus - Jim Richards
Jim Richards was saved and answered the call to preach at age seventeen. He pastored for twenty-one years in Louisiana, later serving as Director of Missions in Bentonville, Arkansas. He has traveled and ministered in all 50 states and 19 countries. He has preached at seminary chapel services, pastors' conferences, state conventions and the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. Dr. Richards has served the SBC on various committees and boards, including being elected First Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2007.
Dr. Richards’ education includes two undergraduate degrees, a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of both seminaries. The Criswell College in Dallas awarded Dr. Richards the Doctor of Divinity in 2013.
He has authored several books, including Hard Hat Area: Building Biblical Families, Encouraging Words for Difficult Days, Revelation: The Best is Yet to Come and Embracing the Ends of the Earth, and he is a contributing author in The Mission of Today’s Church and Messages for the Journey. He writes a regular column in the TEXAN newspaper and has contributed to numerous blogs, periodicals and newspapers.
When the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention was formed in November of 1998, Dr. Richards became the first Executive Director. The SBTC has experienced phenomenal growth both numerically and financially. The Convention has become an important partner for churches in Texas and with the Southern Baptist Convention.
Dr. Richards and his wife, June, have three children and five grandchildren.
When the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention was formed in November of 1998, Dr. Richards became the first Executive Director. The SBTC has experienced phenomenal growth both numerically and financially. The Convention has become an important partner for churches in Texas and with the Southern Baptist Convention.
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president - Todd Kaunitz
Todd currently serves as Lead Pastor for one of East Texas’ fastest growing churches, New Beginnings Baptist Church, located in Longview. Since his arrival in 2010, New Beginnings has grown from an average of 450 in weekly worship attendance into two campuses with more than 2,600. During this same period of time, more than 1,600 people have been baptized. A graduate of East Texas Baptist University, Todd and his wife, Adrian, have been married just over twenty years and have three children: Makenna (16), Noah (14), and Micah(11).
Todd Kaunitz was elected for a second term as SBTC President in November 2022. Todd is the lead pastor of New Beginnings Baptist Church in Longview.
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