Posted: 9/19/03

Elkins	Harris	Thompson

Annuity Board expands service
in Texas with three representatives

DALLAS–The Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention has tripled its staff devoted to helping Texas Baptist ministers and other clients of its retirement programs.

Previously, one area director related to the 5,700 congregations and 115 associations within the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Now, three area directors will share the responsibility.

Chris Elkins will work with churches and associations in the Panhandle and West Texas. His major cities include Abilene, Lubbock, Amarillo, El Paso, Brownwood and surrounding associations.

Elkins came to the Annuity Board in 1999 after serving on the staff of Southern Baptist churches in Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas.

Brad Thompson will serve churches and associations in South Texas. His region will include all churches and associations from San Antonio to Brownsville.

Thompson joined the Annuity Board staff in 1986 after serving as a missionary in Mexico City, on the staff of Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler and as the singles and married young adult consultant with the BGCT.

Mike Harris will assist churches and associations in Central and East Texas. His region will include the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex as well as Austin, Houston and East Texas.

Harris recently joined the Annuity Board staff after serving as a family financial planner the past five years. He also was the founding pastor in 1993 of Broadmoor Life Fellowship Church in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Any participant may contact the Annuity Board at (800) 262-0511 or www.absbc.org.

Posted: 9/19/03

Aaron Epps	Tiffany Epps	David Humphrey	Danyel Humphrey
Dennis Janz	Jody Janz	Jeremy Taliaferro	Susan Taliaferro

Around the State

Mathematics professor Marsha Pool recently was honored with Dallas Baptist Univeristy's highest honor of Master Teacher. Pool is the first person so designated by the university. Also voted professor of the year in 1991, Pool came to the campus in 1966. She is a member of First Church in Duncanville.

Appointments

Four couples with Texas ties were among the 61 missionaries commissioned by the International Mission Board Sept. 7 at Great Hills Church in Austin:

Aaron and Tiffany Epps will serve as church starters in eastern South America. She is a Nederland native and attended Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene. They have a daughter, Emma, born in March.

Fourteen people from First Church in Georgetown went to New York City to work with East 7th Street Church’s Grafitti Mission. Pam Emmert and Donna Woody were just two of the crew who helped lead a Vacation Bible School while a construction team also worked to improve the facilities. The entire team spent time learning to lay slate flooring and grout it, lay other floor tile and install bathroom tiling. The team also decorated for, served and cleaned up after the church’s Volunteer Appreciation Banquet, which 80 people attended. The team also led Bible studies, participated in a nursing home ministry and were after-school tutors.

David and Danyel Humphrey will serve in eastern South America, where he will be strategy coordinator. He is a Dallas native.

Dennis and Jody Janz will be church starters in southern Africa. He is the former pastor of Lake O' the Pines Church in Avinger. They have three children, David, Josiah and Caleb.

Jeremy and Susan Taliaferro will serve in western South America, where he will be strategy coordinator. He is a Fort Worth native and is a graduate of Hardin-Simmons University. He also served as assistant pastor/ youth and music minister at Solid Rock Church in Abilene. He recently was a multihousing church planter with Plymouth Park Church in Irving.

Anniversaries

Howard Mayne, fifth, as pastor of Carlisle Church in Lubbock, Sept. 1.

Paul Dorsey, 15th, as minister of education and church business administrator at Calvary Church in Garland, Sept. 21.

First Church in Goodrich, 100th, Sept. 21. Shelton Easley is pastor.

Eternal Faith Church in Manor, 25th, Sept. 28. Former pastor Howard Daniel will preach, and other former pastors will attend. Stuart Sheehan will lead the music. Lunch will follow the morning service. John Lawrence is pastor.

Kevin Kendrick, 15th, as minister of music at Mims Church in Conroe, Sept. 28. A special service will honor him that evening.

Chinese Church in Houston, 50th, Oct. 4-5. George Wilson, a former missionary to Hong Kong, will be the guest speaker. James Wong is pastor.

Duffau Church in Hico, 125th, Oct. 5. A luncheon will follow the morning service, and an afternoon celebration service will begin at 2 p.m. Former pastor and past Southern Baptist Convention President Jimmy Allen will preach. For more information, call (254) 796-4967. Neil Wade is pastor.

First Church of Fannett in Beaumont, 90th, Oct. 5. A celebration service will be held at 2 p.m. with Brad and Sue Bickham in concert. Robert Wenner is pastor.

College Heights Church in Cleburne, 50th, Oct. 12. Plans include the recognition of charter member Doris Peters for 50 years of service as pianist and organist. A lunch and 1:30 p.m. service also are planned. Former pastors scheduled to attend include Lester Grubbs, Ferris Akins, Charles Taylor, Oral Bowman, and Bob Stanford. Mark Ely is pastor.

First Church in Albuquerque, N.M., 150th, Oct. 17-19. For more information, call (505) 247-3611. Steve Taylor is pastor.

Forest Oaks Church in Houston, 50th, Oct. 26. Homecoming services are planned, and former staff and members are asked to contact the church at (713) 645-2421 so that an invitation can be sent. Kevin Barefield is pastor.

Old Moulton Church in Moulton, 130th, Oct. 26. A catered meal will follow the morning service. Former members or pastors planning to attend are asked to call (361) 596-4415 by Oct. 15. Richard Sparks is pastor.

First Church in Lake Jackson, 60th, Oct. 26. A lunch will follow the morning service. To make reservations, call (979) 297-2496. John Hatch is pastor.

Events

The Heights Church in Richardson will hold a theater workshop Oct. 3-4. The workshop will include nightly presentations of the “Cotton Patch Gospel.” Registration is $114 per person or $95 for accredited ministers. Registration closes Sept. 26. Call (972) 335-3238 for more information.

Pond Springs Church in Austin will hold homecoming services Oct. 11 at 3 p.m. A dinner will be provided at 5 p.m. For more information, call (512) 258-1447. Dick Carroll is pastor.

First Church in Pharr recently honored Mary Lou Lucas for her six decades of service to the church at either the piano or organ. Pastor Mike Flanagan pointed out that she started her service just 15 months after the beginning of World War II. After being presented with a plaque and flowers, Lucas spoke, recalling that a week after joining the church she realized there was no pianist and volunteered for the job. The church didn't have a nursery then, so her two small children accompanied her on the platform–the youngest in a carrier on the piano bench.

First Church in Denton will hold its fourth annual House of Judgment Oct. 22-Nov. 2 (no performances on Friday nights). Groups of 10 or more require reservations. For reservations call (940) 382-2577, ext. 194. Groups are sent through every 10 minutes from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; the evangelistic drama takes 40 minutes to complete. Jeff Williams is pastor.

