David Platt (pastor)

David Joseph Platt (born July 11, 1979) is an American pastor. He is currently the president of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board, and he is also the author of the New York Times Best Seller Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. Platt released a follow-up book, Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God in April 2011. And in February 2013, he released Follow Me: A Call to Die. a Call to Live, which included an introduction by Francis Chan. Platt recently founded a resource ministry, Radical.net, dedicated to serving the church and making disciples of all nations.

Platt graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.A. in journalism. From there he attended New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. There he received the degrees of M.Div, Th.M, and also a PhD. After he finished his doctorate, Platt served at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary as Dean of Chapel and Assistant Professor of Expository Preaching and Apologetics. He also served at Edgewater Baptist Church in New Orleans and resided in a parsonage when Hurricane Katrina hit, flooding the parsonage.

At the age of 26, Platt was hired to lead the congregation of The Church at Brook Hills, and he became known as the youngest megachurch pastor in America. He said, "I believe that God has uniquely created every one of His people to impact the world. Some may count it as idealistic, but I believe it is thoroughly biblical, rooted in Psalm 67:1-2, yet covering Scripture from beginning to end. God is in the business of blessing His people so that His ways and His salvation might be made known among all people."

In 2014, Platt was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board.

David Platt holds to neither a cessationist nor a continuationist view. He believes that the Biblical gifts of the Holy Spirit did not cease with the apostles and are operating today for the edification of the church, but he would stress that tongues are minor gifts and are always trumped by the higher gifts e.g. prophecy, and the work of the Holy Spirit through the word of the gospel by which the Holy Spirit brings the new birth to the rebel.

Secret Church is an intense six-hour Bible study held at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. The purpose of Secret Church is to teach those who have a passion to deeply know God through his word so that they may be better equipped to teach God's Word and make disciples of all nations, and to receive a better understanding of the Church around the world. Past Secret Church topics include: How to Study the Bible, Who is God?, The Cross of Christ, Exploring the Holy Spirit, Survey of the New Testament, Survey of the Old Testament, The Gospel, Possessions and Prosperity, Angels, Demons and Spiritual Warfare, and The Body of Christ.

On August 27, 2014, Platt was appointed the President of the International Mission Board, one of the largest missionary sending organizations in the world. He was appointed to this position after a trip to Nepal.