DALLAS—The Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas board of directors elected Tamiko Jones, minister of missions and young adults at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Mansfield, as the organization’s executive director-treasurer, effective Nov. 1.
She is the first African-American to hold the top administrative position with Texas WMU in its 137-year history.
Jones’ experience with Texas WMU, business background and vision for the future impressed the search committee that unanimously recommended her to the board at its Oct. 6 meeting, said Barbara Springer, who chaired the committee.
“As we ranked candidates throughout the search process, she stayed in the No. 1 position almost from Day One to the end,” Springer said. “God has worked throughout the process to make it clear the direction we should follow.”
Jones succeeds Sandy Wisdom-Martin, who left Texas WMU last year to become executive director-treasurer of national WMU, and Carolyn Porterfield, who has served in the interim leadership role.
WMU involvement
Jones worked on the planning team for the Texas WMU annual meeting the last three years, and she has been a frequent workshop facilitator in a variety of settings.
Jones has been involved in leadership roles with Sisters Who Care since 2009. She has served on the Texas WMU African American Advisory council since 2011 and as its chair since 2015.
She was on the resolutions committee for the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in 2014 and 2015, serving as vice chair 2015.
She also is a member and treasurer of the Texas Baptist Women in Ministry board of directors.
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‘A person called to ministry’
Jones has served Bethlehem Baptist Church as minister of missions and young adults since 2014, a role that includes work as coordinator of church mission outreach, overseeing more than 40 church ministries.
“It is obvious she is a person called to ministry, as demonstrated by her life and by her love for God’s people,” said Michael Evans, pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church.
Ministerial responsibilities at Bethlehem Baptist Church include counseling, developing curriculum, leading the women’s ministry and overseeing the social media team. She previously was the church’s director of Christian education.
She also spearheaded Bethlehem Baptist’s involvement in disaster relief with Texas Baptist Men and led other missions endeavors, Evans noted.
“We hate to lose her on our church staff, but I feel blessed to retain her as a co-worker in the gospel ministry,” he said.
Before she entered the ministry, Jones worked 15 years as an engineer and in a variety of management roles with Nokia Siemens Networks and Motorola.
Jones earned an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in Greensboro, N.C., a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Dallas and a Master of Arts in Christian Education degree from Dallas Baptist University. She is a doctoral candidate in DBU’s Gary Cook School of Leadership.
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