Retiring

Tommy Marshall, as pastor of Macedonia Church in Carthage, Sept. 21. He was a minister 30 years, and is available for supply, revivals and other special events at (903) 657-9457.

Death

Robert Caywood, 77, Aug. 27 in Palo Pinto. He was a pastor 60 years in California, Oklahoma and Texas; 41 of those years he served at First Church in Palo Pinto. While a pastor, he worked in the Mineral Wells Independent School District 23 years and was principal of Palo Pinto Elementary School five years. He is survived by his wife, Betty; daughters, Nancy Lee Johnson and Shirley Ann Greenway; sons, Robert Joe, James Dean and Terry Glen; 18 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; sisters, Ruth Deck, Annabelle Scruggs and Eva Seratte; and brother, Elzay.

Ordained

Tommy Beck as a deacon at Harmony Church in Eastland.

Reynaldo Castillo, Marion Cunningham, Miguel DeLeon and Charlie McCauley as deacons at Gardendale Church in Corpus Christi.

James Conn as a deacon at First Church in Sudan.

Seth Adams, Don Bullock, Michael Curtis, Ken Hamilton, Wayne Moses, Lloyd Nichols, Patrick Stacey, Ted Willis and Jeremy Wilson as deacons at Colonial Hills Church in Tyler.

Revivals

Maxey Church, Sumner; Sept. 21-24; *evangelist, Bill Riddick; *music, Brad and Sue Bickham; pastor, Billie Ullrich.

Brentwood Church, Houston; Sept. 27-Oct. 1; evangelists, Henry Batson, Harriet Jinwright, Keith Smith and Frederick Haynes; music, Yolandra Simmons-Jones, Kathy Taylor Brown, V. Michael McKay and Vickie Winans; pastor, Joe Ratliff.

Calvary Church, Garland; Sept. 28-Oct. 1; evangelist, Jerry Winfield; *music, Nancy Allen; pastor, Greg Bowers.

First Church, Trenton; Sept. 28-Oct. 1; evangelist, Ken May; music, Ralph Green; pastor, Steve Holland.

Cedar Valley Church, Elgin; Oct. 5-8; evangelist, Michael Lewis; pastor, Paul Stephens.

*vocational evangelist

Posted: 9/19/03

Ballpark preacher for the Fort Worth Cats

By Ken Camp

Texas Baptist Communications

FORT WORTH–Some might say life threw Jim Hollars a curve ball when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. But the church starter-turned-baseball chaplain just saw it as a change-up and adjusted his swing.

The West Texas native served 30 years as a minister of music and youth before he was called on to fill in temporarily as pastor of a storefront church in Ohio. “I started preaching and never looked back,” he said.

Chaplain Jim Hollars talks with catcher Brian Moon prior to a Fort Worth Cats game at LaGrave Field.( David Clanton/Standard Photo)

In 1994, Hollars started a church in Toledo and before long also started working part-time as a chaplain with a minor league baseball team, the Mudhens. But after a couple of years, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's.

Eventually, the degenerative neurological ailment left his voice weak and raspy, and he no longer was physically able to stand for a half-hour at a time in the pulpit preaching.

Hollars and his wife, Shirley, retired and moved to Fort Worth to be near their grandchildren. But they were convinced God still had a place of ministry for them.

Today, they serve as Mission Service Corps volunteers and ministers of missions at Point of Hope Church, a mission of Lamar Baptist Church of Arlington. And Hollars expands his ministry beyond Point of Hope Church by working as a chaplain with the Fort Worth Cats, a minor league team in the independent Central Baseball League.

“I don't belong with these professional athletes. I'm too old and too crippled,” Hollars said. “I tremble and can't speak plainly sometimes. But God uses my weaknesses.”

The Baptist General Convention of Texas recognizes Point of Hope as a missional “key church,” meaning it intentionally seeks to allow missions to permeate every aspect of church life. Texas Baptists provide support for the key church and Mission Service Corps programs through their gifts to the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas missions.

Until Point of Hope Church moved its worship services from Sunday morning to Saturday night, Hollars sometimes had to leave church early to head to LaGrave Field for pre-game chapel services. But he slipped out of the services with Pastor Darren Whitehead's blessings.

“At Point of Hope, it's all about building God's kingdom, not building our own kingdom,” Hollars said. “Serving with Baseball Chapel really is an extension of my ministry at the church. The congregation prays for us, and they're very supportive.”

During the 96-game regular minor league season, Hollars typically holds three chapel services before each home game–one for the Cats, one for their opponents and one for the umpires.

Jim and Shirley Hollars hold a lunchtime Bible study for the Cats each week at their home in Southwest Fort Worth. A typical Bible study begins not only with prayer requests like health for ill family members and hope for spiritually lost friends, but also healing for injured players and jobs for the off-season.

In part, the players are drawn to the Bible study by the desire for Christian fellowship and a hunger to learn more about Scripture. But Hollars acknowledges they're also drawn by hunger for his wife's cooking.

“The home-cooked meal is a big attraction,” he said. “These guys eat at McDonald's a lot.”

Hollars leads a home Bible study attended by Fort Worth Cats players Brian Moon, Jim Essian and Chris Cumberland.

Baseball Chapel is an international ministry recognized by Major League Baseball and the various minor league systems.

“A lot of guys on the teams will tell you they got saved in Baseball Chapel,” Hollars said.

Brian Moon, catcher with the Fort Worth Cats, came to faith in Christ through the ministry of Baseball Chapel in 1999 when he was playing in Wisconsin.

“Every Sunday, he'd come into the locker room for chapel, so one day I went out to lunch with the chapel guy,” Moon recalled. “I got saved that afternoon.”

Jim Essian Jr., center fielder for the Cats and a regular participant in Hollars' Bible studies, has a strong family connection to Baseball Chapel. “My dad got saved in Baseball Chapel back in 1978, when he was with the Oakland A's.”

Almost without exception, players express appreciation for the presence of a chaplain, Hollars said. But that doesn't mean every player attends services.

“A lot of guys are scared to try it. They know they're missing something, but they're afraid they would have to change their lifestyles. It's definitely not easy to walk the walk,” said Chris Cumberland, closing pitcher for the Cats, who has played baseball professionally 11 years.

Cumberland understands the baseball lifestyle, having grown up around the game. His father, John Cumberland, was in the major leagues from 1968 to 1974, pitching for the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants and California Angels, and now is pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals.

“The baseball life is not like anything else,” he said. “You're constantly going from city to city. You're out late at night. It makes you grow up fast.”

Ministering in that kind of environment has provided a sense of missionary fulfillment for Hollars, and it has given him the opportunity to minister not only to players and officials, but also groundskeepers, ushers and vendors.

