William “Willy” Rice was elected the 66th president of the Southern Baptist Convention in June 2026 at the SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando.
He currently serves as Senior Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, Florida. He has pastored Calvary since 2004 and previously served at churches in Florida and Alabama.
Willy is a graduate of Samford University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He has held various leadership positions in the SBC, including president of the Florida Baptist Convention Pastors’ Conference (2004), president of the Florida Baptist Convention (2006-2008), chairman of the SBC Committee on Committees (2010), president of the SBC Pastors’ Conference (2015), and chairman of the SBC Committee on Nominations (2016).
He and his wife, Cheryl, have been married for more than 40 years (since 1984) and have three grown children and eight grandchildren.
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