Updated: 11/03/06

Otto Arango's earnings claims
disputed by directors of missions

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

Investigators who probed misuse of Texas Baptist church starting funds in the Rio Grande Valley reported Otto Arango—one of the central figures around whom allegations swirled—claimed he earned at least $14,000 a month from Baptist associations in Texas. But leaders of associations named in the report dispute that assertion.

Arango’s lifestyle—living in an expensive home in an exclusive neighborhood and driving luxury cars—raised questions among some fellow pastors in the Rio Grande Valley about the sources of his income. In part, their suspicions triggered the investigation that uncovered evidence of misused Texas Baptist church starting funds in the region.

When pressed by investigators acting on behalf of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board and its officers, the investigating attorneys said Arango replied that he “had made a lot of money promoting his vision of planting churches.”

Otto Arango

When pressed by investigators acting on behalf of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board and its officers, the investigating attorneys said Arango defended himself against assertions of fraud by saying he “had made a lot of money promoting his vision of planting churches.”

Arango asserted the BGCT had paid him at least $500,000 in honorarium and reimbursement expenses for consulting between 1997 and 2003, investigators reported.

E.B. Brooks, retired director of the BGCT missions, evangelism and ministry area, estimated the convention provided up to $700,000 to Arango’s consulting work, travel expenses and costs incurred in reprinting training materials he wrote. Brooks noted this not only involved Arango’s church starting efforts in the Valley, but also included his work around the state and in Mexico.

In addition to his $64,000 salary as pastor of Iglesia Bautista Getsemani in McAllen, Arango said he also received $4,400 per month from the BGCT and an additional $9,100 in consulting fees from four Baptist associations with whom he contracted his services—Del Rio-Uvalde (identified in the report as Eagle Pass Association), Tri-River Area, Dallas and Cooke (identified as Gainesville) the investigators' report said.

He did not provide an estimate of payments received from contracts he said he had with Union, Johnson, Gulf Coast and Coastal Bend associations. But he told investigators he received $14,000 per month from associations—an amount that may have included the $9,100.

In their report, investigators noted they had not verified the figures Arango quoted.

Subsequent interviews with associational leaders after the report became public paint a different picture of the associations’ relationship with Arango.

Tim Randolph, former director of missions for Tri-Rivers Area and now a BGCT congregational strategist, said his three-association area initially talked with Arango about a one-year working arrangement, but it never developed.

“We were going to pay him $1,500 or $1,700 a month, and he was supposed to give us four days a month working with our Hispanic churches in teaching methods to start new churches,” Randolph said, noting the associations set a goal to start four churches a year.

But before Arango’s scheduled first visit with Hispanic leaders in the Gatesville area, he called to say he was “too busy” and to ask if an associate, Gustavo Lopez, could serve in his place, Randolph recalled.

“Otto Arango never met with our pastors. It was Gustavo,” he said.

For the first couple of months, Lopez fulfilled his commitment, and pastors of small Hispanic churches who previously felt unequipped to start new congregations began to see the possibilities, Randolph said.

But before long, Lopez failed to keep his scheduled appointments, and the association cancelled its agreement, Randolph added.

Arango said Dallas Baptist Association paid him $3,200 a month, the investigators reported. Bob Dean, who became associational director of missions position in August, checked with the former director of missions and the former associate for church planting. Neither recalled any relationship with Arango. Dean also asked the association’s accountant to check employee records, and no payment to Arango was discovered.

However, further queries of another former staff member confirmed Arango was on retainer for one year to help lead Dallas Baptist Association church starting training. But Tim Ahlen, the former associate with Dallas Baptist Association, told Dean the payment was “not anywhere near $3,200 a month. He could not confirm the exact amount.”

Many of Union Association’s records only go back to 2001, when the office was flooded. But Director of Missions Tom Billings said according to his recollections and the records on hand, the only financial relationship the association had with Arango was purchasing copies of his training materials on a one-time basis.