“I've been amazed at how well-received Baseball Chapel is and how we're able to go into a totally secular environment and talk about Jesus so openly,” Hollars said. “It's an opportunity to practice being the presence of Christ in a secular environment, every time I enter the ballpark.”

Chaplain Jim Hollars talks with catcher Brian Moon prior to a Fort Worth Cats game at LaGrave Field. Below, Hollars leads a home Bible study attended by Fort Worth Cats players Brian Moon, Jim Essian and Chris Cumberland.

David Clanton/Standard

Posted: 9/19/03

Barna probes why many small churches remain small

VENTURA, Calif.–Small churches are small, and big churches are big for a reason, according to pollster George Barna.

There's more at work than location and population growth, two factors often cited as reasons for church growth.

In addition to those factors, Barna said, certain types of people prefer small churches or large churches, and all size churches play a role in doing God's work.

On average, churches in the United States attract fewer than 90 adults on a typical weekend, he reported. Sixty percent of Protestant churches have 100 or fewer adults in attendance on a typical weekend.

Large churches, those that draw more than 1,000 adults on a typical weekend, account for only 2 percent of all churches.

From another vantage point, 41 percent of church-going adults attend churches with 100 or fewer adults present, and 12 percent of church-going adults attend churches with more than 1,000 adults present.

Based on a study of the church-going habits of 4,501 adults randomly sampled from the U.S. population, Barna discovered that small churches are more likely than either mid-sized (301-999 adults) or large churches to draw people who are not college graduates and are more likely to appeal to people with lower household incomes.

However, an exception exists for adults under 35 years of age, who are more likely than older adults to attend small churches.

Barna cited two possible explanations for this pattern. First, younger adults tend not to have children. Families with children often gravitate to larger churches that offer more programs and opportunities for children.

Second, Barna said, the baby bust generation shows disinterest in baby boomer-led organizations and in large-scale enterprises. “Busters are more interested in being personally known and connected, which many believe is more difficult to accomplish in larger churches,” he explained.

At the same time, mid-sized and large churches tend to attract a higher proportion of “upscale” adults–those whose education and income levels enable the church to take more risks, be more aggressive in marketing and draw resources from deeper pockets and broader backgrounds.

Upscale individuals more often are comfortable with leadership requirements and decision-making and tend to be more excited about organizational growth, Barna said. He pointed out that large churches appeal particularly to boomers; one-fourth of church-going boomers attend churches of 500 or more adults, compared to one-sixth of church-going busters.

Adults attending mid-sized and large churches tend to be more conservative in their theology as well as their social and political views, Barna added.

The data should not be construed to discount the value of small churches, Barna said. “These insights simply identify some of the critical challenges that the average small church has to address.

“Small churches play an important and valuable role in the religious landscape of America. They reach millions of young adults who have no interest in a larger church setting. They have tremendous potential for building strong community, as well as spiritual foundations. And small churches often grow into larger churches once they develop significant internal leadership and creatively overcome their resource limitations.”

And growth should not be only objective of the church, he added. “Jesus did not die on the cross to fill up church auditoriums. He died so that people might know God personally and be transformed in all dimensions of their life through their ongoing relationship with him. Such a personal reformation can happen in a church of any size.”

And despite the media attention given to mega-churches, small churches will continue to be the norm, Barna said. “We anticipate mid-sized churches becoming a more significant force in the future, with many of those churches spawning new congregations rather than expanding to become mega-churches. However, large congregations are here to stay and meet the needs of a specific segment of the population.”

Posted: 9/19/03

Statement from Duane Brooks on resigning from Baylor board

A little over three years ago, I accepted the nomination of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and was elected to the board of regents at Baylor University. Some months later, my brother David Brooks was chosen by President Robert Sloan to be Baylor's vice president and CFO. I neither participated in the interview process nor voted on his hiring.

When I first learned of President Sloan's intention to hire my brother, I immediately offered to step down from the board to remove any possibility of a conflict of interest. This offer was studied and considered by the Baylor administration and legal counsel. After the review was completed, I was assured by Baylor that my continued service was both desired and proper.

To safeguard against any potential conflicts of interest, Baylor developed very specific and strict guidelines about my participation in board activities. I have never served on any committee or participated in any board activity which directly related to my brother's work. I have voluntarily left board meetings when his salary or job performance was considered and voted upon. On a number of occasions during my tenure, I have renewed my offer to Baylor to resign as a regent in order to avoid the appearance of impropriety. Each time, I was told that my continued participation as a regent was fully acceptable to Baylor and permitted under the bylaws of the Baylor board of regents.

In 2002, the BGCT asked me to renew for another three-year term as a regent. I assumed that I was qualified and eligible to serve under BGCT rules when I was re-nominated and re-elected by the convention.

You can imagine my surprise when a Dallas Morning News article by Linda Wertheimer, published on Sept. 7, 2003, claimed that my appointment as a regent violated the internal BGCT guidelines for trustees of their educational institutions. This was my first indication that I might be disqualified under BGCT policies.

The BGCT had not raised any potential problem with my qualifications during either of my terms of service. In that article, Ms. Wertheimer also suggested that the BGCT, or members of the BGCT, had asked me to resign from my position. This, too, was a surprise to me as I had not been contacted by the BGCT about this issue and had certainly not been asked to resign by any individual or organization.

After the publication of the Sept. 7 article, I spoke with Dr. Charles Wade, executive director of the BGCT, and reviewed, for the first time, the internal BGCT guidelines on the nomination of institutional trustees. Dr. Wade has not demanded or requested my resignation at any point in time. He has presented the information from the guidelines and has graciously invited me to consider this matter.

During my tenure as a Baylor regent, I have held a sincere belief that my service was proper under both Baylor and BGCT policies. Because of the internal controls established by Baylor, I am confident that no actual conflicts of interest have occurred. Nonetheless, it is now apparent that my continued service as a Baylor regent would not conform to the BGCT guidelines. Although this issue went unnoticed by all concerned for over three years, I recognize that it remains a valid issue. In this regard, I am indebted to Ms. Wertheimer for bringing this matter to light. Because I hold both Baylor University and the BGCT in the highest regard, I have decided to tender my resignation in order to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

As I reflect on my tenure as a regent, I am so very grateful for the privilege of serving the university I love and respect. I intend to continue to support Baylor and to seek to bring healing in the larger Baylor family. I have many good friends who have a broad range of opinions on the current work at Baylor. Many in my congregation at Tallowood Baptist Church love Robert Sloan and support his leadership; others express sincere concerns about a wide range of issues. I hope to continue to represent them and others to Dr. Sloan and the Baylor board of regents as a committed member of the broader Baylor family.

I also intend to provide both support and encouragement to my brother, David Brooks, as he continues to serve Baylor. After this issue arose, David graciously offered to resign his own position in order that I might continue to serve as a regent. However, I strongly believe that David's work is much more important and strategic for Baylor than mine. His leadership is critical to the implementation of vision 2012.

