J. D. Greear

{{Infobox Christian leader

| term_start = 2002

| term_end =

| predecessor =

| successor =

| birth_name = James David Greear

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1973|5|1}}

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| occupation = Pastor, President of the Southern Baptist Convention (June 13, 2018 – June 16, 2021)

| ordination = 1999

| religion = Baptist (Southern Baptist Convention)

| church = The Summit Church

| spouse = Veronica Greear

| education = Campbell University (BA)
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (MA, PhD)

}}

James David "J.D." Greear (born May 1, 1973) is an American Baptist pastor. He is the pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina. Greear has authored several books, including 12 Truths & a Lie (2023), Essential Christianity (2023), Just Ask (2021), What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? (2020), Above All (2019), Not God Enough (2018), Gaining by Losing (2015), Gospel (2011), Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart (2013), and Jesus, Continued… (2014).{{Cite web |last=Greear |first=J. D. |date=2023-12-05 |title=Books |url=https://jdgreear.com/resources/books/ |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=JD Greear Ministries |language=en-US}} He also hosts Summit Life, a half-hour daily radio broadcast and weekly TV program.{{Cite web |last=Greear |first=J. D. |date=2024-01-07 |title=About The Ministry |url=https://jdgreear.com/summit-life/about-the-ministry/ |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=JD Greear Ministries |language=en-US}} He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Chick-fil-A,{{Cite web |last=Greear |first=J. D. |date=2024-01-03 |title=About |url=https://jdgreear.com/about/ |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=JD Greear Ministries |language=en-US}} serves as a Council member for The Gospel Coalition,{{Cite web |title=Board Members, Council Members, and Emeritus Members of The Gospel Coalition |url=https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/about/council/ |access-date=2024-01-26 |publisher=The Gospel Coalition |language=en-US}} and served as the 63rd president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 2018 to 2021.

Early life and education

Greear grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He graduated from Word of Life Bible Institute and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Campbell University.

He entered the PhD program at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1999, graduating in 2003 with a doctorate in philosophy, concentrating primarily on Christian and Islamic theology.Yonat Shimron. [http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/1256727.html "Durham church spreads Gospel with DVDs."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081019042457/http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/1256727.html |date=2008-10-19 }} newsobserver.com. Published 2008-10-16. Retrieved 2009-06-10. His dissertation was titled Theosis and Muslim Evangelism: How the Recovery of a Patristic Understanding of Salvation Can Aid Evangelical Missionaries in the Evangelization of Islamic Peoples.{{cite thesis|last1=Greear |first1=James D.|publisher=Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary|location=Wake Forest, N.C.|degree=PhD|date=May 2003 |title=Theosis and Muslim Evangelism: How the Recovery of a Patristic Understanding of Salvation Can Aid Evangelical Missionaries in the Evangelization of Islamic Peoples |language=en|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/305225959|id={{ProQuest|305225959}} }}

Career

On July 18, 1999, Greear was ordained at Gospel Light Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, the church he grew up in. In 2002, he became the pastor of what was then Homestead Heights Baptist Church in Durham.Flo Johnston. [http://www.newsobserver.com/978/story/211631.html "Church to sell its site."] newsobserver.com Published 2005-03-04. Retrieved 2009-06-12. Soon afterward, Greear relaunched the church as The Summit Church. Within three years, the church had grown to the point that it had to sell its old facility and move services to Riverside High School in Durham.

Under Greear's leadership, the Summit has grown from a plateaued membership of 300{{Cite web |title=Stories Detail {{!}} The Summit Church |url=https://summitchurch.com/story/five-defining-moments-for-the-summit-church |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=summitchurch.com}} to over 12,000.{{Cite web |title=I'm New {{!}} The Summit Church |url=https://summitchurch.com/new-here |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=summitchurch.com}} Currently, the church has 13 campuses across The Triangle.{{Cite web |title=Location Finder {{!}} The Summit Church |url=https://summitchurch.com/locations |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=summitchurch.com}}

In 2018, Greear became the president of the Southern Baptist ConventionBarbara Denman. [http://bpnews.net/51059/jd-greear-elected-sbc-president "J.D Greear elected SBC president."] Baptist Press. Published 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-09-14. and was re-elected by acclamation for a second one-year term in 2019 in an uncontested election.{{Cite web|last=Pittman|first=Joy|date=June 19, 2019|title=Recap: 2019 SBC Annual Meeting Business Sessions|url=https://gobnm.com/sbc_news/sbc_annual_meeting/recap-2019-sbc-annual-meeting-business-sessions/article_415507a0-91ef-11e9-9f1a-0fd33a89d4f3.html|access-date=2021-06-18|website=The Baptist New Mexican|language=en}} His term in office was extended to a third year when the 2020 annual meeting of the SBC was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a successor could not be elected.{{Cite web|last=Schroeder|first=George|date=March 24, 2020|title=2020 SBC Annual Meeting canceled|url=https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/2020-sbc-annual-meeting-canceled/|access-date=2021-06-18|website=Baptist Press|language=en-US}}

Greear has sought to minister to sex abuse victims and offenders in the church that he pastors.Religion News Service. (22 January 2021). "J.D. Greear and the Summit Church’s policies come under question due to Bryan Loritts’ alleged covering up of sex abuse". [https://blackchristiannews.com/2020/06/j-d-greear-and-the-summit-churchs-policies-come-under-question-due-to-bryan-loritts-alleged-covering-up-of-sex-abuse/ Black Christian News website] Retrieved 9 April 2021. According to him, the gospel message of Jesus, not national political purposes, should be the aim of Baptist churches.Smietana, Bob. (22 February 2021). "SBC President J.D. Greear: ‘God did not call Southern Baptists to save America’". [https://religionnews.com/2021/02/22/sbc-president-j-d-greear-god-did-not-call-southern-baptists-to-save-america/ Religion News Service website] Retrieved 9 April 2021.