NASHVILLE (BP)—Dusty Durbin, pastor of Big Level Baptist Church in Wiggins, Miss., will be nominated for second vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Jonathan Jenkins, pastor of First Baptist Church in Kinston, Ala., announced his intention to nominate Durbin at the 2021 SBC annual meeting, June 13-16 in Nashville.
Durbin originally was to be nominated at the 2020 SBC annual meeting in Orlando, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jenkins characterized Durbin, 35, as having “a wise and cooperative spirit in the churches he’s led and the local and state cooperative works he has participated in. He not only participates but has led his church to give generously through the Cooperative Program and to the Annie Armstrong and Lottie Moon missions offerings.”
Always ‘ready, willing and able’ to serve
Big Level Baptist Church contributed 10.3 percent of its undesignated receipts through the Cooperative Program in 2020. That’s $29,580 of $288,536 according to the SBC Annual Church Profile. The church also recorded $59,495 in total mission expenditures for 2020. Big Level reported 150 in average worship attendance for last year along with 559 total members.
“Over his 14 years in vocational ministry in average-sized churches, Dusty has shown himself to be a person that builds fruitful relationships, and that there is no service that he is not ready, willing and able to offer to those around him in need,” Jenkins said. “He serves in such a way that not only embraces the successful efforts of those who have gone before him but with an eye toward innovation and vision for the future of local church and kingdom ministry.
“Most importantly, Dusty has shown himself to be a person who walks faithfully in grace and truth in all that he does. He strives to be the embodiment of a love that is not self-seeking, but rejoices in truth, who only after much prayer and wise counsel allowed his name to be placed in nomination.”
‘Representative of untold pastors who serve’
Jenkins further described Durbin as “a tremendous servant of our convention who would not only serve well as an individual but as a representative of untold pastors who serve across our convention.”
In 15 years as a minister, he has served at Big Level Baptist Church since March 2018. Previously, he was pastor of Atlanta Baptist Church in Atlanta, La., for seven years, and he was youth and education pastor three years at Woodhaven Baptist Church in Tickfaw, La.
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The Mississippi pastor cited three reasons for which he allowed himself to be nominated: a desire to be faithful and obedient to God’s calling, his commitment to the work of the SBC, and a desire to represent normative-size Southern Baptist churches like Big Level that “give generously and serve faithfully through the cooperative efforts of the Southern Baptist Convention.”
“I came to faith in Christ and surrendered to the gospel ministry in a Southern Baptist church,” he said. “I was trained in Southern Baptist schools and I have had the privilege of serving Southern Baptist churches in pastoral ministry since 2006. … My passion coincides with the reason the Southern Baptist Convention exists, the Great Commission.”
Durbin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministry degree from Leavell College of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry degree from Louisiana College, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from North Greenville University. He and his wife Crystal have three children—Micah, Wyatt and Hallie.
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