David was the pioneer in our family who first went to Baylor, receiving two degrees and leading all three of his brothers to follow. Each of us has received two degrees from Baylor University. Three of our wives are also Baylor graduates, giving us 11 Baylor degrees among this generation of our family. The next generation of the Brooks family will enter Baylor next year.

I strongly believe that my brother is called to his work as a vocation. All his adult life he has wanted to create opportunities for more young people to attend college. He has led the way in offering greater financial help to middle-class families, making Baylor more accessible to many students. I am extremely proud of him and view him as one of the finest leaders I have ever known.

My deep conviction is that my own primary calling is to be the pastor and shepherd of Tallowood Baptist Church. For the past 22 years, since I was a teenaged pastor in Falls County, I have served four different Texas Baptist congregations. I stand amazed that God allows me to serve the wonderful people at Tallowood. This great church has led the way in Texas through mission giving over its 40-year history. We have embarked this year on a new plan to start 30 new churches over the next 30 years, while we simultaneously build here to accommodate the growth of the church over the last five years. With five weekend services, and a large and dynamic staff, this remarkable congregation deserves my undivided attention. I am also anticipating the invaluable opportunity to spend additional time with my wonderful wife and my two young sons.

So with gratitude for the opportunity to have served Baylor, with deep appreciation for the dedicated board of regents with whom I served, and with great joy and confirmation in my own calling, I respectfully resign from my position as a regent at Baylor University and will continue to prayerfully and diligently seek to be the best pastor I can be.

—Sept. 18, 2003

Posted: 9/19/03

Brooks leaves Baylor board;
internal auditor disputes charges of conflicts

By Mark Wingfield

Managing Editor

WACO–Houston pastor Duane Brooks resigned from the Baylor University board of regents Sept. 18, citing concerns raised in a newspaper article about a potential conflict of interest.

The Dallas Morning News reported Sept. 7 that Brooks' service on the board violated a policy of the Baptist Geneal Convention of Texas, which elected him to the post. His brother, David Brooks, is Baylor's chief financial officer.

Duane Brooks' resignation came less than a week after an internal Baylor auditor declared that published concerns about conflicts of interest on the Baylor board are “completely baseless and unjustified.”

Duane Brooks

The assessment of Juan Alejandro, Baylor's director of internal audit and management, was delivered to reporters Sept. 12, after a news conference at which regents declared their support for embattled President Robert Sloan.

See Brooks' complete statement here.

Prior to that meeting, amid calls for Sloan's termination from the Faculty Senate, some regents and some alumni, two media outlets raised questions about the objectivity of the board to make such a decision.

Some board members, the reports suggested, might have conflicts of interest that could color their action.

In addition to the Dallas Morning News, potential conflicts of interest also were discussed in an editorial published on the Baptist website EthicsDaily.com Sept. 9.

The Morning News article, written by staff writer Linda Wertheimer, noted, “Some Sloan critics contend that the deck is stacked in the president's favor because of what they consider conflicts that impair the impartiality of some of the 36 regents.”

The article cited four examples, including Brooks, pastor of Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston; regent Wes Bailey, who owns a Waco insurance company that underwrites Baylor insurance policies; regent Jim Turner, president of the Dr Pepper/Seven Up Bottling Co. in Dallas, which has an exclusive contract with the school; and regent Brian Harbour, pastor of First Baptist Church of Richardson, who teaches adjunctively in Baylor's Truett Seminary.

The EthicsDaily.com editorial mentioned “a number of conflicts of interest on the board,” including those referenced by the Morning News and others. One regent “attends the school's seminary,” author Robert Parham wrote. “Other regents allegedly have adult children on the school payroll. Still others have significant financial interests in the school.”

Parham's editorial criticized a “culture of denial and deception” at Baylor. “The administration's attitude about conflicts of interest is to deny the problem with the deflective reasoning that the regents disclose their conflicts annually and are good people who do the right thing,” he wrote. “If this is the case, the school's leadership deceives itself about how relational and financial pressures can cause morally good people to make morally compromised decisions.”

Three-fourths of the Baylor board is selected by the board itself, and one-fourth is selected by the BGCT.

Baylor spokesman Larry Brumley provided to the Standard a copy of the five-page policy governing conflicts of interest for Baylor regents. It was given with a requirement that the Standard not share it with any other media outlets.

Brumley said the regents are required to disclose annually any conflicts of interest they may have. Those reports are given only to the board, he said, and are held as confidential information.

This practice is spelled out in the regents' policy, which says the annual declarations of conflicts of interest are to be given to the board's audit committee. Disclosures made among the regents are not made public.

The policy provides two “general rules.” The first is that Baylor will seek competitive bids in business transactions.

The second is that the university “shall refrain from entering into any financial, business or other transaction with a regent or a member of his or her immediate family or with any entity or individual in which any such person has a financial interest or management responsibility, inasmuch as such transaction might involve a potential conflict of interest.”

The policy also allows the audit committee to make exceptions to these two rules in cases where the committee believes such a transaction would be in the university's best interest. The policy does not require public disclosure of cases where exceptions are made.

However, the policy warns regents that they “should follow the biblical admonition to avoid even the appearance of impropriety” because “the results of a perceived impropriety may become, over time, more disruptive or damaging than an actual transgression.”

The BGCT policy regarding conflicts of interest and eligibility for service on BGCT-elected boards states: “Trustees must not be related in the third degree by birth, adoption or marriage to each other or to the chief administrators of the institutions on which board they serve.” Chief administrators, the policy says, include the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief accounting officer and chief operating officer.

The policy statement adds a definition of third-degree relations, noting exclusion of parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, nieces, nephews, great-grandchildren.

Duane Brooks said Sept. 18 he was not aware of the BGCT policy until he read the Morning News article. “It is now apparent that my continued service as a Baylor regent would not conform to BGCT guidelines. Although this issue went unnoticed by all concerned for over three years, I recognize that it remains a valid issue.”

Duane Brooks first was elected to the Baylor board by BGCT messengers in November 1999 and began serving on the board June 1, 2000. David Brooks began work as the university's chief financial officer Oct. 1, 2000.

Duane Brooks emphasized that he excused himself from the discussion and vote on his brother's hiring, as well as every subsequent matter the board has approached that relates to his brother. “I am confident that no actual conflicts of interest have occurred,” he said.

The pastor said that when he first learned of his brother's potential hiring, he “immediately offered to step down from the board to remove any possibility of a conflict of interest.”

However, Baylor's “administration and legal counsel” assured him his continued service was “desired and proper,” Brooks said.

