NAMB responds to reports it allegedly paid Johnny Hunt a $610K salary – sort of

“There has been some speculation online about the salary of a former NAMB employee." – NAMB staff

News Analysis

In an undated post on its website, the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) appears to respond to a groundswell of criticism and speculation about the compensation of Johnny Hunt, its former senior vice president of evangelism and leadership.

The NAMB communications staff produced an article titled, “Are the rumors I heard about a former employee’s salary true?” It reads:

There has been some speculation online about the salary of a former NAMB employee.

While NAMB can’t share confidential salary information about any current or former employee or comment specifically on active litigation, no one at NAMB – now or at any time – has ever been paid anywhere near as much as the salary amount that is being speculated online.

The court filing which appears to have given rise to this online speculation is publicly available, and it does not mention NAMB by name. There is no way to factually conclude from that document what the plaintiff or any other employee was being paid by NAMB. It is regrettable that some parties have drawn conclusions and spread them around the Internet. Unfortunately, none of these parties contacted NAMB first for confirmation or denial.

At NAMB we are grateful for every dollar Southern Baptists have entrusted to us, and we strive to be the very best stewards of those resources. You can read more about that on our Financial Transparency and Accountability page.

While Hunt’s name isn’t mentioned, the post appears to be in response to the recent social media criticism the domestic Southern Baptist mission entity received about his compensation. Notable in the NAMB statement: “Unfortunately, none of these parties contacted NAMB first for confirmation or denial” is interesting as the entity is widely known for not responding or responding with “no comment” to media inquiries regarding its budget and other practices.

Numerous published sources – including actual court documents – say that Hunt’s lawsuit against the Southern Baptist Convention, the SBC Executive Committee, and Guidepost, seeks more than $100 million, a sum calculated that Hunt intended to work 11 more years at the time of his resignation from NAMB, and therefore would have lost $6.7 million for 11 years at an annual salary of $610,000. Additionally, the suit claims the scandal cost Hunt $3.96 million in potential income from future book sales and $3.85 million from future speaking fees, along with $880,000 in other lost income. He is also seeking $45 million for harm to his reputation and $45 million for emotional distress.

Hunt, former SBC president and a prominent pastor in the denomination, sued the SBC entities and Guidepost Solutions in March 2023 for defamation, claiming that Guidepost used Hunt as a “scapegoat” in a sexual abuse investigation conducted by the Executive Committee.

A May 2022 report from a Guidepost sexual abuse investigation of the denomination included allegations from an unidentified woman who claimed Hunt sexually abused her in 2010, shortly after his two-year stint as SBC president. Hunt, who had served in the position at NAMB since 2018, resigned days before the Guidepost report became public.

The SBC is supported through the Cooperative Program, Southern Baptists’ unified plan of giving through which cooperating Southern Baptist churches give a percentage of their undesignated receipts to their respective state convention and the SBC missions and ministries. The 2023 Cooperative Program budget was $192 million. The SBC reported 46,906 churches, nearly 13 million members, and a weekly attendance of 4 million in 2023.