BGCT staffers to resign NAMB appointments_53104

Posted: 5/28/04

BGCT staffers to resign NAMB appointments

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS--Five Baptist General Convention of Texas employees appointed by the North American Mission Board will end their relationships with the Southern Baptist agency and become fully supported by the Texas convention by the end of the year.

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Posted: 5/28/04

BGCT staffers to resign NAMB appointments

By John Hall

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS–Five Baptist General Convention of Texas employees appointed by the North American Mission Board will end their relationships with the Southern Baptist agency and become fully supported by the Texas convention by the end of the year.

BGCT employees who will resign their NAMB appointments are Dexton Shores, River Ministry director; Patty Villarreal, consultant with the Missions Equipping Center; Patty Lane, intercultural initiatives director; Jim Young, Missions Equipping Center director; and David Guel, consultant with the Church Multiplication Center.

Most NAMB missionaries nationwide are in posts jointly funded by state conventions, associations or agencies.

E.B. Brooks, coordinator of the BGCT church missions and evangelism section, told the convention's Executive Board annual NAMB financial support for the five staff members totals about $50,000.

"Texas Baptists want to be fully responsible for the members of our Executive Board staff and felt it was best for them to be funded out of our Texas budget."

But he later explained to Texas Baptist Communications the precise impact on the state convention budget is uncertain because the BGCT and NAMB still are negotiating funding for next year.

The change allows those staff members to focus on their BGCT assignments, Brooks said. They can spend all their time on their BGCT ministries without having to deal with NAMB requirements such as representing the board in two promotional conferences each year.

“We feel like they should move into full BGCT support,” Brooks said. “We are grateful to the Home Mission Board, predecessor of the North American Mission Board, for their assistance in enlarging the BGCT church starting and community ministries staffs.

“Their provision of start-up salary supplements and benefits made it possible for us to strengthen mission work in Texas more rapidly than we could have otherwise.”

Brooks said the move to fully support those employees has been discussed for several years, but leaders were waiting for the cooperative agreement to be signed and BGCT Cooperative Program funds to become available.

The move is the first decision from a committee recently appointed by BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade to monitor the effectiveness of the BGCT/NAMB cooperative agree-ment signed in 2003.

“Texas Baptists want to be fully responsible for the members of our Executive Board staff and felt it was best for them to be funded out of our Texas budget,” he said.

The BGCT's cooperative agreement with NAMB, which was negotiated for more than a year, “was of significant concern to the Executive Board,” Brooks said. The wise move is to monitor the relationship, he said.

Representing the Executive Board on the monitoring committee are members Jim Nelson of Hyde Park Baptist Church in Austin; Phil Lineberger, pastor of Williams Trace Baptist Church in Sugar Land; and John Thielepape, pastor of Meadow Lane Baptist Church in Arlington. Bill Shiell of First Baptist Church in McGregor represents the Administrative Committee. Bill Tinsley of Rockwall represents WorldconneX.

Others are Carolyn Porterfield, executive director and treasurer of Woman's Missionary Union of Texas; Leo Smith, executive director of Texas Baptist Men; Phil Strickland, director of the BGCT Christian Life Commission; and Brooks.

The BGCT will continue to look for ways to work with NAMB to accomplish shared goals, Wade added.

“Pray for the committee that is considering how best to work with our partners in ministry as we respond to the needs that are all around us,” he said.

Managing Editor Ken Camp contributed to this report.

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