“On a number of occasions during my tenure, I have renewed my offer to Baylor to resign as a regent in order to avoid the appearance of impropriety,” he added. “Each time, I was told that my continued participation as a regent was fully acceptable to Baylor and permitted under the bylaws of the Baylor board of regents.”

David Brooks told the Morning News Sept. 7 he thinks critics of Sloan brought attention to his brother's service on the board because they've been unable to remove the president. “This group of dissidents is attacking regents individually. Where was the concern three years ago?” he asked.

Allegations of regents' conflicts of interest are among a variety of issues to be investigated by a newly appointed committee of the regents. It will be chaired by Dale Jones, a retired director and vice president of Halliburton in Dallas. Other members are Bill Brian, an attorney from Amarillo; Bobby Dagnel, pastor of First Baptist Church of Lubbock and a doctor of ministry student in Baylor's Truett Seminary; Sue Getterman of Waco; David Sibley, a former state senator from Waco; and Harold Cunningham, Baylor's retired chief financial officer, who lives in Crawford.

Despite the news accounts and the appointment of the regents' own investigative committee, the university administration insisted in its Sept. 12 news release that no conflicts of interest exist on the board.

“It is not a conflict of interest to care about Baylor, have children or friends at Baylor, make charitable donations or to be involved in community activities that touch the university,” said Alejandro.

He cited several examples:

Regent Joe Coleman has two children who work for Baylor, and he may represent the university in a future lawsuit, Alejandro noted.

“We looked at the pay records, and Mr. Coleman's children are being paid wages comparable to others in their positions,” he added. On the issue of representing Baylor in the lawsuit, Alejandro said, Coleman will not participate in regents' discussion of it, and he did not participate in the decision to hire the firm.

Regent Turner has a exclusive contract to distribute drinks on campus.

“That contract was awarded in August 1997 through a competitive bid process, three years before Mr. Turner came on the Baylor board,” Alejandro said. “Their bid providing revenue to Baylor was several million dollars higher than the other bid. In late 2000, the athletic department recommended an extension of the exclusive vending-rights contract, which was executed in December of that year.”

Regent Bailey is president of a family-run company that has the university's insurance contract. He also teaches adjunctively in the business school.

“Mr. Bailey's insurance agency has served as the university's broker since the late 1960s, well before he came on the board,” Alejandro explained. “Furthermore, the university has historically employed an independent insurance consultant every three to four years to evaluate Baylor's total insurance program–both coverage and pricing–and the work his firm performs on behalf of the university. Regarding the class being taught, he is being paid the same as other similar positions, and Mr. Bailey plans to donate his after-tax income to the endowment.”

Bailey released his own one-page statement, asserting that he is “in compliance” with Baylor's conflict-of-interest policy. Bailey also noted that his father, who is chairman of the insurance company, served on the Baylor board for 18 years. During that time, he not only sold insurance coverage to Baylor, but he was appointed by then-President Herbert Reynolds as the university's adjunct risk manager.

Regent Harbour also teaches adjunctively at Baylor, within Truett Seminary. He has taught there since 1994, the year before he was elected to the board, the news release said. “His salary is consistent with other adjunct faculty at Truett, so there is no conflict of interest.”

Even regent Brooks, he wrote, presents “no violation of the university's conflict of interest policy.” However, he added: “We understand that there may be an issue regarding compliance with the (BGCT's) own conflict of interest policy in this case, and the university will be working with the BGCT to resolve that matter.”

Alejandro's internal audit department, according to the university's organizational chart, reports directly to President Sloan but also carries a dotted-line relationship under the supervision of David Brooks.

Duane Brooks expressed gratitude for the opportunity to have served on the board of his alma mater. He pledged to provide “both support and encouragement” to his brother, whose work for the university he declared more important than his own as a regent.

Brooks said he also hopes to work to bring about healing in the fractured Baylor family. “I have many good friends who have a broad range of opinions on the current work at Baylor,” he noted. “Many in my congregation at Tallowood Baptist Church love Robert Sloan and support his leadership; others express sincere concerns about a wide range of issues. I hope to continue to represent them and others to Dr. Sloan and the Baylor board of regents as a committed member of the broader Baylor family.”

Posted: 9/19/03

Baylor enrollment drops;
some measures improve

By Mark Wingfield

Managing Editor

WACO–Fall enrollment at Baylor University is down, but the university made gains against some key enrollment goals this year.

Total university enrollment is 13,937, a decrease of 1.6 percent or 222 students from last fall.

Total undergraduate enrollment is 11,712, a decrease of 2.3 percent or 275 students from last fall's 11,987.

However, this fall's freshman class is larger than last fall's by 58 students and came closer to hitting budget goals than last fall's entering class.

The university budget anticipated 2,775 freshmen and 500 transfer students this fall. Freshman enrollment missed the budget goal by only 97 students, an improvement over last year's miss of 225 students.

This year's transfer-student enrollment of 420 fell 80 students short of budget goals.

Together, freshman and transfer enrollment missed budget goals by 177 students.

While an improvement, that shortfall translates into a $2.96 million loss in anticipated tuition income, assuming all would have been full-pays or received scholarship assistance from outside the university's general budget.

Baylor staff members had been told their ability to receive pay raises this year would be dependent on meeting fall enrollment projections.

Meeting enrollment goals has become more urgent due to the implementation of Baylor 2012, a 10-year strategic plan that calls for massive construction projects, hiring hundreds of additional faculty members and gaining Tier One status in the U.S. News & World Report rankings.

Total enrollment, undergraduate enrollment and freshman enrollment all dropped last fall, the first year of a new flat-rate tuition implemented through Baylor 2012. Tuition increased 29 percent last fall over what it previously had been.

Last year's losses ended a string of enrollment increases in undergraduate enrollment and total enrollment, although freshman enrollment had bounced up and down over the preceding years.

Last fall's entering freshman class of 2,620 was the smallest in five years. This fall's total of 2,678 new freshmen, while an increase from last year, is otherwise the smallest entering class in six years.

Baylor also recorded a decline in number of returning students this fall, with 8,582, down 303.

University officials attributed that decline to the smaller size of last year's freshman class and a larger-than-usual graduating class last spring.

The retention rate among last year's freshmen is 84 percent, which is a slight improvement. That is significant because last fall's freshman class was the first to pay the new, higher tuition rate.

Enrollment in graduate programs overall has held steady, although Truett Seminary has continued its growth trend. The seminary has grown from 123 students in 1996 to 379 this fall. This year's seminary enrollment is a 7.3 percent gain over last fall.

Law School enrollment is 440, a 3 percent gain over last year.

In related news, Baylor's board of regents approved a 6.87 percent increase in tuition for the 2004-2005 academic year. That will put next fall's tuition at $17,900 per year, up from $16,750 this year.