The investigators reported Arango told them the association in Gainesville paid him $2,200 a month. But J.L. Williams, former director of missions and current treasurer for Cooke Association, said that kind of payment would have been far beyond what his association could afford, and he was unaware of any contract between the association and Arango. However, he noted until about five years ago, Cooke Association was part of North Central Baptist Area, and that might account for any confusion.

Milton Ertelt, director of missions for Southwest Metroplex Baptist Association, confirmed Arango met once or twice in 1999 with leaders of Johnson Baptist Association, as it then was known. But the association declined to enter into any financial or contractual relationship with him, Ertelt said.

Donald Hintze, director of Gulf Coast Association, reported one meeting with Arango several years ago.

“David Guel introduced us,” Hintze recalled. Guel was the regional church starting representative for the BGCT in South Texas.

Gulf Coast Association bought multiple copies of Arango’s training materials, but it had no ongoing contact with him, Hintze said.

“We had one visit—no contract, no relationship other than ordering books, nothing,” he said.

After business hours Nov. 1, the Baptist Standard received an e-mail from Arango stating the investigators’ report contained 13 to 15 mistakes or contradictions. He did not specify their nature, and he did not respond to a request for additional information prior to press time.

Notice: This story was originally posted Nov. 1, and then taken down for editing when additional information was received. It will be updated as new information becomes available.

Updated: 11/03/06

BGCT faces challenges, leaders say

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

An investigation that uncovered evidence of mismanagement and misuse of Texas Baptist church starting funds in the Rio Grande Valley presents major challenges for the Baptist General Convention of Texas—and especially Executive Director Charles Wade, some state convention leaders agreed.

“Anytime a leader makes a mistake which proves significant, his or her leadership is called into question. The investigation clearly indicated that Dr. Wade’s response to concerns expressed several times over a period of years was inadequate,” said Bob Fowler of Houston, chairman of the BGCT Executive Board.

Borrego	Bell

“That was a failure of his leadership as to that particular part of his overall job. He apologized for it and took responsibility for it at the meeting” of the board.

However, failure at one point does not mean an administrator has failed overall, Fowler said. Wade’s annual review already was scheduled for the February 2007 Executive Board meeting, and his performance will be evaluated then as part of the board’s annual duties.

Fowler voiced his personal support for Wade and indicated his hope Wade will continue as executive director.

“I believe he has been an effective leader who made the mistake of taking on faith the inaccurate and incomplete responses of certain staff,” he said. “He is a very trusting person, but he has indicated that he cannot be as trusting in the future. That’s a shame, but that is a right decision, and, I believe, a realistic approach for a manager of a business—faith-based or otherwise.”

BGCT President Michael Bell agreed Wade should be judged by all he has accomplished and not by a single failure that occurred in his administration.

“I don’t think in the midst of this that all the good Charles Wade has done should be shoved aside, dismissed and not considered,” said Bell, pastor of Greater St. Stephen First Baptist Church in Fort Worth.

“When Charles Wade decides the time is right to end his tenure, I’d like to see it happen under better conditions and not tied to this painful affair. I’d hate to see him have to leave under the shadow of this situation.”

It would be “Pollyannaish” to pretend Wade doesn’t face serious challenges, Bell said. The executive director must work hard to help the BGCT restore trust and rebuild confidence, he said.

“But I believe he can lead us through this,” he said. “We’re going to have to work hard to restore the trust of all our constituents.”

One key group to whom the BGCT must reach out is church leaders in the Rio Grande Valley, Fowler said. Some believe the convention failed to heed their concerns for several years. Others may feel their own ministries have been smeared—even though they were not at fault.

“We must be careful to relate to the churches in the Valley,” he said. “We need to help them understand this is not an indictment of all the churches who are doing good work for the kingdom in that area of the state.”

BGCT leaders need to work closely with officers of the Hispanic Baptist Convencion of Texas—both in developing church starting guidelines and in relating to Hispanic churches, said Convencion President Baldemar Borrego.

“To tell a group of Hispanics—especially people from Mexico or Central America or South America—that home cell (groups) or a home church is not considered a church or mission—they will be offended by that,” Borrego said.

