Who is pastor Ed Litton? Meet the new Southern Baptist Convention president Duane W. Gang and Holly Meyer, Nashville Tennessean Who is Ed Litton: A look at the Southern Baptist Convention president Replay Video Ed Litton would have been happy remaining a local church pastor. Instead, Litton finds himself leading the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. as it faces continued divisions over race, a sex abuse crisis and the role of women in ministry. Litton, elected Tuesday as the next president of the Southern Baptist Convention, is seen by many as a pastor who can help Southern Baptists unite and avoid an exodus of minority members worried about whether they have a future home in the conservative denomination.