In addition, the general student fee will increase 7.97 percent next fall, to $1,490, and room rates will increase 7.04 percent to $2,920. With a 3.2 percent increase in meal-plan rates, that will bring the total cost of tuition, room and board next year to $25,102.

Tuition for graduate students operates on a different scale. The rate will increase 6.67 percent for Truett Seminary.

Editor's note: Detailed reports on Baylor's enrollment trends may be found at www.baylor.edu. Click on the About Baylor icon, then in the left-hand column choose Quick Facts and then Trends.

Posted: 9/19/03

Baylor board meets
behind closed doors for business

By Mark Wingfield

Managing Editor

WACO–At the Sept. 12 news conference where Baylor University regents Chairman Drayton McLane announced the board's strong support for President Robert Sloan, he was flanked by 34 of his fellow regents, many of whom stayed afterward to talk with reporters.

That was a change from previous regents' meetings, where only McLane was authorized to speak to reporters and regents who broke that mandate were chastized. This time, even regents who dissented with the majority vote favoring Sloan were given freedom to tell their side of the story.

One other factor did not change, however. The entire regents' meeting, which started at 8 a.m. and ran until about 1 p.m., was conducted behind closed doors. Media representatives and other observers waited in a classroom on the first floor of Cashion Academic Center, while the regents met in an undisclosed location.

While personnel matters, namely Sloan's performance as president, reportedly dominated the meeting, the board also dealt with more routine business. According to university news releases, the board raised tuition, approved a new degree program and received a report from an internal auditor on alleged conflicts of interest on the board.

None of that business was conducted in open session.

In contrast, the committees and Executive Board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas generally operate in open session, except for personnel matters. Likewise, trustees of the Southern Baptist Convention's seminaries and mission boards also conduct most of their business in open session.

Public universities, such as Texas A&M or the University of Texas, are required by law to conduct board meetings in the open.

Three days prior to the Baylor board meeting, President Sloan criticized Baylor's Faculty Senate for meeting in closed session to take a vote of no confidence in his administration.

“I think they should be more open about their processes. … I think they should be challenged to have open meetings,” he told reporters. “I think it's very important that the sun shine in on all of what they do. So again, openness is very important on the part of the faculty, on the part of the staff, on the part of the entire Baylor family.”

A reporter then asked Sloan if he would advocate the same openness for the board of regents and for release of key governing documents, such as the bylaws, that the university's general counsel has declared confidential.

He responded: “Some of the documents are by policy confidentially held. Baylor University conducts its meetings, the overwhelming bulk of our meetings are not done in executive session. … I suspect newspaper boards and magazine boards and corporate boards for television also have executive sessions. That's important in any institution's life. … I think we have a very open process.”

Asked again if he thought the Faculty Senate should be held to a higher standard of openness than the board of regents, Sloan said: “They should abide by standards at least as high. … I think our board has a very positive record of openness and disclosure in the whole universe of private institutions.”

The same week, the Baptist Standard sought a copy of the university's policy on conflicts of interest for regents. The university's general counsel would not allow that policy to be released publicly, however.

After an inquiry from the Standard and publication of an online article describing the refusal to release the document, Baylor spokesman Larry Brumley provided a copy of the five-page policy to the Standard. It was released with a requirement that the Standard not share it with any other media outlets.

This summer, as regents conducted an investigation of one of their members on charges of wrongdoing, the Standard and other media outlets sought copies of the university's bylaws to ascertain what procedure would be followed. The university refused to disclose its basic governing document, calling it a privileged document.

The Standard finally obtained one paragraph from the bylaws, again with the admonition that the paragraph could not be shared with any other media outlets.

Likewise, when the Standard earlier reported on the Baylor administration's statement that the university had completed its prior fiscal year with a financial surplus, the supporting data could not be found in the university's published audit. The data to show that surplus, the Standard was told, appeared only in the university's internal “operating budget,” which is a confidential report.

Posted: 9/19/03

Baylor regents affirm Sloan's leadership 31-4

By Mark Wingfield

Managing Editor

WACO–Rather than firing President Robert Sloan as five members of the board of regents and the Faculty Senate had asked, the 36-member board passed a vote affirming Sloan's leadership Sept. 12.

Before regents went into their closed-door meeting, five regents announced their intent to ask the board to fire Sloan because of unrest among faculty and alumni. When the board emerged nearly five hours later, they stood jointly before reporters to announce instead the vote of affirmation, adopted 31-4. One regent left the meeting early and did not vote.

The motion to terminate that had been previously announced by regents John Wilkerson, Carl Bell, Mary Chavanne-Martin, Toby Druin and Jaclanel McFarland apparently was not put to a vote.

Baylor University President Robert Sloan addresses reporters at a news conference after the board of regents meeting at which he was affirmed on a 31-4 vote. He was flanked by board members behind him and regents Chairman Drayton McLane at his side. (Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune-Herald Photos)

Presented with a negative possibility, the board decided instead to vote on a positive motion, Regent Charles Overby explained in an interview after a regents' news conference.

“We expressed our confidence in Robert Sloan, his leadership and his vision,” Overby said. “That was the decisive vote. It wasn't that we didn't allow the other vote.”

The vote should settle questions of Sloan's leadership, Overby said. “This vote is unambiguous. The issue of the leadership of Baylor University is no longer in question. This in effect starts the second term of Robert Sloan.”

Regent Toby Druin, editor emeritus of the Baptist Standard, confirmed he was the one person among those initially calling for Sloan's firing who changed his mind.

“I was the one who jumped ship,” he said. “It was just after hearing Sloan's pledges to try to remain open, I tried to put as positive a face on it as I could.”

Druin confirmed that Sloan made pledges to the board about what he would do in the days ahead. What those pledges are was not spelled out in the news conference.

Regents Chairman Drayton McLane, owner of the Houston Astros, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram the regents will be overseeing Sloan's presidency to ensure he works with the Faculty Senate and other groups that have been critical of him.

“We're going to monitor Robert,” he told the paper.

Joe Cox, chairman of the Faculty Senate, speaks to reporters at a news conference three days previous to the regents' vote, when the Faculty Senate passed a vote of no confidence in the president.

At the news conference, McLane announced three committees would be appointed to investigate specific issues raised by critics.

One is a regents' review committee, which will examine issues such as faculty concerns, the alumni association and academic issues. It will be chaired by Will Davis of Austin. Other members are Stan Allcorn of Abilene, Jay Allison of Frisco, James Bowden of Waco, Steve Carmack of Hinton, Okla., Phil Lineberger of Sugar Land, Laree Perez of Corrales, N.M., Donell Teaff of Waco and Walker Harman of Dallas.

