Pastor of Cities Church stormed by anti-ICE protesters leads prayer at SBC Annual Meeting

Months after anti-ICE protesters disrupted a worship service at his Minnesota church, Pastor Jonathan Parnell stood before thousands of Southern Baptists Tuesday to open a business session of the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in prayer.

Parnell, pastor of Cities Church in St. Paul, delivered the invocation during the Tuesday afternoon session of the SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, receiving a warm welcome from messengers after being introduced by SBC President Clint Pressley.

“Father in Heaven, You are the One True God,” he prayed. “You are the Most High over all the Earth and You have all life, glory, goodness and blessedness. You are all-sufficient. You don’t stand in need of any creature You have made, nor do you derive any glory from them.”

“You only manifest your glory in, by, unto and upon them, including us. You, Father, are the God of our salvation. You are our exceeding joy, and with everything that we are and all that we have, we praise You.”

Before inviting him to the platform, Pressley praised Parnell for the way he led his congregation after demonstrators interrupted a January worship service at Cities Church.

“Jonathan has displayed courage and bravery, not only leading his family, but leading that church and making a very public and gracious stand for the Lord Jesus,” Pressley said.

“We are fortunate to have him here with us; we are fortunate to have him as a part of the Southern Baptist Convention family,” Pressley added, with the messengers applauding Parnell as he stepped forward to pray.

On Jan. 18, anti-ICE demonstrators entered a worship service at Cities Church, where one of the church's pastors, David Easterwood, also serves as acting director of a local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office.

Protesters interrupted the sermon, held parents back from reaching their children, and brought the service to a halt. Video from the scene showed shouting inside the sanctuary and also chants of “ICE Out!” and “Stand up, fight back!”

Federal prosecutors charged over 30 people for their alleged involvement in the protest, including ex-CNN opinion host-turned-podcaster Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort.

Authorities argued that the demonstrators violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, or FACE Act, which has protections for houses of worship against physical intimidation.

The protest also sparked a civil lawsuit from one Cities Church member, who accused protesters of civil conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, aiding and abetting, trespassing and interference with religious exercise.  

Some have argued that the protesters have a First Amendment right to demonstrate at the church, while Lemon and Fort have argued that their actions were protected by journalistic freedom.  

St. Paul City Attorney Irene Kao announced last week that she was declining to press charges against the protesters, however, claiming that “current evidence is insufficient to meet that standard for criminal charges under Minnesota state statutes.”

"This decision should not be interpreted as an endorsement of unlawful behavior or public disorder," Kao said in her statement. "The right to peacefully protest is protected, as is the right to exercise one's religious beliefs. Balancing these equally important rights is paramount to our decision today."

"However, acts of violence, property destruction, or threats to public safety — none of which occurred here — remain serious concerns and will be prosecuted when supported by admissible evidence.”

Parnell denounced the decision by Kao and Democratic St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her not to press charges against the demonstrators in an X post last week.

"According to the city attorney's logic, it is perfectly fine for agitators to invade a mosque, a cathedral, or a temple, shout in people's faces, terrorize their children, and shut down their religious gathering. Just call it a 'protest,’” he wrote.

“That is the kind of city Kaohly Her and Irene Kao want.”