Regarding what occurred in the Valley, Borrego asserted Hispanic Baptist Convencion officers “never were informed or invited to be part of the solution. We could serve as intermediary or mediators to solve this problem in a Christian ethical proceeding.”

Relationships need to be healed, and Texas Baptists must not be distracted from their God-given missionary task, Borrego said.

“It is time to let the healing begin,” he said. “We must move on to concentrate and focus on a better vision the Lord is giving us to respond to the great challenges we have in front of us.”

Moving ahead won’t be easy, but it is essential, Bell added.

“At a time when denominationalism is in decline, something like this doesn’t help—and that’s a huge understatement,” he said.

Now the BGCT must move decisively and not “lose momentum,” he insisted.

“This is a crucial moment in the life of our convention,” Bell said. “But every critical moment always is permeated with the opportunity to do good and to move beyond the present pain and difficulty. I am convinced that we must not miss the moment, even now.”

Posted: 11/03/06

EDITORIAL:
Executive Board must rise to the occasion

Now is the time for members of the Baptist General Convention of Texas’ newly reorganized Executive Board to act courageously, wisely, decisively and quickly to pull the convention back from the calamity of administrative failure. They must restore trust in the face of scandal.

The depth of calamity became apparent during the Executive Board’s called meeting Oct. 31. Members received a report on misappropriation of church starting funds in the Rio Grande Valley. The report told a terrible tale—at least $1.3 million in wasted money, years lost on a failed church starting scheme, lies and deception, and finger pointing.

The tone in the room resembled previous dark days, when fundamentalists attacked our convention. The prevailing attitude was to find external evildoers, rail against the wrong they did and rally around our guys. This is the tactic that enabled the BGCT to defeat fundamentalism, for which traditional, progressive Baptists are enormously grateful.

But fundamentalism no longer is the BGCT’s gravest threat. Our beloved convention faces far greater dangers from within—apathy among Texas Baptists and perceived irrelevance of the BGCT. Now add mistrust and suspicion. A frontal assault on adversarial bloggers and a hunker-down mentality won’t sustain, much less strengthen, the convention when loyal Baptists wonder if the BGCT will steward their trust and make a difference in their churches, and when they begin to feel they could not care less.

With this report from the Valley, who could blame Texas Baptists for wondering if their hard-earned tithes and offerings are well-spent? Shortly after the investigators released their report, a deeply loyal traditional Texas Baptist asked if any funds from the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions go to church starting and if she should think about designating her contributions to specific causes. …

The investigators’ 42-page report prompted two dispiriting emotions: Betrayal and, of course, grief.

Heartbreak and disappointment leap off the pages of the report. Here are some of the most telling vignettes: We spent $1.3 million to start 258 churches and only have five churches to show for it. We spent at least six years and hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting a church starting scheme that failed miserably. Even after the situation became so grave and public that the FBI launched an investigation, BGCT leaders failed to get to the bottom of it.

How can any Texas Baptist not grieve for the lost church starting funds? How can any Texas Baptist not feel indignation for the failure of accountability? And how can any Texas Baptist not feel chagrined that those responsible for handling their tithes and offerings allowed this to go on so long?

Ironically, what grieves me even more than what went wrong the last few years in the Valley is what is likely to happen now. You see, the vast majority of Executive Board staff and employees at more than 25 BGCT agencies and institutions are deeply committed, enormously gifted, highly conscientious and richly talented Christian servants. More than any other organization I know, the BGCT is a tremendously effective missions and ministry tool. Despite scandal in the Valley, the BGCT has accomplished an infinite amount of kingdom good in the past few years.

Unfortunately, this episode will give loyal Texas Baptists pause. Their churches could reallocate their resources—money, but also time and talent—elsewhere. I plead with churches to consider the greater good and to hold back from basing their decisions regarding cooperation solely on this scandal.

In the meantime, the Executive Board members must rise to the occasion. This year, the BGCT implemented a reorganized structure that provides the board with fiduciary responsibility and authority to do what needs to be done. Board members must take five steps to restore trust:

• Implement the investigators’ seven recommendations.

