177th Mississippi Baptist Convention

David Hamilton is the senior pastor of West Heights Baptist Church, Pontotoc, where he has served since 1998. He is a graduate of Blue Mountain College, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and received his Doctorate of Divinity from Trinity Seminary. He is currently serving as president of the Mississippi Baptist Convention, a member of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, and as a trustee for Blue Mountain College. He also serves as chaplain for both the Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Department and the Tupelo City Police Department. He and his wife, Susan, have been married for 35 years and have two married sons, Nathan (Jessica) and Benjamin (Cassie), and one grandson, Hiett.

Jeff Iorg is the president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a graduate of Hardin Simmons University (B.A.), Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (M. Div.), and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (D.Min.). Prior to his seminary service, he was the executive director of the Northwest Baptist Convention for almost 10 years. He was the founding pastor of Greater Gresham Baptist Church in Gresham, Oregon and served as a pastor in Missouri and a staff pastor in Texas. His personal ministry includes outreach to the professional baseball community in the Bay Area. He is married to Ann and they have three adult children. He teaches leadership, preaching, and church ministry courses at Golden Gate and has published five books.

Fred Luter is the president of the Southern Baptist Convention and has also served as first vice president in 2011. He is the senior pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans, since 1986. Started as a Southern Baptist mission, the church grew to over 7,000 prior to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Pastor Luter held worship services in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Houston to minister to displaced members until April 6, 2008, when a Reentry Celebration was held at Franklin Avenue. He has preached all across the country at evangelism conferences, revivals, associational meetings, and state conventions. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have been married for over 25 years. He says that she is the most influential person in his life. They have two children, Kimberly and Fred “Chip” Luter, III.

Jim Phillips is the senior pastor of North Greenwood Baptist Church where he has served since December 1990. He is a graduate of Mississippi College and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He received his D.Min from the Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. Other pastorates include serving as associate pastor at Calvary Baptist Church, Tupelo; pastor of Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Meridian; and pastor of Springhill Baptist Church, Hazlehurst. Additional ministry involvements include Fishers of Men, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Bible Study Leader/Chaplain for the Bassmaster Tournament Trail. He and his wife, Cynthia, have three sons, Stephen, Jonathan, and Kevin.