Muleshoe pastor to be nominated for BGCT second vice president_100404

Posted: 10/01/04

Muleshoe pastor to be nominated
for BGCT second vice president

By Marv Knox

Editor

DRIPPING SPRINGS–Stacy Conner, pastor of First Baptist Church in Muleshoe since 1991, will be nominated for second vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas this fall.

Lonny Poe, pastor of Sunset Canyon Baptist Church in Dripping Springs who has been Conner's friend for more than 20 years, announced he will make the nomination at the BGCT annual session in San Antonio, Nov. 8-9.

“Stacy was born and raised in Texas and is enmeshed in Texas Baptist life,” he said. “He knows who we are. He loves us and wants us to continue to do kingdom work.”

Conner was educated and prepared for ministry by Texas Baptists, Poe said, recalling the pair met in 1983, while they were ministerial students at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview.

“I've known him to be a wonderful dad, a tremendous preacher, a gifted pastor, a good husband and a faith-filled Texas Baptist,” he said.

Conner has demonstrated his ability and preparedness for convention office through service on numerous convention and community boards and other places of responsibility, he added.

“In all the capacities where he's served, people have recognized Stacy's wisdom and integrity. That's always caught people's eyes,” Poe said. “He's also a community pastor. He's the pastor not only of First Baptist Church, but all of Muleshoe. People look to him for leadership, for a moral compass and for integrity.

“He's as solid as they come. He's my best friend, and I'm honored to nominate him for second vice president. He bridges gaps and loves people. I think he'll do great.”

Conner said he finds the nomination affirming. “It's not only an honor for me, but for our church, that I was asked to serve,” he said.

And if elected, he would look forward to serving with the other two officer nominees–Albert Reyes, the convention's current first vice president and president of Baptist University of the Americas in San Antonio, who will be nominated for president, and Michael Bell, pastor of Greater St. Stephen Baptist Church in Fort Worth, who will be nominated for first vice president–as well as the BGCT Executive Board, Conner said.

Conner would serve out of a sense of gratitude for all he has received from the BGCT, he said.

“I'm a product of Texas Baptists,” he noted. “I attended Wayland, where I received BGCT ministerial tuition assistance. I attended Southwestern (Baptist Theological) Seminary when it was a Texas seminary. And all through my educational experience, I was trained by Baptists who cared to educate me properly.

“As a pastor, I've been blessed to enjoy fellowship through ministry endeavors with Texas Baptists and to appreciate the blessing of being a Texas Baptist.

“Being part of the BGCT has allowed not only our church but me to be involved in numerous ministries of which I would never have been able to be a part individually. My Christian experience has been enhanced because I've been nurtured and encouraged by Texas Baptists.”

With the BGCT considering its most significant reorganization in about 50 years, the coming year will be a “pivotal time” in the convention's history, Conner said, predicting, “It will be a time of growth, a time of learning and a time of more effective ministry for the BGCT.”

Reyes has said he intends to emphasize the importance of the BGCT's Cooperative Program unified budget, and Conner stressed he affirms that focus.

“Our church has been strongly supportive of the Cooperative Program, and we will continue to support the BGCT through the Cooperative Program,” he said.

Conner also would be honored to represent West Texas as a convention officer, he said, noting Steve Vernon, pastor of First Baptist Church in Levelland, was the most recent BGCT officer from that part of the state.

“I'll try to uphold the high standards he set in representing West Texas goals and visions,” he said.

First Baptist Church in Muleshoe has 556 resident members and averages 350 in worship and 176 in Bible study. Last year, the church baptized 12 new Christians and contributed $32,656 to the BGCT Cooperative Program.

Before becoming pastor of the Muleshoe congregation, Conner was pastor of First Baptist Church in Matador and minister of activities at First Baptist Church in Plainview.

He earned a bachelor's degree from Wayland, a master's degree from Southwestern Seminary and a doctorate from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University.

Conner is a trustee of Wayland, and he has served on the BGCT Executive Board.

He also was vice chairman of the BGCT Christian Education Coordinating Board and chairman of that board's university funding committee.

He has served on the board of Caprock-Plains Baptist Area and was pastoral care director for Llanos Altos Baptist Association.

He is a member of the national coordinating council of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Conner has been involved in his community. He's a past-president of the Muleshoe Lions Club and a member of the Muleshoe Rotary Club, and he has served on Muleshoe Independent School District and local Little League organizations and coached baseball and basketball.

Conner and his wife, Debbie, have a daughter and two sons, ranging in age from 17 to 12.