Called board meeting focuses on Valley

Posted: 9/15/06

Called board meeting focuses on Valley

By Ferrell Foster

Texas Baptist Communications

DALLAS—Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board officers expect to call a special board meeting by the end of October to consider the results of an investigation into the use of church-starting money in the Rio Grande Valley.

Jim Nelson of Austin, vice chairman of the board, said the complexity of the investigation made it impossible for investigators to finish the task by the regular Sept. 25-26 board meeting.

“We had hoped to have the report ready for the regular Executive Board meeting, but the volume of material to be studied and the large number of personal interviews to be conducted has pushed back the completion date,” Nelson said.

Board Chairman Bob Fowler of Houston and Nelson have monitored the work of the investigators, led by Diane Dillard of Brownsville, since they began June 1. Fowler was out of the country and unavailable for comment.

Given the expected size of the final report, an executive summary will be sent to all board members as soon as it is completed, Nelson said. The full report will be available to any member of the Executive Board who requests it.

The investigation began after allegations surfaced regarding possible mishandling of BGCT church-starting funds. Suspicions surrounded the large number of church-starts in the lower Rio Grande Valley from 1999 to 2005 and how BGCT funds were used in the effort.

Investigators are interviewing people and studying documents requested from the BGCT and from Rio Grande Valley Baptist Association, Nelson said. Interviews are being conducted in both English and Spanish, as needed. A fraud-certified forensic accountant also has been hired to assist in the investigation.

“This has been a very time-consuming process,” Nelson said. “Our investigators have worked extremely hard to gather and evaluate a large volume of data in a short amount of time.”

At the Executive Board’s regular Sept. 25-26 meeting, directors will be asked to authorize additional funding to complete the investigation. At this time, Nelson said he does not know the specific amount needed, but a figure will be determined before the meeting.

“In order to do this right and to ensure we will have a trustworthy conclusion to this investigation, we felt it important that we pursue every reasonable opportunity to gather information,” Nelson said. “The cost has been high, but it is critically important that we understand what actually happened, as best we can determine.

“Even though we don’t have the power to compel people to answer questions, we have been grateful and pleased that so many folks have been willing to help us in the process.”