 January 27, 1999
Commission taps Eckeberger
___By Ken Camp
___Texas Baptist Communications
___DALLAS--Personnel matters, new positions and organizational changes occupied the State Missions Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas at its Jan. 21 meeting.
___The commission voted to recommend to the Executive Board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas that Lynn Eckeberger, director of River Ministry, become associate director of the missions
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LYNN ECKEBERGER
| commission.
___If approved by the board at its Feb. 23 meeting, Eckeberger would begin serving as associate director-elect on April 1 and assume the post on Aug. 1, succeeding Ken Coffee.
___Eckeberger has worked as River Ministry director since January 1996. He served 14 years in associational, state and North American missions with the former Southern Baptist Home Mission Board, Lubbock Baptist Association and Concho Valley Baptist Association.
___His 12 years in local church ministry included time as pastor of West End Baptist Church in Freeport, as well as serving several congregations in education, administration and missions.
___The commission approved two personnel recommendations within the evangelism division. Commissioners voted to hire Wayne Shuffield Jr., pastor of Royal Haven Baptist Church in Dallas, as consultant in local church
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WAYNE SHUFFIELD JR.
| evangelism strategy and to make Debra Hochgraber's post as consultant in women's evangelism a full-time position.
___In his new position, Shuffield will develop and implement contextualized personal evangelism training in churches. He also will work with Sunday school/discipleship staff in implementing the national FAITH process and with the BGCT's Church Starting Center in helping guide new churches to be intentionally evangelistic.
___Before coming to Royal Haven in 1992, Shuffield served as pastor of First Baptist Church in Olney and Meadowbrook Baptist Church in Fort Worth. He
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DEBRA HOCHGRABER
| previously served on church staffs in Comanche, Abilene and Jayton.
___Hochgraber will continue her work building Women Reaching Texas, a statewide network of Baptist women committed to personal evangelism, spiritual growth and developing mentoring relationships. She began working part-time as a consultant in that area about one year ago, after serving several years on the Women Reaching Texas steering team.
___She served 18 years in a variety of volunteer capacities with the BGCT in the areas of evangelism, WMU, Sunday school/discipleship and long-range planning, including service as vice chairman of the Texas 2000 strategy council. She is a member of Shiloh Terrace Baptist Church in Dallas where her husband, Dennis, is pastor.
___The commission also approved job descriptions for new positions in the Church Starting Center and the church ministries department:
___ A West Texas church starting consultant, who would help churches and associations start and develop new congregations for the region's Hispanic, African-American and Anglo populations.
___ A bilingual, bicultural church community and Hispanic ministries consultant, who would give leadership to church and community ministries and to church pastoral assistance, with a major focus on Hispanic churches.
___ A lay ministry development consultant, who would help churches in equipping laypeople for non-vocational ministry as
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JAN DAEHNERT
| church planters, lay pastors, multihousing coordinators and community ministers.
___Due to reconfigured job responsibilities, the three new positions actually will result in the State Missions Commission adding only one additional employee, according to Director James Semple.
___The commission voted to elevate the position of bivocational/smaller church development coordinator to the same organizational level as the coordinators of ethnic and black work. Jan Daehnert, coordinator of the bivocational/smaller church development department, will serve in the new post.
___The commission also voted to change the name of the church building planning department to the church facilities department and approved restated articles of incorporation and bylaws for Hispanic Baptist Theological Seminary to bring the documents in line with Bible college standards.
___In other business, the commission voted to dissolve Los Hermanos de la Frontera Inc., and transfer its assets to the BGCT, earmarking them for the benefit of River Ministry. The commission created the separate, non-profit organization 23 years ago to receive and hold title to farm implement equipment, mobile clinics and vehicles used by River Ministry. The action was necessary to comply with Mexican laws in effect at that time.
___The commission also approved disbursements for the $5.36 million given to the 1998 Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions.
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