Ronnie Floyd becomes new president of National Day of Prayer
Ronnie Floyd, who previously served as the head of Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), has been appointed to be the new president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force.
The Colorado Springs, Colorado-based National Day of Prayer announced on Tuesday that Floyd has been picked by the board of directors to oversee the annual event.
According to a news release sent on Floyd's behalf, the new president will oversee mobilization of individuals, churches, denominations and organizations to participate in ongoing prayer for America throughout the year. The national operation will culminate in the annual National Day of Prayer, which will take place on May 3, 2018.
The National Day of Prayer, established by Congress in 1952, is observed annually on the first Thursday in May. In 2017, about 2 million people took part in over 30,000 events across all 50 states, the news release stated.
Floyd, who will remain senior pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas, announced his latest ministry assignment in a blog post.
"In this desperate and urgent hour when turmoil and division is evident in America and security threats are being made against America, it is imperative that we do all we can right now to mobilize unified public prayer for America," he wrote, as reported by Baptist Press.
"America's greatest need today is to experience the next Great Spiritual Awakening. We know that no great movement of God ever occurs that is not preceded by the extraordinary prayer of God's people," he added.
David Butts, chairman of the board of the National Day of Prayer, congratulated the pastor, saying his organization "couldn't have found a man more passionate or dedicated to prayer and spiritual awakening than Ronnie Floyd."
According to Butts, the role of the president is new to the Task Force, with the leadership previously coming from the office of the chairman, which has been filled by Anne Graham Lotz since May 2016.
The board developed the office of the president with input from Lotz and other members. Lotz has been asked by the board members to continue serving through May 2018, but she said she "felt like she had accomplished what the Lord called her to do," and she wanted to give Floyd the "freedom to give direction to this powerful movement of prayer."
Floyd had served as the president of SBC, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, from June 2014 until June 2016. During his tenure, he led Southern Baptists to focus on prayer, evangelism, racial unity, repentance and calling out to God for the next "Great Spiritual Awakening."
In his blog post, Floyd contended that the National Day of Prayer must become a "movement of prayer" for America, and "not just one day a year."