Buckner proposes trustee change
___By Mark Wingfield
___Managing Editor
___In what is being hailed as a potential model for other agencies, Buckner Baptist Benevolences has worked with the Baptist General Convention of Texas to amend Buckner's bylaws related to the trustee-selection process.
___The proposed new process, which still must be voted on by Buckner's board in July, will be presented to messengers at the BGCT annual session this fall. Although Buckner trustees technically have the authority to amend their bylaws without approval by the BGCT, they have requested the involvement of the state convention.
___Currently, the BGCT elects 100 percent of the Buckner trustee board. Under the new proposal, the Buckner board would elect two-thirds of its members while allowing the BGCT to elect one-third.
___The change is necessary to increase the "cultural diversity" on the board and to strengthen Buckner's relationships with churches in "the broader Christian family," said President Ken Hall.
___"One of the things we are wanting to achieve on our board of trustees is increased cultural diversity so that we can better reflect the Texas in which we minister," he said. "Our board felt that by having more input in the trustee process, we could broaden the makeup of our trustees."
___Also, he noted, "there are a lot of churches that, for whatever reasons, prefer to work directly with agencies like Buckner rather than going through a denominational process."
___This is not an attempt to become dually aligned with the new Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, Hall said.
___The new convention, begun as an ultra-conservative alternative to the BGCT, recently sought to engage many of the BGCT's agencies in "formal fraternal relationships" that would allow SBTC-affiliated churches to contribute to those agencies through SBTC.
___Buckner reportedly was the only BGCT agency to send representatives to the SBTC meeting. However, Hall said Buckner has not entered a "formal fraternal relationship" sought by SBTC. Buckner will continue to accept financial contributions from any church or individual supportive of the agency's cause, he said.
___"There should be no Baptist political implications taken from this change," Hall emphasized. "The board's decision was based on what is best for the ministries of Buckner, not on denominational politics."
___The decision by Buckner trustees to ask the BGCT to elect one-third of the trustees is "a sign of our continued strong relationship with the Baptist General Convention of Texas," Hall said. "Since 1914, Buckner has had only one denominational affiliation and that has been with the BGCT. That will not change."
___Meanwhile, Keith Bruce, head of the BGCT's Human Welfare Coordinating Board, praised Buckner administrators and trustees for involving the BGCT in the bylaws-amendment process.
___"We are grateful that Buckner has openly approached the Human Welfare Coordinating Board regarding the changes they would like to make," Bruce said. "The BGCT trustee-selection process serves our institutions well, and changes must be considered carefully. However, there is a growing recognition that in some cases, new models of affiliation are reasonable and beneficial."
___When Buckner trustees gave provisional approval to the bylaws changes April 19, it was the culmination of an ongoing dialogue between Buckner and the BGCT. Representatives from the BGCT will meet with a group of Buckner trustees to continue working on details of the changes.
___The method used to change Buckner's trustee-selection process differs greatly from the way at least two other BGCT institutions have made similar changes. Both Baylor University and Houston Baptist University made changes to their trustee-selection process without consulting the BGCT. Baylor and the BGCT later worked out a compromise arrangement that has been in effect nearly 10 years. The BGCT and HBU are still in negotiations over HBU's changes.
___The Buckner plan would give the BGCT greater control over Buckner's trustee-election process than the convention currently has with either Baylor or HBU.
___"Our board decided it was in the best interest of both Buckner and the convention to have a strong BGCT presence," Hall explained. "That's why we settled on one-third, rather than 25 percent, as some other institutions have chosen."
___When it was founded by R.C. Buckner in 1879, Buckner Orphans Home was an independent ministry supported by Texas Baptists, Hall pointed out. It was not until 1914, when Buckner stepped down after 19 years as BGCT president, that the ministry he started became a part of the convention.
___"We are pleased for the support Texas Baptists give to Buckner through their financial contributions, prayers and partnerships," Hall said. "Our hope and prayer is that God will bless the next 122 years of our ministry the way he has blessed the last 122 years."
___With reporting by Scott Collins of Buckner News Service
The Baptist Standard
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