An audit review committee will study concerns that have been raised about tuition increases and school finances, as well as alleged conflicts of interest among board members. It will be chaired by Dale Jones of Dallas. Other members are Bill Brian of Amarillo, Bobby Dagnel of Lubbock, Sue Getterman of Waco, David Sibley of Waco and Harold Cunningham of Waco.

A legal issues committee will examine pending litigation. Its members are Joe Armes of Dallas, Joe Coleman of Richmond, David Sibley of Waco and Jaclanel McFarland of Houston.

In calling for Sloan's removal Sept. 8, the five regents were joined in separate but similar actions by the Faculty Senate, three former chairmen of the board of regents and the editorial board of the student newspaper, the Lariat.

Large numbers of other faculty, however, had expressed strong support for Sloan, several times holding public rallies. Some student groups also rallied for the president.

The Lariat editorial was written on majority opinion of the seven-member editorial board, on a 4-3 vote.

Sloan has been under attack by an array of critics for months. The dispute gained national attention this summer due to the media spotlight of a basketball scandal. However, the alumni and faculty critics of Sloan's administration have focused mainly on academic concerns.

Carl Bell and Jaclanel McFarland (above right) were among the four regents who voted against the affirmation of Sloan.

They have criticized the implementation of the university's 10-year strategic plan, Baylor 2012, for its $246 million bond debt, emphasis on hiring research-focused faculty at higher salaries than existing teaching-focused faculty and for alleged vindictiveness in treatment of faculty. When the administration essentially defunded the university's independent alumni association, more fuel was added to the fire.

The Faculty Senate, in its vote of no confidence in Sloan's leadership Sept. 9, cited a “chilling work environment, a climate characterized by distrust, anxiety, intimidation, favoritism, as well as profound concerns about the sanctity of academic freedom and professional standards.”

The five dissenting regents, in their letter calling for Sloan's termination, cited faculty unrest, “heavy and uneven-handed methods in seeking a particular kind of Christian professor,” the debt and “exorbitant tuition increases.”

To implement Baylor 2012, the university moved to a flat-rate tuition that started off with a 29 percent jump and is projected to increase about 8 percent per year until 2012.

In the news conference after the regents' meeting, McLane acknowledged “there has been a lot of discussion” about Sloan's leadership.

“There has been some controversy, lots of discussion,” he said. “That's part of the Baptist faith. There has been spirited debate in the last few months.”

However, the board “had a vote reaffirming the leadership of Robert Sloan,” McLane reported. “We feel very strongly about his leadership.”

Sloan spoke briefly to reporters, noting this has been “a very long and hot summer, and I have to say the entire experience has been a very humbling experience.”

He thanked the board “for this very strong reaffirmation of me today, not only of me but of the 2012 vision. … I will do everything within my power to reach out to all the Baylor family, faculty, staff, students, alumni. It's important for all of us to work together.

Sloan hugs his wife, Sue, after the regents vote of affirmation.

“The most important thing right now is to move forward, to make sure the Baylor family stands together.”

Asked how he intended to smooth things over with his critics, Sloan replied: “I want to make every effort to establish lines of communication.”

He talked of holding listening sessions with senior faculty and others. “I want to make sure their voices are heard.”

Asked what he had learned, Sloan answered: “I have learned from this and relearned the importance of communication. Communication means first and foremost listening.”

News of the board meeting made Page One headlines in major newspapers across Texas the next day, and both critics and supporters of the president sounded off in news releases, letters and paid advertisements.

The Committee to Restore Integrity to Baylor, an anti-Sloan group, released a statement calling the regents' action “a sad day for Baylor University.”

Rather than settling the matter, the regents' action “served only to prolong the divisiveness that has plagued the Baylor family” because the damage cannot be repaired without new leadership, the statement said. It was signed by the three former board chairmen who previously called for Sloan's termination–Glenn Biggs of San Antonio, Randy Fields of San Antonio and Gale Galloway of Austin–as well as Gracie Hatfield Hilton of Arlington, Bette McCall Miller of Dallas, Ronnie Rogers of Dallas and Joe Ross of Fort Worth.

Meanwhile, Baylor alumnus Harold Riley of Austin took out ads in major Texas newspapers the day after the regents' meeting to tell those opposed to Sloan it's time to give up the fight.

“I wanted them to understand I would not be supporting Baylor at the same level of commitment if anything happened to Robert Sloan,” the insurance executive told the Star-Telegram. Riley has given millions to Baylor and has pledged an additional $15 million. He also has been a major benefactor to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, where he gave $6 million to name the seminary's new Leadership Development Complex in honor of his former pastor, Ralph Smith.

Waco businessman Clifton Robinson, who started Friends of Baylor as a pro-Sloan group, told the Waco Tribune-Herald he was encouraged by the regents' action.

His group recently presented Sloan with a $1 million check for Baylor's endowment as a show of support. It also distributed bumper stickers and other spirit wear declaring support for Sloan and hired a public relations firm to help get out their message.

“We have said from the very beginning that the support is broad and the dissension is the minority,” he told the Waco paper. “We think the sleeping giant has now spoken.”

Editor's note: More stories about developing events at Baylor are available here.

Posted: 9/19/03

Proposed BGCT budget shows 10 percent cut

By Ken Camp

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS–The Baptist General Convention of Texas Administrative Committee has approved a $45.8 million operating budget recommendation for 2004, a 10 percent decrease from the 2003 budget.

At its Sept. 4-5 meeting, the committee voted to recommend to the BGCT Executive Board a $45,800,960 total budget for next year. Of that amount, $39.77 million is dependent upon the Cooperative Program giving of Texas Baptist churches.

The remaining $6.03 million is projected to come from gifts to the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas missions, endowment income, allocated funds, fees and funding from LifeWay Christian Resources and the North American Mission Board.

The budget projects a 14 percent drop in Cooperative Program income from this year's giving goal of $46 million, but it is in line with projected income for this year, according to David Nabors, BGCT treasurer.

The Executive Board will consider the budget recommendation at its Sept. 30 meeting. Messengers to the November BGCT annual session in Lubbock will vote on the budget proposal approved by the board.

More than half the $39.77 million recommended Cooperative Program giving plan is budgeted for institutional ministries, including more than $15 million for 23 schools, hospitals, child- and family-care ministries, and homes for the aging. It also includes $3.8 million for collegiate ministries through Baptist Student Ministry programs on about 100 campuses and $3.4 million for theological education.

The proposed 2004 Cooperative Program budget also includes:

$4.6 million for the BGCT Church Missions & Evangelism Section, including about $1.26 million for new-church support through the Church Multiplication Center.

$3.66 million for the BGCT Church Health & Growth Section, with $1.24 million going to the Bible Study/Discipleship Center.

