Board recommends allowing some non-Baptist HBU trustees

DALLAS—Messengers to the Baptist General Convention of Texas annual meeting in McAllen next month will consider whether to allow Houston Baptist University to elect non-Baptists to its board of trustees.

The BGCT Executive Board voted overwhelmingly Sept. 28 to recommend the state convention revise its agreement with the university, allowing HBU to elect a minority of non-Baptist Christian trustees.

HBU has related to the convention by special agreement since 2001. That agreement allows HBU to elect 75 percent of its own trustees, with the BGCT electing the remaining 25 percent. All trustees HBU elects must be Baptist but not necessarily from BGCT-affiliated churches.

Under the proposed revised agreement:

• Up to one-third of the trustees elected by HBU—one-fourth of the total board—could be non-Baptist Christians.

• An additional one-third of the HBU-selected trustees—one quarter of the total board—would be required to be from BGCT-affiliated congregations, including churches dually aligned with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

• The remaining one-third of the HBU-selected trustees—one-fourth of the full board—would be required to be Baptist but not necessarily related to BGCT-affiliated churches.  

• One quarter of the board would continue to be elected by the BGCT, with all those trustees required to be members of BGCT-affiliated churches.

Ed Seay, chair of the trustee board and pastor of First Baptist Church in Magnolia, noted HBU is the only evangelical university in the Houston—soon to be the nation’s third-largest city.

“There are other sincere, Bible-believing, God-honoring evangelical Christians who want to partner with us,” Seay said, noting HBU would benefit from those connections. “It does not in any way diminish our Baptist identity or connection.”

In board discussion, Charlotte Young of Dimmit, a member of the education subcommittee of the institutional relations committee, expressed confidence in the current leadership of HBU, but she noted concern regarding what could happen in 20 to 30 years.

The preamble to the university’s bylaws, adopted in 1974, provides the confessional statement that will remain in place beyond any current administration or roster of trustees, Seay noted.

“Our preamble is the anchor that will keep us tied to biblical fidelity,” Seay said, noting the preamble to the university’s governing document explicitly states the school’s biblical commitment and its adherence to orthodox Christian doctrine.

Ed Jackson of Garland noted the decision is “all about dollars” and HBU’s desire to expand its pool of potential donors. He expressed concern about the precedent it would set for other BGCT institutions.

“This will put pressure on every one of our institutions to do the same thing,” Jackson said. “It’s a slippery slope, and this is a huge step.”
Marshall Johnston of Aransas Pass, a member of the education subcommittee of the institutional relations committee, expressed his support for the motion, noting a steady decrease in Texas Baptist budget support for institutions in recent years.

“It is all about the money. But if we want to maintain control, we need to pony up,” he said.

BGCT President David Lowrie of El Paso likewise expressed his support for the motion.

“It may be an opportunity for us to broaden our influence within the evangelical community rather than diminishing our influence,” he said.

In an interview after the board meeting, Seay emphasized the change stipulates the maximum number of non-Baptists that could become trustees, but he could not foresee reaching that number. Currently, only two trustees on a 36-member board are members of churches not affiliated to the BGCT, he reported. At least five are members of a church dually aligned with the BGCT and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention.

“I think this can be a win/win for the kingdom, for the university and for the BGCT,” he said.