Wade announces plans to retire as BGCT executive director

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Updated: 4/12/07

BGCT Executive Director Charles Wade talks with Associate Executive Director/COO Ron Gunter after Wade’s retirement announcement (BGCT photo).

Wade announces plans to retire
as BGCT executive director

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

DALLAS—Charles Wade, who led the Baptist General Convention of Texas through major changes in its governance and reorganization of its Executive Board staff, has announced plans to retire as executive director Jan. 31, 2008.

Wade told Baptist Building employees of his plans at an April 11 staff meeting after he informed BGCT President Steve Vernon and Executive Board Chairman Bob Fowler.

Listen to Charles Wade announce his retirement with comments from Bob Fowler and Steve Vernon.
Read the text here .

In his letter to Fowler, Wade wrote: “It has been an honor to serve Texas Baptists these past seven years. I felt the calling of God in the invitation by the Executive Board in 1999 to serve our convention in this role, and across the years of my service I have had the deep and abiding sense that God and his people have walked alongside me in this journey of leadership and faith. Now, I have that same gracious sense from God that this is the time for me to begin the next phase of my obedience to his call issued 55 years ago.”

Fowler told the staff Wade flew to Houston March 21 to inform him of his decision to retire. He praised Wade as his mentor in denominational involvement.

“Dr. Wade has provide strong and thoughtful leadership as executive director, both to his staff and to the many volunteers who have had the privilege of working with him,” Fowler said. “In these times that have often been challenging in Texas Baptist life, Dr. Wade has been a tremendous asset to us, and I am certain that he will continue to be so. Texas Baptists have been fortunate to have had both the mind and the heart of Charles Wade for these years of his service to the kingdom through the BGCT.”

BGCT President Steve Vernon likewise expressed praise and appreciation for Wade’s contributions to Texas Baptists.


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“Dr. Wade’s leadership has been exemplary in leading this convention to continue to be Baptists, to continue to be missional and to be a strong witness for the kingdom of God,” Vernon said. “Charles has truly been a pastor of all BGCT churches in Texas—a pastor to the churches, to the ministers and to the people.”

BGCT Executive Board chairman Bob Fowler

BGCT bylaws outline the process for naming a 15-member search committee to recommend a new executive director. The chairman and vice chair of the Executive Board will nominate seven members from the Executive Board, and the BGCT president and two vice presidents will nominate eight members from the convention at large. The five officers also will nominate a chair for the search committee from the 15 members.

Both Fowler and Vernon stressed they hope the search committee will represent—as much as possible—the various constituencies in Texas Baptist life. At the same time, they emphasized members will be selected on the basis of their experience.

The search committee and its chair then are subject to Executive Board approval. The board meets May 21-22.

“It is my hope that this committee will be able to bring back to the board in September a nominee for executive director who will be God’s person to lead us into the future,” Wade said.

During Wade’s tenure, the BGCT went through its most thorough reorganization in more than a half-century. Governance changes streamlined decision-making processes and vested more authority in the Executive Board, which was reduced in size from 230 to 90 members. Staff changes included placing congregational strategists in regions throughout the state.

He told the BGCT Executive Board staff that over the next nine and a half months, he plans to “work diligently to imbed in our organizational culture the gains we have made.”

In his comments to Baptist Building personnel, Wade focused on four key changes in the organization:

• “We are moving our staff into the field and communicating to local churches and associations that the BGCT is here to serve them.”

• “We are breaking down any sense of private agendas and narrowly focused goals that build up individual priorities or program dominance.”

• “We are working with the churches and associations to connect them to a worldwide vision and truly kingdom-size vision.”

• “We are working with the new governance structures of the Executive Board, groups, teams, councils, committees and commissions to ensure excellence through continued training, the development and implementation of policies and the achievement of a high level of understanding and confidence in their new roles.”

In his remaining time as executive director, Wade said he also will work with institutions and ministries that face challenges, such as Baptist University of the Americas as it seeks a president; give priority to missions, particularly the missions exchange meeting that will seek to develop a strategic plan to help churches, associations, institutions and BGCT personnel work collaboratively; and encourage Texas Baptist involvement in the Celebration for a New Baptist Covenant.

Wade’s retirement takes effect during that event, scheduled Jan.30 to Feb. 1 in Atlanta, Ga. He serves as co-chair of a prayer committee for the gathering, which will involve the country’s four largest predominately African-American Baptist conventions, as well as other groups who are part of the Baptist World Alliance’s North American Baptist Fellowship.

In his retirement announcement to the Baptist Building staff, Wade made no mention of a scandal that emerged during his tenure involving the mismanagement of BGCT church-starting funds in South Texas. Independent investigators discovered 98 percent of the 258 new churches reported by three church planters in the Rio Grande Valley between 1999 and 2005 no longer exist, and some never existed—except on paper. Those churches received more than $1.3 million from the BGCT.

In their report, the investigative team faulted the BGCT Executive Board staff for poor oversight, uneven management, failure to abide by internal guidelines and misplaced trust.

Wade pledged to “clean up the mess,” and a special oversight group reported significant progress to the BGCT Executive Board at its February meeting.

BGCT Second Vice President Roberto Rodriguez noted Hispanic Texas Baptists in the Valley have appreciated the way Wade responded to the crisis, as well as how he worked from the beginning of his time as executive director to be responsive to that part of the state. Wade’s first trip as executive director was to the Valley, he recalled.

Wade has been “a friend to the churches in the Valley and to Hispanics” in Texas Baptist life, Rodriquez said.

As pastor of First Baptist Church in Arlington from 1976 to 1999, Wade led the congregation to become a national trendsetter in outreach and community ministry through Mission Arlington. When he left the pastorate, Mission Arlington was touching about 3,000 people each week in 200 locations, mostly in multi-housing complexes.

Wade graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University and earned master’s and doctorate degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He and his wife, Rosemary, have four adult children—Mark, Roshelle, Karee and Mary Robin.

 

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