$1.54 million to the BGCT Associational Missions & Administration Section, which includes African-American ministries, Hispanic work, intercultural initiatives and ministries to bivocational ministers and small-membership churches.

$584,868 for the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission and $48,762 for the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs.

Of more than $6 million reduced from the Cooperative Program budget for 2004, a little more than $1 million was eliminated through staff reductions. Other extensive cuts are proposed in ministry areas where staff remain.

Examples of ministry budget cuts include:

A church health and growth contingency fund that provided more than 5,000 staff consultations with churches in 2002 has been cut from a budget of $105,103 this year to zero next year.

Leadership development for bivocational and small-church pastors that was budgeted at $27,969 this year has been cut to $9,000 next year.

Budgeted funding for the Hispanic Baptist Convention of Texas and related ministries is cut dramatically, from $384,344 this year to $190,299 next year.

A line item that budgeted $23,803 this year for intercultural projects will receive no funding next year.

Grants for small churches through the church facilities office are cut from $25,000 this year to nothing next year.

In other business, the Administrative Committee endorsed a recommended ongoing partnership between the BGCT and the National Baptist Convention of Mexico. Under a covenant agreement, the two conventions would work cooperatively from 2003 to 2006, particularly in the areas of prayer, evangelism, church starting, missions, social ministries and leadership training.

The Administrative Committee also authorized $20,000 from available contingency funds for operational support of the Baptist World Alliance, and it allocated $180,000 from unrestricted earnings to the Texas Baptist Laity Institute for 2004.

With additional reporting by Managing Editor Mark Wingfield.

Posted: 9/19/03

Baptist Briefs

Annuity Board adds Blue Cross. The Annuity Board has reached an agreement with Highmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield that will give many participants in the Annuity Board's Preferred Provider Organization medical plans access to Blue Cross & Blue Shield PPO networks across the country. Effective Jan. 1, Annuity Board medical plan participants in many states will have a choice of networks. Current Annuity Board participants received information about the new medical plans and networks in mid-September. For more information, call (800) 262-0511.

ABP honors Wingfield. The Associated Baptist Press board of directors presented its inaugural "writer's award" Sept. 11 to Mark Wingfield, managing editor of the Baptist Standard. Greg Warner, ABP's executive editor, praised Wingfield as the "most prolific writer" in the network of contributing reporters to the news service. The award commended Wingfield's "skill, courage and tenacity" that have "distinguished him as a champion in the ministry of Christian journalism and the cause of religious freedom."

Central Seminary president to retire. Thomas Clifton, president of Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Kan., for the past decade, will retire Dec. 31. Clifton is the ninth president of the 102-year-old theological school, which is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches in the USA and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Posted: 9/19/03

Texan volunteers livening up
some struggling British churches

By George Henson

Staff Writer

HOUSTON–Texas Baptists are breathing new life into several struggling British Baptist churches, inspired by the calling a retired layman.

Chuck McComb is founder and president of American Interim Pastors Ministries, an organization that connects pastorless British churches with interim pastors from the United States. The interim pastors help grow the congregations to a point of health that allows them once again to hire their own pastors.

The seeds for the ministry were planted about a quarter century ago when Monsanto Chemicals transferred McComb to England. While living there four years, he and his family attended Cambridge Road Baptist Church in Middlesbrough.

Later, as he approached retirement, McComb began to sense a call to ministry and earned a master's degree in religious education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

The church in Middlesbrough learned of his graduation, and he was invited back to serve as interim pastor there after a 20-year absence.

While serving the British congregation, McComb noticed many small congregations were without pastors and struggling to survive. He learned there were not enough pastors available to meet the need.

A British Baptist official recently told McComb of 160 pastoral vacancies but only 31 pastoral candidates. Many of those pastorless churches have dwindled to the point they no longer can afford to pay a full-time pastor.

Currently, American Interim Pastors Ministries is working with two churches–Thornaby Baptist Church in northeast England and Milnsbridge Baptist Church in the north central region. Charles Vanderslice, founding pastor The Heights Baptist Church in Richardson, is serving the Thornaby congregation, and Paul McClung, retired pastor of First Baptist Church in Ingram, is serving Milnsbridge.

McClung said he has encountered several surprises, including the fact that children under 16 do not stay in the worship service during the sermon. “The plan of salvation is never presented to children under 16 in the United Kingdom,” he said.

McClung also is working to rebuild a fellowship that has been without a building for a year.

“The old building was demolished to rebuild, then the pastor left. That was a year ago. So, for almost a year the church had no building and no pastoral leadership,” he said. Before McClung came, the congregation of about 40 met in a rented community hall each Sunday with one of the members bringing the message.

Since McClung arrived, two midweek Bible studies have begun to meet in the parsonage, and construction work is soon to begin on a new building.

He won't see the new building, at least on this trip, because he comes back to the United States Dec. 2.

Each interim pastor goes for six months, the limitation of a tourist visa. The church supplies round-trip airline tickets, a car, a house and utilities, but the pastor receives no salary.

However, the enthusiastic response to in-depth Bible study and expository preaching has been a reward in itself, McClung said.

Vanderslice also has seen great enthusiasm in the church he serves. Members are especially interested in reaching teenagers, an effort that has been aided when American youth groups on mission trips have visited.

Vanderslice is helping the church discover how to reach teenagers on a consistent basis. He also is helping them upgrade the church facilities.

Luther Scarborough, a member of Sagamore Hill Baptist Church in Fort Worth for more than 40 years, never had been a pastor until he took his turn as an interim at Thornaby. He found it a rewarding experience, however, to offer people the prospect of the assurance of eternal life in heaven after having retired from a career in life insurance.

When Scarborough came to the church, it was averaging below 30 in attendance. Attendance doubled in the six months he served there before his visa required him to return to Texas.

“I don't think they came because of my preaching, but to hear the Texas accent,” he quipped.

Ken Bugh, vice president of American Interim Pastors Ministires and also a former interim pastor of the Thornaby church, said the growth is crucial.

“The British Baptist organization has some money to help these churches, but they want to make sure they invest their money in churches that are going to survive,” he said.

The task is more than one person can accomplish in six months, all agreed.

“You feel like you left some unfinished business, but I guess you feel the same way if you retire from the First Baptist Church after 30 years,” Scarborough said.

Bugh agreed: “It's really hard to leave because you've made lifelong friends and you feel like the work's just begun.”

Scarborough devoted himself to building up the leadership base in the area, leading six men through the book “The Purpose Driven Life.”

McComb said laymen like Scarborough can be effective in this ministry. “They don't need to be dynamic pulpiteers but just willing to work energetically alongside the people there.” The three primary criteria for service, he said, are to love Christ, love people and have a willingness to listen.

For more information about the ministry, contact McComb at (281) 992-1695.