NASHVILLE (BP) – Well-known academic leader and preaching coach David Allen will be nominated for SBC president at the 2024 SBC Annual Meeting this summer. Texas pastor Danny Forshee says he plans to nominate Allen in Indianapolis.
“He is a leader in the SBC having served our Lord faithfully as a local church pastor, professor of preaching, and mentor to literally thousands of pastors all over the world,” Forshee told Baptist Press in written comments.
He pastored two churches in Texas before joining the SWBTS faculty. He has served as interim pastor of 13 churches, the statement said.
Allen served on the SWBTS Trustee Board for 12 years, including a stint as chairman of the board.
He became dean of the School of Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2004, serving until 2016.
Allen then became the first dean of the seminary’s School of Preaching in 2016, serving as the distinguished professor of preaching, the director of the Center for Expository Preaching and the George W. Truett Chair of Pastoral Ministry.
In 2022, he left SWBTS to lead the Adrian Rogers Center for Biblical Preaching at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis.
Allen, who still resides in Texas, is a member of First Baptist Church Sunnyvale, according to the release. Last year, the church reported an average Sunday attendance of 430, 14 baptisms and $21,366 (1.2 percent) given through the Cooperative Program, out of $1,736,305 in undesignated receipts. The church also gave $36,103 to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and $18,500 to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering.
“I know that Dr. Allen will lead our convention to be unified and laser focused on reaching the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Forshee said.
Allen earned a bachelor’s degree from Criswell College, holds a master’s degree from SWBTS and earned a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Texas, Arlington, according to Mid-America’s website.
He is the author of multiple books and the founder of preachingcoach.com, “a ministry dedicated to equipping pastors and ministry leaders to communicate with clarity, competence, and confidence.”
Allen has participated in “more than 450 preaching workshops, conferences, revivals, and other events in the US and in more than a dozen countries abroad,” the release said.
He has four children and nine grandchildren. He and his wife Kate have been married since October 2016. His first wife, Sherri, died of cancer in 2015.
“Dr. Allen is a dedicated follower of Jesus, husband, father, and grandfather,” said Forshee.
The 2024 SBC Annual Meeting is scheduled for June 11-12 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.
Other announced candidates for SBC president include Clint Pressley, Mike Keahbone and Jared Moore and Bruce Frank.