• Establish an internal independent auditor, who will report directly to the board, and whose definition of “audit” will include not only financial reporting, but also all quantifiable data about the work of the board and the BGCT.

• Turn all the materials gathered in the investigation over to judicial authorities for possible criminal investigation.

• Explore every option for restitution.

• Study the Executive Board’s staff structure and administrative performance, and then make any staff and procedure changes necessary to correct problems.

Texas Baptists will look to the Executive Board with great expectation. Restoration of trust—and the future of cooperation within the BGCT—hang in the balance.

Marv Knox is editor of the Baptist Standard.

Posted: 11/03/06

Around the State

• The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor will hold a cultural fest Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Shelton Theater of the Mabee Student Center. It is free and open to the public. It will include various types of music and expressive dance. For more information, call (254) 295-5519.

• The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor will hold a fireworks display as a part of its homecoming festivities Nov. 10, marking the beginning of what is planned as a new tradition. Homecoming events will begin at 11 a.m. Friday during the chapel service. Following chapel, the alumni association will present its distinguished alumni award at the Heritage Club luncheon. Honorary alumni awards will be presented during the alumni fiesta that evening. The homecoming pep rally, which will include the fireworks, will begin at 8:30 p.m. Saturday’s events include a golf tournament, a barbecue lunch and the 2 p.m. football game. Reservations must be made through the alumni office. For more information, call (254) 295-4599.

• East Texas Baptist Univer-sity has welcomed several new faculty members this fall, including Denise Allen, assistant professor of nursing; Eileen Baland, instructor of English; Eric Branscome, instructor of music; Robin Cook, instructor of business; Cassandra Falke, assistant professor of English; Cole Franklin, associate professor of communication; Sandy Hoover, instructor of history; Joanna Newkirk, instructor in kinesiology and associate athletic trainer; Yu Youling, visiting scholar from Lanzhou University of Technology in China; and Lin Weisheng, visiting professor from Guang-dong Teachers College of Foreign Languages and Arts in China.

San Marcos Baptist Academy held its annual sweetheart pageant recently, crowning Nicole Hoffman, center, sweetheart. Also pictured are her escort, Josh Brame, and the ladies of the court—from left, Michelle Deschner, Jacqueline Piers, Le’Resa Stokes, Arianna Taboada and Emily Rainone.

• Treacy Woods, professor in chemistry, has been named chair of the chemistry department at Houston Baptist University. She joined the faculty in 1983.

• Michael Bishop, professor of journalism at Baylor University, has been named the Fred Hartman Distinguished Professor of Journalism. A 1957 editor of the student newspaper, The Lariat, and a 1959 graduate of the university, Bishop returned to the campus in 1990, first serving as communications and marketing vice president.

• Hardin-Simmons Univer-sity has presented the John J. Keeter Alumni Service Award to Clinton and Joann Wolf. Both are 1950 graduates of the school. The Wolfs made an eight-hour drive to the school numerous times over the years as he served the alumni association as president in the mid-1960s, on the board of development from 1997 to 2001 and as a trustee of the university from 1991 to 1996, and again from 2002 through the present. Their financial generosity has enabled the Ministerial Student Hous-ing project and refurbishment of the physical therapy complex. The are members of First Baptist Church in El Paso.

• David Keith and Sheri Wells have joined the staff of Howard Payne University, assisting students in the school’s Center for Academic and Personal Success. The center offers services and seminars designed to help students set and achieve personal and academic goals. It also helps students and alumni in career and employment needs. Keith is associate director of the center, and Wells is the career services coordinator.

• The North American Mission Board has appointed five missionaries with Texas ties. Micah and Kristen Caswell are serving in Austin, where he is starting Grace Community Church. He was a singles ministry intern at First Church in Denton. They have a 1-year-old son, Mason. Kenneth and Mary Kay Dillard are serving in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he is director of collegiate ministries. He is a native of Dilley. They have three children—Sarah, 24; Jay, 22; and Kelley, 15. Austin Evers has been named campus evangelism coordinator for New London, Conn. He is a graduate of Hardin-Simmons University. He previously was an intern at Metropolitan Church in Houston and Green Acres Church in Tyler.

