Notably, Rice was set to be nominated for the SBC presidency in 2022 before he withdrew his name from consideration after it was revealed that one of the deacons at his church previously “committed a sexual sin that could also be described as abusive.” The fact that the man served on the deacon board put Calvary Church out of step with an SBC resolution that states that “any person who has committed sexual abuse is permanently disqualified from holding the office of pastor and that we recommend all affiliated churches apply this standard to all positions of church leadership.”
While Rice said at the time that the deacon had displayed the “genuine fruits of a repentant life,” Rice nevertheless “realized the need to reevaluate his role as a deacon” in light of the deacon’s past as a perpetrator of sexual abuse.
Since 2022, Rice has become increasingly critical of the SBC’s institutional powers, going as far to file a motion to abolish the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission during the 2025 meeting of the convention in June.
That motion eventually failed.
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Rice did not indicate who would nominate him for SBC president at the SBC’s next meeting in June 2026.
