Conservatives hope it will be the Rev. Charles Page of Charlotte's First Baptist Church, whose candidacy was announced during the meeting. Conservative Carolina Baptists and Mainstream Baptists, a new group composed mostly of moderates, are vying for control of the state convention and its 1.2 million members. Conservatives believe the Bible is the literal word of God and oppose female ordination and putting women in leadership roles. Moderates believe scripture is subject to interpretation and tend to take a more liberal view on female pastors. But also at issue is how much state money is sent to the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest denomination and an increasingly conservative one.
Conservatives tend to support the spending.
Moderates want to give money to other Baptist groups that better represent their views, including the moderate Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. To succeed, conservatives must act in a Christ-like manner, said the Rev. Mac Brunson, senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Dallas and the meeting's keynote speaker. In 1999, Brunson resigned as pastor of Green Street Baptist Church in High Point and as president of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina to take over the Dallas pulpit. The Texas church, where the Rev. Billy Graham holds a membership, is one of the largest and most influential in the country. Come November, conservatives will have to fight a highly organized effort by Mainstream Baptists, which has just as much support from moderate ministers.