• Jerry and Susan Evermon have been appointed by the International Mission Board as missionaries in southeast Asia. Their home congregation is First Church in Marble Falls.

Anniversaries

• Elaine Clark, 10th, as minister to preschool at First Church in Amarillo, Oct. 29.

• Brick James, 20th, as minister of counseling and family life at Hagerman Church in Sherman, Nov. 3.

• Chuck Smith, fifth, as pastor of First Church in Gregory, Nov. 11.

• First Church in Bryan, 140th, Nov. 19. The evening service will highlight the church’s ministry in its downtown location. Following the service, there will be a church reception to display the contents of the time capsule placed in the worship center built in 1982. Tim Owens is pastor.

Deaths

• Jim Scott, 77, Oct. 6 in Fort Worth. He was pastor of Happy Hill Church in Alvarado. He previously was pastor of Willow Springs, Bethesda and Immanuel churches in Ama-rillo, First Church in Shamrock, First Church in DeWitt, Ark., and Crestmont Church in Burleson. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Homer Jr., Charles and Scotty; and sister, Mary Fuller. He is survived by his wife, Bea; sons, Larry and Harold; sister, Jane Hollaway; six grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

• Keith Robertson, 79, Oct. 25 in Austin. He was pastor of churches in Normanna, Papa-lote, Fowlerton, Hamilton and Algerita prior to 1959, when he graduated from Southwestern Seminary. Congregations he then pastored include First Church in Evant, First Church in Agua Dulce, West Main Church in Alice and First Church in Los Fresnos. After 17 years as pastor in Los Fresnos, he moved to San Saba and served several churches as interim pastor. In his 60 years of ministry, he preached more than 40 revivals. He served on the Executive Board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and was an officer on the board of Zephyr Baptist Encampment, where he taught and preached more than 25 years. He was a member of First Church in Pflugerville at the time of his death. He was preceded in death by his brother, J.O. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Jeanelle; sons, Steve and Mike; daughter, Susan Bell; sister, Lois Henderson; step-brothers, Ted and Don Salyer; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

• Marijohn Wilkin, 86, Oct. 28 in Nashville, Tenn. A Hardin-Simmons University distinguished alumnus, the Country Music Hall of Fame songwriter is best known for collaborating with Kris Kristofferson on the song “One Day at a Time.” Her songs have been performed by many musical stars including Johnny Cash, The Beatles, Patsy Cline, Rod Stewart, Joan Baez, Burl Ives, Ray Price and LeAnn Rimes. She received the HSU Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1994 and an honorary doctor of music degree from the school in 2001. She was inducted into the HSU Hall of Leaders in 2004. She was preceded in death by her first husband, Bedford Russell, while he was a prisoner of war in 1942. She is survived by her son, John Buck Wilkin.

• Katie Moseley, 18, Oct. 29 in an automobile accident north of Buffalo. A Livingston resident, she was a freshman at Baylor University. She was preceded in death by her grandfather, Jack Moseley. She is survived by her parents, Danny and Frances Moseley; sisters, Stacy Comstock, Mary Ortiz and Kristi Moseley; brothers, Chris, Johnny, Ben and Elijah; and grandparents, Earl and Ruth Jordan, and Rossi Moseley.

Events

• The first Hispanic Woman’s Conference of the Hill Country met Oct. 14 at Primera Iglesia in Fredericksburg. Margarita Treviño was the keynote speaker. Fernando Zurita is pastor.

• Grace Fellowship of Rockwall, a mission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Dallas Association and Park Cities Church in Dallas, will constitute as a church Nov. 19. Ken Lovelace is pastor.

Ordained

• Marcus Foster to the ministry at Adamsville Church in Lampasas.

• Marty Richardson to the ministry at First Church in Gainesville.

• Russell Cowan to the ministry at Bellview Church in Midland.

• Tony Moye to the ministry at First Church in Kennard.

• Amy Dwight Wilkins to the ministry at King’s Cross Church in Tullahoma, Tenn. She previously served at Columbus Avenue Church in Waco, Park Cities Church in Dallas and Buckner Orphan Care Inter-national.

• Robert Ramirez to the ministry at New Life Church in Yoakum.

• James Anaya to the ministry at Travis Church in Corpus Christi.

• David Jones to the ministry at First Church in Hallsville.

• Alexander Morrison to the ministry at First Church in Brenham.

• Scott Ashby and Rob Robinson as deacons at Trinity Church in Kerrville.

• Gene Klieber and Edward Westbrook as deacons at First Church in Milano.

Posted: 11/03/06

New audio Bible features all-African-American cast

By Adelle Banks

Religion News Service

WASHNGTON (RNS)—In a new audio Bible, the Holy Trinity has some familiar voices. Actor Samuel L. Jackson plays God, actor Blair Underwood performs the role of Jesus and Dallas megachurch pastor Bishop T.D. Jakes renders the Holy Spirit.

The New Testament portion of Inspired By … The Bible Experience arrived in stores recently. The all-black cast takes on the characters of the Bible, backed with music and realistic sounds, to bring printed words to life.

The executive producers of the project—a collaboration between Inspired By Media Group and Christian publishing giant Zondervan—hope the spoken-word translation will reach a generation less interested in opening up the physical pages of the Bible.

“We wanted to create a project, a Bible experience that would communicate to a young generation and so we felt that we needed to create an urban product to do that,” said Lou “Buster” Brown, co-founder of the Inspired By Media Group and one of the four executive producers of the audio Bible.

“While it is an all-black cast, it’s not a black product by any means, because when you listen to it, you don’t hear color,” he said. “You hear the word of God.”

The 19-CD package is expected to be followed next fall by a larger Old Testament dramatization. Both books are re-enactments of the Today’s New International Version, a translation by Zondervan.

Originally, project organizers planned for a cast of dozens, but the cast list increased to more than 250 as word spread and others asked to be included.

Actor Blair Underwood provides the voice of Jesus in Inspired By … The Bible Experience, an audio version of the Bible featuring a cast of African-American actors. (RNS photo courtesy of Zondervan)

“The phone started ringing off the hook,” said Brown, who produced soundtracks for The Prince of Egypt animated film. “The project had taken on a different weight. It had become a legacy project.”

Among the first people cast were movie stars Denzel Washington and Angela Bassett and Underwood, who previously played Jesus in an independent film after getting his start on L.A. Law and later appeared in a recurring role on Sex and the City.

Washington and his wife, Pauletta, recite Song of Solomon, the eight-chapter poetic dialogue between lovers. Bassett reads the stories of Jesus’ Nativity and Resurrec-tion.

Paul Caminiti, vice president and publisher of Bibles at Zondervan, said audio Bibles already have been a staple of his company, but the talent recruited for this version doesn’t compare to past productions.

“We’ve used professional voices before, but not of the ilk of Denzel Washington and Cuba Gooding and Angela Bassett and Blair Underwood,” he said.

Jackson, whose earthly—and earthy—roles have ranged from a foul-mouthed hit-man in Pulp Fiction to a Jedi knight in Star Wars, originally was cast as an angel before being promoted to the God role in the New Testament.

Actors in some of the less heroic parts range from Cuba Gooding Jr., who plays Judas, to Eartha Kitt, who reads the part of the serpent in the Garden of Eden.

Other stage and screen stars such as Ruby Dee, Alfre Woodard, LeVar Burton and Tyrese Gibson join clergy and musicians such as Creflo Dollar, Bishop Charles E. Blake, Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin and hip-hop star Common.

Neither Inspired By Media Group nor Zondervan required that cast members sign any kind of statement of faith.

“One of the things that we recognized is the Bible is full of people that weren’t saved,” said Brown, who describes himself as a born-again Christian who attends a nondenominational church in Porter Ranch, Calif. “That doesn’t mean that God won’t use them to deliver his word.”

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